Traffic Down, Orders Up at Project
LAS VEGAS—Traffic seemed to decline at Project, which ran Feb. 13–15 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. However, many vendors reported decent business.
Contemporary brand Ted Baker forecast a 30 percent increase in sales compared with last February’s Project show, said Patrick Heitkam, executive vice president of wholesale for the U.K. company’s American operations.
“Traffic seems to be flat. We’re building bases with existing customers, and they’re stepping up their orders,” he said. Project is one of the few shows where Ted Baker shows both its men’s and women’s collection along with its Ted Baker Endurance tailored line.
Traffic seemed down to Patricia Thornton, vice president of sales and marketing at surf label Maui and Sons, based in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood. “I saw key people. I feel that I’m not seeing independents.” She forecast her label’s sales would be even with the February 2011 Project.
A crowded trade show calendar was blamed for lighter traffic, said Amanda Parenti, director of business development at the Eva Franco label, which is based in Los Angeles.
“L.A. had a great January market, and the market was good for Intermezzo [held in January in New York],” she said. “Most people saw us in January. It seems like they came to this show to scout out new product.”
For Rebeca and Vanessa Victoria, retailers seemed more confident, according to the co-designers and co-owners of Los Angeles–based fashion line Nuvula. Vanessa Victoria said Nuvala’s sales increased more than 25 percent compared with the label’s performance last year. “The economy is recovering a bit,” she said.
Veteran boutique retailer Diane Merrick shopped Project and said 25 percent of what she ordered were new brands. The rest were brands that are proven solid-performing brands at her self-named Diane Merrick store in Los Angeles. For Fall, she forecast women would wear more florals, patterns and colored fabrics.
Lisa Kline co-founder of Vaniti, walked Project to invite new, contemporary brands to take part in her Aliso Viejo, Calif.–headquartered e-marketplace. She had discussions with brands such as Simon Miller, Public School, Billy Reid and M. Cohen. She forecast Fall’s men’s styles will include color blocking, Navajo prints, camouflage and graphics of skulls.
Kline applauded some of Project’s features, including Project Wooster, a boutique merchandised with emerging lines such as AR and Drx Romanelli. Project Wooster, which bowed in August, was spearheaded by Andrew Pollard, executive vice president, fashion, of Advanstar (MAGIC’s parent company) and president of Project. “They were trying to create a new experience for buyers. It was the most inspiring,” Kline said of Project Wooster.
Pollard recently expanded his responsibilities to include all the menswear offerings at Project and MAGIC. During a seminar organized for Brazilian apparel and footwear brands showing at Project and sister show FN Platform, Pollard said he plans to unveil a new format for the menswear section in August.
There were a number of lines showing at Project for the first time. Los Angeles outerwear brand The: Odds took a bow. Irvine, Calif.–based Tavik showed at Project for the first time. Erik Paulsen, the label founder, said he met many retailers at the show with whom he did not have access at other trade events.
Derek Mattison debuted his tailored clothing line, Mattison, at Project. He got no sales for his blazer-based line but said exhibiting at the show was worth it for the critical accolades. “I knew the buyers were looking for casual lines,” Mattison said. “The response was strong from bloggers. The guys at GQ tweeted about me.”—Andrew Asch
