California Apparel News

Fresh off a successful event that was hosted during Miami Swim Week, Liberty Fashion & Lifestyle Fairs entered the Los Angeles trade-show market with its new show, Liberty West, an event that was the product of Liberty’s joint effort with the LA Men’s Market. With a female-led team helmed by Liberty vice president Edwina Kulego and former LA Men’s Market sales-and-marketing lead Sannia Shahid joining the brand as sales director, the show promoted a fresh start in trade events following pandemic lockdowns.

“People are so happy to be back. They are so happy to be back in business. The buyers have shown up. The brands are excited to also just showcase what they’ve been working on,” Kulego said and noted that a New York City show is scheduled for January and a return to Los Angeles will take place in February—in addition to another Miami event. “The majority of the feedback has been overwhelmingly exceeding expectations.”

The event took place Aug. 4–5 at the California Market Center and remained true to the core values of the Liberty brand.

For Hawaiian-apparel brand Avanti Shirts’ Director of Operations Vincent Hui, the absence of shows made him grateful for a return to trade events.

“Ever since COVID, I feel like more than ever we need in-person shows especially for our products,” Hui said. “For buyers too, it was kind of old to them, but COVID made them appreciate it. They missed that interaction with the vendors and feeling the fabrics.”

This sentiment was echoed by American Rag Cie. buyer Orlando Reneau, who is based in Los Angeles.

“As a buyer it’s important to see the collection. One thing I couldn’t do over Zoom, if I am going through your collection, I am not able to put a story together about your collection,” Reneau explained. “At least here, I can merchandise it.”

“Liberty is all about community. We are about the people. We support diversity. We are currently a Black woman–owned company with a women-led team, but we love our men,” Kulego said. “We are really thinking about what’s important—working with brands that are doing things that are responsible. We are nimble, we’re flexible.”

On the show floor, the event drew buyers from across the country, including James Smith, owner of Atlanta’s Nacirema, a men’s mid-level to high-end streetwear store that is on the verge of celebrating its 10-year anniversary and has two locations in the city. As a store owner who seeks to bring different looks to his clientele, aged 18–40, Smith was drawn to visiting a Los Angeles–based show to find pieces his customers could not find elsewhere.

“People like me who are not privy to the show in L.A. and the brands that are here—it’s just a good experience. You’re seeing things that you normally wouldn’t see. I like to show my customers something different, something they’re not used to and they can get comfortable with. You don’t always want to be in your comfort zone. That is the thing about fashion. A lot of people like to stand out.”

At the Silent Panda booth, the focus on offering something different to the designer-streetwear and wearables buyer was ingrained in the San Francisco Bay Area brand owned by Samuel Taylor. As Taylor prepares for fashion weeks in New York City and Tokyo, the designer was introducing his new footwear design based on futuristic style notes blended with hiking, sneaker and ski-boot elements that will be released in October.

“You scan your QR code [on our clothing] and you’ll be directed to the mobile app, and the actual mobile app allows you to access our portal, where you can earn bonus points, you can receive rewards—there is even a virtual stylist that tells you how to wear a product,” Taylor explained, regarding his garments, which retail from $75 to $875. “Once the fashion industry truly embraces technology, we’ll take a turn for the better. It will solve a lot of problems.”

At the Chris Pyrate and Friends booth, Project Manager Michael “M.K.” Kim was also promoting a brand that was founded on being different. The work of muralist Chris Pyrate, the Washington, D.C., brand showcased a colorful world that is a translation of the artist’s work and mindset and wholesales for $25 for a T-shirt to $300 for a coat.

“Some are looking for that high-end streetwear blend, which is the mark we’re going for—it’s been our primary focus,” Kim said. “They are looking for things that are designed by artists, so the phrase we’re leading with is an artist-led streetwear brand. Everybody has a T-shirt, everybody has a hoodie, but our covers are reversible, they come with hoods that detach, we have ski pants. All of our jackets are satin lined on the inside.”

Buying for California retailer Pharmacy Boardshop, store manager and buyer Ben Gonzalez was meeting with established contacts. Searching for goods to stock at the eight-door operation, Gonzalez saw trends in futuristic styles in bright colors and clean aesthetics.

“Funky colors or things you might not have thought would work two years ago are working right now. They don’t have to match,” Gonzalez said. “Some people are doing capsules with other companies, and you’ll see the brightness of it or the darkness of it or the funky trippy colors or trippy designs. That is eye-catching, like the purple everybody is wearing.”