California Apparel News

ENKVegas—a show devoted to women’s contemporary fashions, denim and accessories—unveiled its Conscious Collections section during its most recent run, Feb. 17–19 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, said Sunni Spencer, the show’s director.

The Conscious Collections were brands that make philanthropy, organic materials and fair-trade practices part of their business plans. Around 46 brands participated in the effort, and their booths featured a sticker bearing the moniker Conscious Collections.

More than 540 brands exhibited at 370 booths at ENKVegas, which was larger than the August 2014 run of the show, Spencer said, although she did not say how much larger.

If ENKVegas showed its green colors during the show—green is the color often associated with the environmental movement—the green of dollar bills also remained a top priority at the show.

Matthew Boelk, co-owner of Groceries, a made-in-USA knitwear brand that uses environmental fabrics, participated in the Conscious Collections. He forecasted that his Los Angeles–based brand’s sales could increase 50 percent compared with his label’s ENKVegas business in February 2014. “I hope it is a sign that the economy is getting better and that people are being less cautious,” he said. A lot of the growth came from pre-booking the brand’s Fall collection. Groceries exhibited at ENK because Boelk believed that was where most of his buyers would shop. During the show, Groceries met with retailers such as Service Menswear in Austin, Texas; Planet Blue in Santa Monica, Calif.; Kitson, headquartered in Los Angeles; and new boutiques that hailed from Colorado.

Greg Garrett, co-founder of Z-Supply Inc., exhibited his Irvine, Calif.–headquartered brands White Crow and Black Swan at ENKVegas. During the show, Z Supply Inc.’s sales force met with over 200 accounts—most of them independent boutiques. “Manufacturers must evaluate a few basic questions in order to have a successful show. They must determine if it’s on trend or not,” Garrett stated. “It’s important for manufacturers to work with retailers to handle the distribution of their garments. I always ensure that my brands are not over-distributing.”

Meital Bronstein, owner of the defunct high-end Talulah G boutiques, founded e-commerce retailer Bungalow Clothing, which is headquartered in Las Vegas. She walked ENKVegas and saw that 1970s styles were making a big comeback.

Some of the big trends at the show included 1970s-style bell-bottoms, corduroy pants and garments bearing Ultrasuede-style fabric. “You see a lot of wide-leg pants. You see some boot-cut styles coming back,” she said. Plaid tops seemed very popular as did overcoats, she said.