California Apparel News

Returning to Los Angeles, the Preface show hosted its July 28–29 event at the El Santee Building in the city’s downtown. Joining together under the mission of sustainability and circularity, textile manufacturers, printers, supply-chain services and garment businesses focused on green production methods were happy to finally meet within a space that afforded a tactile show experience.

“When it comes to fabric, especially sourcing, they wanted to get to a place where they can touch and feel and talk about what they need with that face-to-face interaction,” explained show founder and BFF Studio owner Betsy Franjola. “Normally I find that we have people who are really hungry for inspiration, and that is the main goal of our show, but this time I think it was paired with the desire to physically source and physically interact with mills that drove people to come.”

Preface also hosted information sessions with industry leaders and an educational series that included dyeing and mending workshops. Preface’s commitment to sharing its trend forecasting with attendees is one of its most-anticipated offerings. All attendees receive a complimentary experience kit filled with an array of textile samples and the invaluable book containing Preface’s seasonal trend report. A premium version filled with the aforementioned items—and an extended rundown on trending inspiration, in addition to handcrafted mood boards, a master palette of swatches, gifting, and a remote webinar—is available for $500.

“There are trend companies that I love, but it’s $10,000 per person to use them. Here, for $500, you can at least find out what’s going to be coming up,” said Marge Pietrera, founder of the Charleston, N.C., Fashion Index apparel-sourcing directory. “It’s a lot more tangible, especially if you’re starting out.”

At the Laguna Fabrics, Inc., booth, Sales Manager Stacy McDonnell noted that she was making solid connections and discussing solutions to current issues faced by brands that were searching for recyclables, cellulosics that will biodegrade, in addition to textures and luxury textiles.

“There have been a lot of people who were working overseas that need to find domestic fabrics, which is what we do. That is important to us because it’s hard to get things out of China right now, it’s hard to get things out of India, and it’s hard to get things out of Bangladesh, so now they are having to re-source,” McDonnell explained. “Hopefully we can establish new relationships and programs.”

Nearshoring apparel manufacturing was on the minds of many during the event. Partnering with Preface, digital-printing provider MimakiUSA—the United States arm of its Japanese parent company—contributed to the creation of the valuable trend-presentation mood boards. Senior Textile Segment Specialist Victoria Nelson Harris noted that large and small brands were able to benefit from connecting to the vast network of Preface supply-chain resources.

“During the pandemic, there was serious supply-chain disruption for all parts of the textile and apparel industry. Driving trends was a significant shift to DTC/e-commerce, creating a democratized market for small and large brands to compete,” Nelson Harris said. “Secondly, there was a shift to localization of manufacturing due to many brands and manufacturers having their stock stuck overseas or in ports. So there is a demand for a digital solution to create less waste and obtain faster speed to market, which digital textile printing aligns with perfectly.”

The importance of driving a sustainable future and the opportunities that Preface affords in this space were alluring for representatives such as Peri O’Connor, who owns Burbank, Calif.’s Periscope Art, a showroom representing 14 art studios including Amanda Kelly and print studio Créations Robert Vernet.

“For me personally, I feel passionate about sustainability, so I love participating in this show. This is my second time,” O’Connor said. “[There are] great vendors and the trends are fabulous. It’s nice to see what the art studios have done reflected in what they are talking about there.”

After launching his brand of sportswear, which relies on fabrics derived from plant fibers, Matthew Carpenter of the Los Angeles brand Driveway Paradise attended Preface for the tactile experience. While Carpenter had attended a virtual edition of Preface during the COVID-19 lockdown, this was his first on-site experience of the show.

“To physically touch the fabrics and speak to the people who represent them in person directly is invaluable,” Carpenter said. “[It’s about] the ability to gather as many fabric samples and contacts from those mills in one place and use all that information to make really great connections and talk with people in the industry but also make the best decision on which fabrics to go with for future collections.”