California Apparel News

This season, the LA Majors Market, which caters to juniors fashions and department-store buyers at the California Market Center, underwent a few changes.

Part of the front lobby was turned into a cozy living-room space surrounded by wooden walls and faux greenery to give it a lived-in look. A coffee bar was open and free boxed lunches were served to buyers who could enjoy their food at high tables with stools.

There was also a handful of buyer lounges where electronic devices could be recharged, and there were private buyer meeting areas to make doing business more intimate and convenient.

For this edition of LA Majors Market, which ran April 1–3, all temporary showrooms were concentrated on the 13th floor to make it easier for buyers to connect with vendors. CMC officials said there were 101 vendors exhibiting in the temporary space, which was about even with last year’s show. Vendors also did business in the building’s fifth- and eighth-floor showrooms.

Buyers from Dillard’s, TJX Companies, Stein Mart, Nordstrom, Pacific Sunwear, Zumiez, Tilly’s and Stitch Fix visited the market.

With the CMC undergoing a $170-million renovation, several showrooms have moved recently. One of those was Sharon Koshet Sales, which moved from the A building and reopened right before the market in a temporary showroom in Suite B557.

Koshet took the inconvenience of moving in stride, noting her temporary showroom offered pretty much the same square footage as her former space and all of her customers found her. She exhibited brands including Mesmerize, Rain + Rose and Vintage Concept.

While moving was challenging, she was upbeat about the new amenities being offered by the building. “People are going to be talking about Los Angeles again,” she said.

Some vendors said they believed that buyer traffic was lighter than in past years. One of the reasons was that several showroom occupants have left for other buildings.

Veteran exhibitor YMI Jeans decided not to get a temporary space during this market, which was the first time in 18 years the brand did not show at the building, said David Vered, YMI’s president.

After so many years exhibiting at the CMC, he wanted to try a new approach. So he showed his brands, which include YMI Jeans, Royalty for Me, California Vintage and Secrets With Love, at the company’s large headquarters in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights area. Vered described full days of appointments with buyers on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“April is not usually a huge market,” he said. “I’m more comfortable at my place. It showcases our company at its best.”

Showroom owners said the CMC building is changing as well as the rules of the market, said Ally Hicks, president of the 2253 Apparel Group, which exhibited brands Celebrity Pink and denim styles for the Kendall + Kylie brand.

In the past, majors were known for making orders with delivery dates scheduled 90 days to 120 days out. In the past year, more major retailers are asking for orders with delivery dates of 28 to 42 days out. “Coming off of a tough holiday season, people are in a place where they have to sell the right inventory at the right time,” Hicks said.

Alison Budow of the Alison Showroom in Suite A853 said the job of the sales representative and the showroom owner has become more complex. “Gone are the days where you’d say, “This is a cute line, I’m going to sell it,’” Budow said.

Sales representatives have to help make the brands more exclusive and more novel, said Patricia Welman, director of merchandising and sales for 3 Girls Clothing, which was exhibiting at the Alison Showroom. “You have to be a partner from a design level,” she said.

The LA Majors Market was also a place to introduce new brands. Debbie Beltran introduced the better juniors brand Lilah Wilde with its hoodies, tops and mini-skirts at the T&A Showroom on the building’s fourth floor.

Beltran also felt the market is changing, “It’s not like back in the day when buyers would order trends right off the bat,” she said. “They are very conscious of what the customer wants. It’s great. It keeps me focused.”