Betsy Heafitz and Annabelle Abba Brownell were at Curve to launch their fashion bra-insert collection, Double Scoop.
TRADE SHOWS
International Retailers and Specialty Buyers at CurveNV
On opening day of the Aug. 18–19 run of CurveNV at The Venetian, a crowd of spa and resort buyers were given a tour of the upscale lingerie and swimwear trade show before participating in a panel discussion about the needs of the spa and resort market.
The spa and resort presence was part of the appeal of showing at CurveNV for Ron Russell, vice president of Manhattan Beachwear. The Cypress, Calif., company was showing in two locations in Las Vegas. For the second season, Manhattan Beachwear’s Nanette Lapore Swim, Bikini Lab, Trina Turk and LaBlanca collections were at CurveNV, while all of the company’s lines—including Kenneth Cole, Sperry Top Sider, Adidas, Hobie, Polo Ralph Lauren and Maxine of Hollywood—were also showing at ISAM at WWDMAGIC at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“At MAGIC, we work our domestic accounts,” Russell said. “There are more international accounts here [at CurveNV].”
The Las Vegas trade shows fall within a busy time for swim makers, such as Manhattan Beachwear, that launched their Cruise ’15 collections at the Miami SwimShow in Miami Beach in July. The lines then headed to Huntington Beach, Calif., for Swim Collective before arriving in Las Vegas. Next up for the company is Surf Expo in Orlando, Fla.
“For swim, the official start for 2015 is Miami,” Russell said. “You better be at the starting gate and ready to go.”
Buyers are “cautiously optimistic,” Russell said, adding that they are interested in new items and lots of color.
“When you’re in a recession, you want black,” he said. “Now they want happy colors.”
Betsy Heafitz and Annabelle Abba Brownell were among the new lines showing at CurveNV.
The two former Silicon Valley tech executives now live in Santa Barbara, Calif., where they launched their Double Scoop line of bra inserts.
“What Spanx did for the girdle, we’re hoping to do with the bra insert,” Brownell said. Heafitz added: “We’re making it fun to stuff your bra.”
In addition to the original bra insert, the two are working on an insert for their “more-endowed friends.”
“Their needs are different,” Heafitz said. “We’re in design phase for larger sized, which will give them a lift.”
The two are also expanding the line to include loungewear pieces such as tanks and camisoles with the bra and bra insert built in.
Heafitz said the idea came to them when they realized she would put on a cami, a bra and a bra insert and thought, “I’ve got three layers on, and I don’t even have any clothes on.”
The lightweight, washable bra inserts come in bright colors and happy prints. The two have sold the line at Santa Barbara stores and at local events but decided to attend CurveNV after talking to several retailers.
“We talked to retailers and they said they’d be at Curve,” said Heafitz. “So we said we’ll be at Curve.”
