Business Booming at Capsule
LAS VEGAS—This season, Capsule moved from a ballroom in The Venetian to a new space on the ground floor of the Sands Expo and Convention Center.
Exhibitors reported having a strong show during the Feb. 12–13 run, with business slowing down only on the second afternoon.
“We’ve had good traffic; there’s been more people here today than yesterday,” said Kristina Angelozzi, founder and designer of vintage-inspired brand Fischer, which is based in Brooklyn, N.Y., and sold in Thistle & Clover in New York and in Seed Store and In Residence in California.
Angelozzi said this was her first time doing Capsule in Las Vegas and that she hadn’t written any orders, but she had serious interest from buyers, especially those from the Pacific Northwest.
The hip, American-made classic sportswear line did well with its Fall coats and printed silk gold-and-black skirt. The clothes retail from $110 for tops to $400 for wool outerwear.
Angelozzi said she takes inspiration for her designs from her earlier background as a costume designer in the theater.
Nancy Heinrich of Fun Junk—a store in Olympia, Wash., that turns “junk” into stylish accessories—said the show had been “really, really good” and that she had landed some new customers.
She and partner George Tart show at Capsule each year in both Las Vegas and New York and usually have a strong show, she said. Her bracelets crafted from 19th-century typewriter keys and bags made from tent canvas or recycled Pendleton blankets were popular, along with her postcards made from old record covers. A buyer came back to purchase more postcards from her, noting, “We just can’t keep these in the store. … We sold out immediately.”
John Walbrecht, North American president of Swedish outdoor brand Fjällräven, also said that he had done well this show.
“We mostly were seeing existing accounts, but we had some new customers,” he said. “Over two days we saw 30 to 40 people, and we had people writing orders.”
Walbrecht said he thought the market was coming back to authentic heritage outdoor brands such as Fjällräven and was getting away from “everything being about high-tech membranes and crazy bright colors” with outdoor clothing.
Much of the company’s merchandise is made from cotton or cotton blends instead of synthetic fibers and made in more subtle colors so it can be worn year-round as lifestyle clothing, he explained.
“People don’t want some crazy weekend outfit with orange pants and a green and blue jacket just to wear on the slopes,” he said.
Justin Shoji of high-end menswear brand Jack Spade was also pleased with the show.
“We’ve seen everyone we wanted to see,” he said. The company’s trench coats and hunting coats, which retail for $595 and feature pops of color on the inside, had done especially well, as had the brand’s novelty sweaters.
First-time-exhibitor Sydney Brown said her self-titled Scandinavian-inspired footwear attracted a lot of attention. The response to her Sydney Brown shoes—which are made with synthetic leather, lined with faux fur and feature heels carved from Swedish pine wood—had been “amazing,” she said.—Deidre Crawford
