California Apparel News

Liberty Fashion & Lifestyle Fairs, a high-end contemporary menswear show, used the theme “To The Moon” for its fourth run in Las Vegas. The show enjoyed a deeper international presence when it took place Feb. 16–18 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, said Stephanie Seeley, a Liberty partner.

There weremore than 300 Japanese buyers at Liberty, Seeley said, and more than 18 Japanese brands on the floor, including outerwear label Nishikawa Down, which made its U.S. debut at Liberty.

U.S. retailers dropping by the show included majors such as Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue; high-end boutiques such as H.Lorenzo and Fred Segal, both based in Los Angeles; Carson Street Clothiers of New York City; and Holt Renfrew, a luxury specialty chain headquartered in Toronto.

The buyers saw more than 400 booths exhibiting mostly menswear looks, including 123 brands that were new to the show. Seeley said the show directors mostly kept the show layout consistent with what was seen at the third run of Liberty in August.

Show sections included Quest, which was devoted to suiting and other high-end looks. Another part of the show was dedicated to tailored styles and outerwear. Another section was reserved for Japanese and European brands. Lifestyle, streetwear and surf brands such as Maui & Sons and Katin USA had a larger presence at Liberty. Also making a return to Liberty was the Drugstore section, which exhibited men’s grooming brands. In the Network section, fashion tech companies such as Shopify, NuOrder and Lightspeed exhibited.

Seeley forecasted that the show would keep its current layout and size. “We want to grow organically,” she said. “Our main goal is to make the show easy to navigate for retailers.”

Like almost every other trade show, some brands did well and others reported doing only okay business. Don King, senior vice president of sales for Schott NYC, headquartered in Union, N.J., estimated that show attendance increased, but the show’s pace was relaxed. “It’s not overwhelming,” he said of the show. “People here don’t feel harried.”

Hyden Yoo exhibited his Los Angeles–headquartered self-named brand, Hyden Yoo,and his Standard Issue line at Liberty. He said that retailers mostly ordered Fall styles during the show, but an estimated 25 percent were buying Immediates.

Lisa Kline, a boutique retailer who closed her influential Los Angeles boutique chain named Lisa Kline in 2011, walked Liberty. Kline recently introduced a self-named fashion line on Home Shopping Network. She noticed athleisure was one of the big trends at the show. “Lines that would be dressier were selling sweats and more leisure wear. But they were matched with jackets and button-up shirts,” Kline said. “There was a big influence of skate/street and surf.”