California Apparel News

Los Angeles Market Week, held March 6–10, welcomed buyers to The New Mart, Cooper Design Space and California Market Center and wasfilled with product for the upcoming Fall season along with a smattering of Immediates and even some Holiday.

The New Mart welcomed new tenants AGX, Westside Merchandising and Parker Smith. Exclusive showrooms included Hale Bob, David Galan Leather and the Miriana Ojeda Showroom, which represents Alquema, Bia Miro, Igor and others.

Jackie Bartolo, West Coast sales manager for Velvet Heart, a California-based brand with contemporary lifestyle pieces, said that it is known for its Tencel shirts but also offers a bit of everything, from shirts and sweaters to jackets and shackets. Bartolo said the brand is all about the hand and quality of its products and has received great response from buyers.

“Any of our shackets have been popular, whether it be corduroy, flannel, plaid. Also sweaters that are super soft and good quality. People know us for our blouses and shirting. We also have amazing dresses,” Bartolo said.

Sandy Cooper, corporate sales representative for the Berkeley, Calif.–based Bryn Walker, said the brand has outdone itself with this season’s collection, and buyers agree with the sentiment.

“Almost everything is a bestseller,” Cooper said. “Memory crunch was huge for us last year, but everyone is buying this year. We were at a showroom and standing with vendors whose price points are three times ours, and our product looks as beautiful and right in line.”

Also taking place in The New Mart was the first Los Angeles Designers and Agents show of the year. D&A is an independent trade show that brings a curated experience to buyers. Exhibitors are put through a rigorous screening process before being allowed into the show, and D&A President Ed Mandelbaum said the process means the show stands for something and ensures buyers know that they will see great brands and products.

“It’s all about product, not about money. It’s about doing the right thing, and from doing the right thing you make money. Most people have forgotten about that, and they focus on the money. We have not done that. We’ve put blinders on everything else and focused on providing a good show and product and sticking to what we do best,” Mandelbaum said.

Wholesale manager for the Austin, Texas–based brands SBJ Austin, Good Company and Story Laura Ballentine was showing the latest from the three lines at D&A. SBJ Austin has showcased at Designers and Agents in New York before, and Ballentine felt this iteration of D&A was a perfect setup for all three brands.

“SBJ has shown in wholesale before, but Good Company is new for us. We’re definitely more of a Spring/Summer line with the cottons and linens, but we wanted to show that we have something that can be great for the West Coast, especially with similar temperatures to Austin,” Ballentine said.

At the Cooper Design Space, Brand Assembly offered Fall collections, with brands Drew, perfectwhitetee, Sandrine Rose and others showcasing loungewear, knitwear, denim, accessories and more. Brand Assembly also had brands showcasing on multiple floors for the first time, allowing the show to expand its footprint in the building.

The TAB Showroom, which represents the brands Mauritius, Deluc, Sage the Label, theNOW, Sadie & Sage, Knititude and Band of the Free,opened almost four years ago to provide good value and aims to bring on brands who provide good products for the price point.

“Most of our brands are women owned—not all of them but a lot of them. Everything you find in here you’re going to find at great value. We have a line that looks like it’s going to retail for $300, but Deluc retails for about $80. Usually leather retails for $500, but Mauritius, our leather line, retails in the high $200s, so you get great value with that,” said Breana Kennedy, co-owner of the TAB Showroom.

Also at the Cooper was Curve, a curated show that featured previews of upcoming Fall collections in lingerie, swimwear and loungewear. Kirsten Griffin, visitor promotions director for Curve, said that while many apparel categories were down during the pandemic lingerie and loungewear were up and have continued to grow. She also mentioned that celebrities like Rihanna, who has been wearing lingerie out while pregnant, is bringing a renewed confidence to women to wear something sexy again. Griffin also mentioned buyers were thrilled to see a curated space for the category as more stores are looking to carry lingerie, lounge and swim pieces.

Christine McLarty, specialty account manager for the Haven Showroom, was at Curve exhibiting the brands Nood and Livenza, both of which are women owned and received a great response from buyers. Nood provides sustainable and innovative bra alternatives such as adhesive bras, and Livenza is a Colombian-based lingerie brand that specializes in chic designs.

“Nood we just took on, and everyone is just amazed by it. It’s an impressive product for its capabilities. I’m a huge advocate for the brand as well. We just picked up the brand two days before Curve New York, and it’s been huge,” McLarty said.

At the California Market Center, the highlight was a special event for registered buyers that allowed them to meet Paris Hilton if they purchased her new velour track-suit line.

At Label Array, Reggie Owens, managing partner of Stormy Weather Designs, was exhibiting for the first time at L.A. Market. The California-based brand offers custom-made designs including upcycled military jackets and repurposed denim.

Lorie Loftis is the owner, buyer and stylist for the Shops on San Pablo, a Palm Desert, Calif.–based designer showroom that also features the Venus Fashion Boutique within it. With Fashion Week El Paseo coming up, the Shops on San Pablo is hosting events during the day to coincide with fashion week. Loftis was browsing the CMC for new designers and lines.

“I have a boutique located within the 6,000-square-foot showroom, and I have six other designers that I rotate through to feature for different times,” Loftis said. “We do fashion shows and fund-raisers and other events for a lot of nonprofits. There are 16,000 of them out in the desert, so it’s a nice platform to get their lines out there and be seen.”

Buyers were also able to browse Vegan Fashion Week, a curated environment of brands and designers who adhere to vegan principles when designing products, including staying away from animal products. Founder Emmanuelle Rienda said buyers were excited to have access to a set place to see quality designs that are sustainable and animal friendly.

“After Vegan Fashion Week, all of the biggest platforms and big fashion houses started to release products that were vegan, such as Hermès releasing a mushroom-based bag and designers who have created shoes with plant-based materials,” Rienda said. “I feel the future of vegan fashion is to continue to innovate, continue to become more and more sustainable, and inspire the fashion industry.”

The Lady Liberty Building opened a day before market for appointments only. Building owner Empera Arye said that “buyers were definitely happy about the better and busier market this time around. It feels like we’re almost back to where we were before COVID.”

Tuesday was its busiest day, with the added enticements of ice cream and gourmet coffees to buyers.