California Apparel News

SAN MATEO, CALIF.—Fashion Market Northern California kicked off to a strong start with 28 new exhibitors and more than 200 stores attending the first day of the Fall II/Holiday Market, which ran June 26–28 at the San Mateo County Event Center.

“I can definitely tell the business climate is much better. People are shopping again, and buyers are feeling confident to spend again,” said Lori Markman of Lori Markman Showroom, a long-time independent sales representative who represents several lines, including Toms Shoes and Weston Wear.

Markman has been showing at trade shows in Northern California for 25 years and said that while buyers are still careful with their spending, they are not as cautious as they were last year.

“They’re not afraid to spend, but they’re not going to spend on something they don’t think is going to be of value. They want some kind of meaning in what they buy. Toms Shoes, for instance, has been great through the recession,” she said.

Markman said buyers were not only placing more orders with her this exhibition but also showing increased confidence by ordering further out—for Holiday, 9/30 and 10/30 deliveries—with very few Immediates.

Accessories, lower-price-point items and ethically inspired goods (eco, fair trade and cause-related) were all big sellers at the show, according to vendors.

New eco-apparel line Amour Vert, which is California-made and uses natural and organic fabrics, has “really excelled,” said Hamid Derak, who represents the brand along with several others, including Tyler Kim, Blu Seven, Quintessential and Lily.

“The designer is a French designer, so it’s a European flair—a lot of fashion and produced domestically in Northern California, in Palo Alto, so that is an added plus,” Derak said.

“A lot of the historically eco-lines are more basic, so when [buyers] see more fashion and more trend, they like it even more.”

Cindy Patten of Lucinda Showroom in Los Angeles described the market as a “writing show” and said she had opened several new accounts. Her most popular item was a leopard-print trench coat wholesale priced at $32.

“It’s novelty, it’s inexpensive and my specialty stores can get a great margin on this. I have a store in Bend, Ore., and Tarzana, Calif., selling them for $129,” Patten said.

Ellen Lundeen, who represents several accessories lines with long-time exhibitor Ron Kanar, said that most of her buyers had been placing small orders and watching their price points but that she was “definitely up from last year” in terms of the number of buyers purchasing from her.

“It’s been really, really busy—a lot of return accounts, and Two Old Bags has brought a lot of new accounts coming in,” she said.

Lundeen described FMNC as an “item-driven” market with lower-price-point jewelry, scarves, small leather goods and leather handbags from companies such as ILI, which wholesale for $30 to $68, bringing in a lot of business.

“We’ve got this line called Bam that’s a continual zipper [bag], and it’s in the $30 to $35 price point [range], and stores are blowing through that,” she said.Price resistanceHigher-price-point items were a harder sale, according to several exhibitors.

“It’s been good but not great,” said Rosana de Souza, designer of fine-jewelry line Zana de Souza, which is carried in Southern California at upscale retailers such as Fred Segal Santa Monica and Turpan in Brentwood Country Mart.

With a line that features silver, rare gem and semiprecious-stone jewelry priced up to $400 wholesale, de Souza attracted buyers to her versatile silver-and-leather wrap chains that sell wholesale for $35 and can be worn as a necklace or wrapped around the wrist or ankle as a bracelet, she said.

First-time exhibitor Jennifer Ryder of Tart Collection—which is carried in Heidi Says, Two Skirts and the Seedstore, among other retailers—said business had been much slower for her here than at other recent trade shows.

“It’s too soon to know how I’m going to do here, but I think it’s probably good marketing for us,” she said.

Ryder wondered if her items were too expensive for FMNC’s buyers and noted the lower-priced lines appeared to be busier than she was, but she hoped the show would be a good opportunity to gain exposure to new stores.

Alyssa Mitchell, who was also showing for the first time at FMNC, echoed a similar sentiment. Mitchell, a sales rep for CP Shades, said this was the first time the Sausalito, Calif., company had its own booth at FMNC. In the past, the line was represented by an independent rep. While the clothing line had a “great response” at the show, she said, “Some people will walk through and take a look at the line and decide the price point is a little high.”

Buyer incentives and changes on horizonThe exhibition, which is presented by the Golden Gate Apparel Association, offers a wide range of misses, juniors, European, contemporary, intimate apparel, shoes and accessories in the largest open-booth venue on the West Coast.

The market’s open-booth format in the spacious San Mateo County Event Center has proven popular with buyers, and booth space was nearly sold out this exhibition, according to Suzanne De Groot, FMNC’s executive director.

“Out of the pre-registered people, there were 87 new stores that were not in our database before. hellip; That’s actually larger than last time,” she said.

The show has been successful with local Northern California buyers, who, as a result of the recession, are not traveling as much as they used to, said Don Reichman of Reichman Associates. Reichman is also a board member of FMNC.

“A lot of my key Northern California accounts would come to L.A., but they’re not as much now,” he said. “That is what is going on around the country. Stores are finding they don’t have to travel, and they’re finding their resources closer to home,” he said.

As an incentive to lure buyers from other states, the FMNC has been reaching out through advertising and direct mail, offering a free night at the Marriott San Mateo for stores that have never been to the show, Reichman said.

Starting next year, FMNC will also test switching from a four-day format opening on Saturdays to a three-day format starting on Sunday for every show, De Groot said.

“We were getting feedback from people that they’re working their stores on Saturday, so it’s a day that not as many people are here,” she said.

This year’s October show, which runs Oct. 22–25, will still be four days, as scheduled.