California Apparel News

LAS VEGAS—New locations, new names and renewed energy marked the recent run of the Las Vegas apparel, accessories and sourcing trade shows.

At the center was MAGIC, which was split between two venues, the Las Vegas Convention Center—which housed WWDMAGIC, FN Platform and Sourcing at MAGIC—and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, which housed Project, Mens/Wear, Pooltradeshow, and MVMNT, MAGIC’s new street and skate section.

This season, MAGIC debuted two new shows in a giant tent adjacent to Mandalay Bay. The Tents at Project featured a curated mix of upscale men’s brands as well as ENKVegas, which was acquired last year by MAGIC parent company Advanstar.

“The reorganization, to a great degree, was what the industry wanted,” said Tom Florio, chief executive officer of Advanstar Fashion Group, who said the industry had been asking MAGIC to put its shows under one roof. “We have a long way to go, but we wanted to tell the industry that we are taking things very seriously.”

Parke Lutter, co-owner of the Parke & Ronen label, was one of the new exhibitors showing in the tents. Lutter gave the venue high marks. “It’s looking great,” he said, but added the changed format made the show hard to navigate. “I don’t think that they did a great job with making it obvious on how to get here.”

Designer Denise Focil of Alpinestars by Denise Focil and Astars said she expected to double her business with the new ENKVegas but she said she missed the smaller scale of the old ENK.

“I liked it better before,” said Focil, who began exhibiting at ENK in 2010. “It was intimate, and buyers were more focused on spending time with the brand.”

Yet in the new venue, buyers were writing orders, Focil said.

Convention Center busy

It was business—and busy aisles—as usual at WWDMAGIC at the Las Vegas Convention Center, particularly in the juniors section, where exhibitors said buyers were eager to place orders. By 3 p.m., foot traffic was at an all-time high in the juniors section.

Rick Guido, owner and designer of Nobilita, was at the show to debut his new line, Verde, a 100 percent–organic line made in Los Angeles.

“It’s a 100-piece collection with 10 colors, made out of recycled plastic bottles mixed with organic cotton,” he said. The yoga and lifestyle line features a range of product from fitted blazers to oversized shirts. “With Verde, customers are starting to learn about the organic process,” Guido said. “It has been a very good show, with buyers placing a lot of orders.”

Annabelle Lee, designer and creative director of Los Angeles–based See You Monday, said her booth was bustling with traffic. The edgy juniors line showcased printed leggings, body-conscious tees, and fun, colorful dresses.

“The show has been phenomenal,” she said. “This is where movers and shakers come to see new trends. For our first day, we were extremely busy, with big chain stores such as Nordstrom and Hot Topic to specialty boutiques who placed orders. We are getting a variety of people walking in.”

See You Monday was showing Spring, Summer and Immediates. “I feel with the economy, everything has to be immediate,” Lee said. “A lot of my buyers love the fact that they are not committed to purchasing six months ahead.”

Packed schedule

In addition to the MAGIC and Project shows, buyers had additional venues and shows to shop, including the Offprice show, Capsule and CurveNV at the Sands Expo and Convention Center; MRket, Accessories The Show and Stitch at The Venetian; and Women’s Wear in Nevada at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

The aisles of OffPrice were crowded with buyers looking for deals.

“Price dictates everything,” said David Hyman, owner of City of Industry, Calif.–based Fast Turn Imports. Hyman knows the off-price business well. Before launching Fast Turn, he owned the off-price retail chain Susie’s Deals. Fast Turn is Hyman’s new off-price wholesale operation. He also runs three stores in Southern California under the nameplate Fashion Rush.

The timing of this season’s show was ideal for CurveNV, which, in the past, was held over the all-important Valentine’s Day holiday.

“Valentine’s Day is the big season,” said Laurence Teinturier, co-founder of CurvExpo, which organizes CurveNV and its East Coast show, CurveNY. Teinturier said retailers reported “incredible” sales for the holiday.

CurvExpo, which was acquired by French trade show organizer Eurovet last year, also named a new chief executive officer. Pierre-Nicolas Hurstel, who has been a consultant for Eurovet for the past five years, joined CurvExpo in January.

This season also marked the launch of Stitch, the rebranded show formerly operating as ModaLV. Show organizer Business Journals unveiled the new branding during the show’s Feb. 18–20 launch at The Venetian, where it was co-located with Business Journals’ MRket and Accessories The Show events.

Among the new exhibitors at Stitch was Mattie Ilel, co-owner of Los Angeles–based JP & Mattie, which previously showed at Project. With the move of women’s brands from the Mandalay Bay to a tented venue, Ilel decided to try a new location in Las Vegas.

“I was worried about my majors [such as Sundance Catalog],” she said, but she discovered many of her retailers already shopped Business Journals’ shows. “They told me, ‘We love this show,’” she said.

Visitors to Sourcing at MAGIC had access to a huge selection of overseas manufacturers and business resources, as well as a small coterie of domestic resources, including Made-in-LA design development and contracting houses Trend Chasers and The Look Vision.

Exhibitors at Capsule were pleased with the turnout from Japanese buyers. This season’s show primarily featured contemporary menswear apparel and accessories brands, as well as a select few women’s resources. Capsule organizers “do a really good job of curating the brands and merchandising the show,” said Laura Baker of New York–based Indigo Showroom.

Women’s Wear in Nevada was once again bustling with buyers lined up in the booths, placing orders for updated, resort and plus-size apparel as well as accessories.

“We were busy. I can’t complain,” said Margaret Cox, who represents several brands, including Lindy by Aria Collection, Insight and Mycra Pak. “We were selling Immediates and Fall,” she said. λ