ENK Vegas Rides a Bullish Mood
LAS VEGAS—Business was buzzing at the ENKVegas show during its Feb. 13–15 run at the Wynn Hotel & Resort.
Kim Johnson, sales manager for Los Angeles–based men’s contemporary brand Drifter, forecast a 35 percent increase compared with last February’s ENKVegas show.
“The show was unexpectedly busy,” Johnson said. “Buyers were making purchases, and they were taking chances on new looks. It feels like 2007.”
Vendors were in a good mood because retailers reportedly were making robust orders, said Gillian Julius, who runs her self-named Gillian Julius accessories company, based in Los Angeles.
“The customer doesn’t have a price-point issue,” she said. Most placed orders; however, a few used the show as research and promised to make decisions by Coterie, ENK’s show that runs Feb. 21–23 in New York.
At the show, Portland, Ore.–based Agave Denim exhibited its expanded categories of jeans, tops and sweaters, which are retail priced from $185 to $350. David Marshall of Agave’s men’s sales division forecast sales will double compared with last February because consumers were seeking out unique fashions. “If the fabric is right, people will buy it, period,” he said.
Exhibitors reported seeing major retailers such as Neiman Marcus; luxury resort retailers such as MGM; international retailers; and high end boutiques such Kitson and Novecento, based in Newport Beach, Calif.
Many retailers were looking for Immediates, said Yoyo Yeung, founder of Los Angeles –based women’s contemporary line Yoyo Yeung. At ENK, she forecast the breakdown of her sales was 50 percent for Fall orders, 25 percent for Summer orders and 25 percent for Immediates.—Andrew Asch
