California Apparel News

L.A. Market Week, which was held in downtown Los Angeles Aug. 1–5, saw trends of multifunctionality within apparel and provided opportunities to connect. The California Market Center, The New Mart and the Cooper Design Space afforded an environment to shop a Holiday/Resort market, yet many buyers who visited the downtown Los Angeles Fashion District were searching for Spring/Summer 2022 essentials. Many showrooms reportedly broke new ground in innovation, bringing awareness to the utilitarian potential of clothing.

Cultivating the spirit of the resort life, designers looked to the fashion archives. Adding touches of saturated color and free-form movement, exhibitors showcased style notes from the 1960s bohemian era, relying on the flow of the summer dress to capture the energy of Spring/Summer 2022.

Various showrooms adorned their mannequins and window displays with the revitalization of color and abstract prints, preparing for the tropical movements that speak to these seasons. Retailers were hunting for goods that met two critical goals: comfort and versatility.

Emerging from stay-at-home is a process that will take time to defrost, and comfort has remained a priority. With new incentives, buyers are left with the task of introducing the product that can do it all.

Antiviral designs at the CMC

Within the CMC, the New Designers Space,located in suite C201, had a breadth of designer lines from all over the world on display, bridging multinational brands and the U.S. market. “Our goal is emerging all the international designer collections and introducing them into the U.S. market,” said showroom representative Hyeju Lee.

Gearing up to combat our shared microscopic enemy, the multi-line showroom showcased its in-house collection of copper-infused outerwear for men and women.

The Vforce Collection is a line of outerwear pieces that the brand boasts are “compounded with copper,” fusing the line to become “Protective Personal Apparel.” With the retail price sitting between $115 and $160, the antiviral properties have been proven to kill “99.9 percent of the microorganisms like bacteria,” according to the brand.

Made for the commuter audience, the utilitarian coats are constructed to be durable, water-resistant, hypoallergenic and provide an extra layer of protection, Lee said. During studies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that metal alloys such as copper can disrupt the development of viral spread.

Much of the foot traffic at the CMC made its way to the fifth floor, where showrooms that specialize in childrenswear fielded business during the height of back-to-school season. Three retail pioneers from different parts of the nation decided to meet for the very first time in person after only having a virtual connection but which had grown into a friendship.

Los Angeles native Jany Koo is the creative director of Hello Little Page, Porshia Hernandez is the owner of Five Suns in North Carolina, and Jam boutique owner Joana Miller from Sacramento, Calif., talked about the intricate balance of shopping for kids while keeping parents in mind.

As their young clients become more expressive, so do the trends. The three women-led retail businesses were on the path to explore AB Spoon in search of Bobo Choses and other brands. Breaking down virtual barriers to retail relationships, they took their physical steps toward in-person buying together. The general retail price point for all three business owners nestled between $30 and $100.

Hernandez said she was looking to step outside what she has already done in the past season. “I’m really challenging myself to pick some fun or crazy prints,” she said.

At the AB Spoon showroom located in suite C534, Beatriz Villafañe-Stripling sold pieces with a wholesale price point between $12 and $16. One of her top-performing collections is Monster, which is tailored for boys, while another brand she carries, Pink Chicken, allows girls to embrace their bohemian side.

Dressing for comfort at The New Mart

The season continues to reclaim the free-form energy found in trends present during recent editions of the 2021 L.A. Market Week circuit. Buyers and showrooms are connected through the femininity of loose-fitting dresses and their many variations.

Mother-daughter duo Lisa Lenchner and Shannon Kane summarized the traffic within their women-led showroom and the consistent trends that are consistently showing in their orders.

Lenchner has been in the industry for over 40 years and has seen it all. She passed down her abundance of knowledge to her daughter, who partnered with her mother to run Lenchner & Kane Sales, located in suite 603 in The New Mart. Kane said that the foot traffic has mainly been appointment-based, but she had also seen a healthy number of walk-ins as well.

A multi-line showroom, Lenchner & Kane Sales is showing collections representing Spring and Summer 2022 from European-based designers.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of green,” said Kane, explaining that the color, presented in different hues, represents new beginnings. She added that dresses and other goods from one of their popular collections, Ruby Yaya-Lula Soul-Lula Life,are flying off the hangers.

Her theory behind the new force of the free-flowing silhouettes is convenience and versatility. Another hot commodity was their scuba-material leggings, which have been a staple piece on many of their purchase orders.

Aligning to the relaxed dress code found at The New Mart was Hawaii-based store owner Laura Phillipson and her colleague Kerry Forker, who migrated to L.A. Market Week in search of new multifaceted options to meet the diversity within their market.

Their businesses cater to the women’s contemporary lifestyle, with a retail price point between $30 and $100. Phillipson is the co-owner of the multiple-door boutique Sand People. Phillipson talked about the wave of ever-changing trends that flow in with the cocktail styles desired by vacationers and locals, finding versatile comfort runs parallel to the retail needs of Kauai.

“It’s beachy-resort, but all of our locals buy from us as well,” Phillipson said, describing her target audience. “We have to cover a lot.” Added Forker, “It’s coastal living.”

Coastal views at the Cooper

The Amsterdam-based couture brand Scotch & Soda is located temporarily in the Cooper Design Space. It solidified the beauty of coastal views in its custom prints for the Spring/Summer 2022 collection. As a multinational brand, it was rare to have a California-grown design collaboration with Los Angeles–based artist Abel Macias, who handcrafted the statement prints sprinkled throughout the collection.

Showroom coordinator and account executive Laura Ballweg explained that the Scotch & Soda designers pulled trends happening overseas and integrated them with the inspiration of coastal living found domestically.

“Our design team definitely does a lot of research on the trends for the next year—we definitely reflect all of the big trends,” said Ballweg.

She went on to describe the energy behind the collection as “a revival of trends.” Pulling from the 1960s era, the assembly of goods reflected a saturation of sunset colors and bold prints. Ballweg confirmed she has been seeing a lot of summer maxi dresses; however, they are geared to hold their own as an occasional outfit with the right accessories. The retail price point for Scotch & Soda sits between $150 and $228.

Owner of the Splendiferous boutique Monica Wellington spoke about the enormity of the new normal that was felt throughout her excursion at L.A. Market. Wellington said her retail price point is between $50 and $100 and identified her need for summer loungewear.

Wellington said the demand for comfort in her store “is definitely being asked for.” While visiting market, Wellington was in search of new lines.

Wellington’s interest peaked when discussing Scotch & Soda, finding its new collection aligning with the call for relaxation echoing from her clientele in Mendocino, Calif.

Photos by Betti Halsell for California Apparel News.