California Apparel News

Exhibitors at the Feb. 18–20 run of WWDMAGIC at the Las Vegas Convention Center reported upbeat retailers from across the country and the world turning out to place orders for Immediate, Summer and Fall deliveries.

Judy Wexler of J.Wexler Sales called the turnout on the first day “terrific.” Wexler, who represents Los Angeles–based young contemporary line Mystree, said the mood among retailers was positive.

“They’re ready to bring in new things,” she said, adding that orders ranged from Immediate deliveries through Fall merchandise.

The mood was good at the Miilla and Monoreno booths, said Scott Kim, executive manager for the Los Angeles–based brands.

“The mood is energetic. They’re trying to get things done early,” he said, adding that traffic was constant all day on the first day of the show.

Kim said many buyers were looking for more Immediate goods, which worked out well because “we have everything in stock.” He also said he was seeing more potential new accounts, including international retailers from China and Japan as well as one from Switzerland.

Moshe Tsabag, president of Los Angeles–based Velvet Heart, was also seeing several international retailers, particularly from South America, as well as majors retailers such as Bloomingdale’s.

It was a similar story across the aisle at the PJ Salvage booth, said Peter Burke, chief executive officer of the Irvine, Calif.–based casual lifestyle line.

“It’s been a phenomenal show,” he said. “We found a lot of new customers as well [as existing accounts and] lots of good international retailers from Japan, South America, Canada.”

Last season, WWDMAGIC’s “White” section, for upscale misses and international brands, moved to the convention center’s South Hall, but this season organizers brought it back to the Central Hall, where the contemporary, young contemporary and juniors exhibitors are.

For XCVI representative Chris Myers, traffic was “fairly busy” and “steady all day” on the opening day of the show.

On opening day, Myers said, the turnout was mostly “consistent tried-and-true retailers” rather than new accounts. Most were buying Fall, he said, although XCVI has earlier deliveries available.

Peter Jacobson, owner of the Creative Concepts showroom and FashionLink, a distributor of European lines, was pleasantly surprised by the turnout on opening day.

“I expected it to be quieter today because most of our appointments are tomorrow,” he said.

Jacobson has two of his collections at WWDMAGIC, La Fee Marubee and Aventures des Toiles, and said he’d already seen retailers from Northern California, Chicago and New Hampshire.

“The only complaint retailers reported at the Mystree booth was weather-related,” Wexler said. The rough winter on the East Coast, Midwest and South and the unseasonably warm weather on the West Coast meant many retailers don’t have appropriate items in stock.

“No one has what they should have in their stores,” she said. “Nobody had the winter they’re supposed to have.”

Velvet Heart’s Tsabag agreed.

“Midwest and East Coast retailers didn’t bring in enough merchandise because of the weather,” he said.

Plus, FashionLink’s Jacobson noted, bad weather impacted many retailers’ business, as well.

“The weather they’ve had is killing their sales,” he said.