California Apparel News

SALT LAKE CITY—Buyer traffic was down at the Jan. 22–25 run of the Outdoor Retailer trade show, but still, people crowded the aisles at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, and exhibitors rolled out plenty of new product, ranging from eco-friendly merchandise and technologies to outdoor apparel that was fashionable enough to wear off the slopes.

“It’s a slow show, but we’re doing really well,” said Nomadic Traders co-owner Anna Shemin. “The great thing about the outdoor market is it’s a loyal customer base.”

Attendance at the show dropped by about 5 percent to approximately 16,500 from last year’s January show, according to the show’s organizer, Nielsen Business Media, based in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

“Historically, the outdoor industry has done well in economic downturns, and this trend appears to be holding true today, as our overall numbers are down only slightly from last year’s Winter market,” said Kenji Haroutunian, Outdoor Retailer show director, in a statement. “Although some manufacturers and retailers sent fewer people to this year’s show, the right exhibitors and buyers were in attendance, and orders were definitely being written on the show floor.”

For San Diego–based Adventure 16, Outdoor Retailer is both a buying opportunity and a chance to exhibit its own wholesale offerings. The company operates 16 retail stores and produces its own backpacking, camping, climbing and adventure-travel accessories.

“We were pleasantly surprised,” said Adventure 16 President John Mead. “The feeling was attendance was maybe down about a third, and the Winter show is never as busy as Summer—but it felt as busy.”

Mead said traffic died down on the last day of the show, which allowed Adventure 16 reps to spend more time with the remaining customers and its buyers to spend more time walking the show.

“On all fronts, we felt good about it.”

Although Adventure 16 buyers shop other trade shows—including gift shows, the MAGIC Marketplace and the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo—Outdoor Retailer is the chain’s main buying opportunity and the only show at which the company exhibits, Mead said.

Despite the positive mood at the show, Mead acknowledged that the economy is taking a toll on retail, but he was optimistic about the eventual rebound.

“Right now, a lot of consumers are in siege mode,” he said. “But once summer comes, people will want to go out and do outdoor pursuits—camping, running, walking and hiking.”

Many on the show floor noted the drop-off in foot traffic but were pleased overall with the business done at the show.

“Some of the smaller guys didn’t make it out, but the majors’ response has been cautiously optimistic,” said Michael Bruno, Northeast sales representative for Patagonia footwear, the Massachusetts-based licensee of Ventura, Calif.–based Patagonia.

The company is skipping the Western Shoe Association show and the SIA Snow Sports Trade Show this season and is showing from a hotel suite in Las Vegas during the run of the MAGIC Marketplace. “It’s lean and mean out there,” Bruno said.

Indeed, for many exhibitors, Outdoor Retailer is the main—or only—trade show for their businesses. Columbia, Gramicci and Merrell only show at Outdoor Retailer, according to company representatives.

Still, there are several companies that sell beyond the outdoor market, and for them, attending multiple trade shows is part of the cost of doing business.

That’s the case for Nomadic Traders, an eco-friendly lifestyle line based in Albany, Calif. Company co-owner Anna Shemin said she has been exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer since the show was based in Reno, Nev.

“We started in the outdoor industry and moved more into apparel; we have more crossover,” she said. After Outdoor Retailer, the company will take its collection to Las Vegas for MAGIC and Women’s Wear in Nevada. “We present ourselves one way here and another at MAGIC.”

This season, the company returned to its knitwear roots with a large offering of sweaters, Shemin said. “We’re refocusing our line a little.”

This was the third Outdoor Retailer show for Costa Mesa, Calif.–based Santiki, a collection of contemporary dresses and tops. In the past, the 12-year-old company has showed at the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo, according to company representative Deanna Wagester, who said the label is well-known among ASR retailers and the move to Outdoor Retailer has helped introduce the collection to mountain stores. The Indonesia-made collection also sells in contemporary boutiques, resort retailers and tanning salons. Eco textiles, too

The green theme extended to the textile exhibitors that showed at Outdoor Retailer’s Source and Design Center above the main hall.

Lenzing introduced a new Tencel wadding for jackets and sleeping bags that is lighter weight and provides more warmth than polyester wadding, according to Andreas Guuml;rtler, project manager, apparel and business development, textile, for the Austrian company. Because Tencel is a cellulosic fiber, it absorbs more water than polyester, making it a better insulator than polyester, Guuml;rtler said. The new wadding is in the testing stage with several manufacturers. The company will officially launch the product at the upcoming ISPO sports-equipment and fashion trade show in Germany, where it will display garments made with the Tencel wadding.

Among the returning exhibitors was Taiwan-based Eclat, which has a U.S. office in City of Industry, Calif.

Although Eclat exhibits at several textile trade shows, it finds Outdoor Retailer’s focus is a good fit for the company, said sales and marketing rep Stefan Novak. “This is the best show because we are performance-oriented,” he said. The show is appointment-driven, but Novak said he was pleased with the turnout from larger manufacturers.

Novak said he was getting inquires about organic materials in addition to performance textiles.

“People are looking for certification that it’s fully organic,” he said.

Still, despite the good showing at Outdoor Retailer, Novak acknowledged the state of the economy and its effect on business.

“We don’t say no to customers; we say, ’What’s your target?’” he said. “You’ve got to work to meet their target because of the economy.”

Green message

Santa Monica, Calif.–based Mission Playground was also extending its visibility, showing at Outdoor Retailer and at ASR, which was held in San Diego at the same time. The 6-year-old eco collection is also planning to show at S.L.A.T.E. at MAGIC in Las Vegas.

“We try to make it more fashion-forward than some of the other brands in the lifestyle world,” said Executive Vice President Flash Mandel. “We’re seeing the brand expand beyond outdoor.”

The company’s eco mission extends beyond the organic fabrications and into eco-themed messages tucked inside of each style. A cloth tape with an eco message or tip is sewn into each garment.

“Each piece has a simple message you can do. It’s not ’Put solar panels on your house,’” Mandel said. “We encourage you to take a moment and think, and, hopefully, it creates a dialog.”

Several exhibitors were touting a green focus.

About 40 percent of Gramicci’s current collection is eco-friendly, and the company plans to expand its green offerings in the future, said Dreanna Bane, design director for the Agoura Hills, Calif.–based company. Gramicci’s green-themed “Greenicci” collection includes organic cotton, hemp, silk and recycled polyester. Buttons are made from recycled polyester, hemp and reclaimed wood.

For Outdoor Retailer, Portland, Ore.–based Merrell introduced its “NADA” jacket, a performance jacket made without dyes. (“NADA” is an acronym for “Not Any Dye Applied.”) The stark white jacket is available in two styles—the “Nanuk” for women and the “Cirque” for men. No dyes were used on any part of the jacket, including the fabric, lining, zippers and labels. Both jackets are made from 100 percent polyester, feature Merrell’s “Opti-Warm” insulation, and are seam-sealed and waterproof. According to the company, the production of a single women’s size-small Nada jacket saves 1.6 kg of carbon dioxide, 115.2 liters of water, 0.18 kg of chemicals and 2.47 kilowatt hours of energy compared with the production of a traditionally dyed jacket.

Santa Barbara, Calif.–based Horny Toad set up a series of booths to showcase its new eco offerings, including washable wool sweaters dubbed “machino marino” and jacket styles made from recycled polyester.

Last year, the company acquired upscale eco collection Nau, which exhibited its relaunched line from a nearby hotel suite. Nau initially launched as a retail manufacturer, but under Horny Toad, the company is now wholesaling to a select group of 10 retailers in New York; Chicago; Santa Fe, N.M.; Boulder, Colo.; and Portland, Ore. The company also launched its e-commerce site (www.nau.com) in October. The brand is hoping to expand to about 50 retailers by Fall 2009, according to Ian Yolles, Nau’s head of marketing.

“We’re taking everything we know about functional apparel and adding sustainability and more-sophisticated design detail,” Yolles said.

A few pieces carried over from the retail collection, and overall, Nau’s wholesale line retains the same clean aesthetic and attention to detail. Among the new styles are a down stole with a hood, jackets made from recycled polyester, track jackets in a hard-faced fleece for a dressier look, and the “Shroud of Purrin” collection of jackets and ski pants with a soft plush lining.Documentaries, dogs, diversions and driving issues at Outdoor Retailer

Visitors to this year’s show got a chance to test new products, including skis, showshoes and accessories at the show’s Backcountry Base Camp, held the day before the show opened. Among the seminars and speakers series was a sneak peak at Ken Burns’ upcoming film “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” and a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker and a panel discussion organized by FabricLink and TexBase on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s new regulations on hazardous substances.

The mood on the show floor was positive as attendees navigated among vendors of outdoor apparel and gear, product demos, and other attendees and their dogs. This season, the show teamed up with Utah-based dog-daycare facility Camp Barkalot to provide dog daycare during the show, but many people—both exhibitors and attendees—opted to keep their pets with them on the show floor.

This season marked the return of “Project OR,” a “Project Runway”–style competition between design students from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, California College of the Arts, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Savannah College of Art and Design and Colorado State University. The students were challenged to create a prototype garment that is “original, [shows] an innovative use of performance and eco-friendly materials, and has a practical application for the outdoor market.” During the show, the students conceived of and created their prototype garment using materials provided by 15 suppliers, including 3M, Cordura, Coville, ITW Nexus, JRC Reflex, Lenzing, Nuuml;wa Textiles, Outlast, Polartec, PrimaLoft, Schoeller Textil AG, Sympatex Technologies, United Knitting, Vermont Organic Fiber Co., Britannia Mills and YKK. A team of seven judges, including outdoor industry and fashion professionals, selected Colorado State’s Ron Rod as this season’s winner. For more from Outdoor Retailer, click here.