This article is about the UK but it applies internationally.  As a fashion designer and manufacturer, you have to be very careful with the payment terms you accept from retailers.

Gone are the days of accepting Net 30 day terms just to get the order.  Do that, and you’re in big trouble, possibly fatal trouble.  I know a number of young designers who were forced out of business by returned orders.  Retailers can simply bounce the box if you don’t have payment before shipping.  It feels fantastic to write that order in September but it feels awful to sign for that returned box in February.  Cover your behind at all times.  It’s not “Trust No One”.  It’s more like “Trust Very Few”.

So what are some solutions?  Get references from buyers and check them, make sure your sales agent knows the buyer and trusts their payment history, get credit card details from the buyers at the time of writing the order, attempt to get a deposit from the buyers, insist on COD terms (if the references check out, do “COD hold 30 day” terms if required), and approach factoring and asset lending companies and explore your options.

Of course there are marquee retailers that will insist on terms; some will insist on up to Net 60 Days, and you may have to take back any inventory that doesn’t sell. However, the exposure and marketing cache of being carried by certain retailers can counterbalance the financial risk.  But remember these are the minority.

There is a big difference between sales volume and profitability.  A large part of that difference is cash management.  You have to get paid to have cash.  How will you pay your bills?  Pay for developing your next season?  Pay for sample lines?   Pay your sales agents?  Stand your ground and ensure that you are entering a transaction on fair terms.  If you don’t, you may not be around to write those orders next September.

Paul Brindley

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Runway ready – Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia | The Australian.

I’ll be there as usual.  I attend MBFWA each year to view the Spring/Summer collections and to meet with designers who plan to launch in the US or need assistance in the market if already selling here. For example, this year I will be following up with Watson X Watson, Toi et Moi, Manning Cartell, Roopa Pemmaraju, to name a few.

I will also be blogging daily from the show so keep an eye on this space.

Paul Brindley

paul brindley consults

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Apparel News reported, “There was a certain buzz in the air at Los Angeles Fashion Market for Fall 2013, held March 11–14 at the various showroom buildings in downtown Los Angeles.” …… “For the hordes of retailers who flocked to Los Angeles Fashion Market, budgets were up even if shoppers were having to be nudged to make a purchase.”

The press release from the California Market Center had the same upbeat tone.

Hey, I’m all for upbeat.  In economics, many times, perception is just as important as reality.  But I just wasn’t seeing or feeling it.

My general feedback from showrooms, agents, designers and industry types was that the week was flat.

Many think that the trade show schedule at this time of year is so impacted that buyers suffer “trade show fatigue”, particularly if the buyers have done the Vegas shows, then gone straight to New York for Coterie, etc.

Others think that out-of-state buyers are reluctant to come to LA for market week like they used to due to cost and a preference for getting their buying done in Vegas were they can have some fun at the tables or shows.

The international buyers don’t seem to be coming to LA in the numbers they used to. Between Paris, New York and Vegas, there is no need for them to.

I have also heard chatter that LA is not considered the fashion center it once was; that it hasn’t been a fashion destination for a while.  This might be true for now but is definitely cyclical.

It also has to be remembered that California has been hit harder than the east coast by the now 5 year old recession.  Despite glimmers of improvement, retail in CA has a long way to go.

Designers & Agents

Four times a year, on the usually vacant third floor of the New Mart, you’ll find the Designers and Agents showcase.  This is usually my first stop.  Being a destination booth show, Designers & Agents provides a good read on the energy and buyer activity of the whole week.

Known in shorthand as “d&a”, it was close to full with 120 booths and 130 brands of contemporary men’s and women’s basics, separates and denim, shoes, hats, bags, jewelry and accessories.  On Monday, there was excellent energy and buyer traffic.  It was quieter when I dropped by on Tuesday.

One of d&a’s regular exhibitors, Christys’ London debuted their sharp new range of snap-back caps, Brooklyn Hat Co.  The caps come in full cloth crowns and trucker mesh backs.

New York based agents, Paper Mache Tiger were at the show for the first time.  They were showing the stunning Australian swimwear collection, We Are Handsome.

d&a was not as busy as usual for this time of year which pretty much sums up the vibe of the whole week.

The Showroom Buildings

The New Mart and Cooper Design Space buildings had reasonable buyer traffic but not what I expected.

The Coeur accessories booth show on the top floor of the Cooper Building had 50 booths with 60 brands showing.  I liked a lot of the collections.  Foot traffic was slow.

The California Market Center contemporary floors were quiet when I was there.

The Park Showroom in the Lady Liberty Building was busy when dropped by.  Park are now representing one of my clients, the artist designed, limited edition eyewear collection from Australia, COLAB.

COLAB are going to be a huge hit in the US.  COLAB is a unique eyewear experiment. Every season they collaborate with 5 fresh artists, musicians, designers and/or creatives to concoct a completely experimental look for a range of limited edition, high quality eyewear. You might have seen their Anthony Lister Campaign taken up by blogs and magazines around the world. They have worked with some incredible people including Stefan Marx, Kill Pixie, Geoff McFetridge, Jonathan Zawada, Eboy, and The Presets just to name a few. The integrity and always evolving nature of the brand concept has already opened doors such as Colette Paris, Conran Tokyo, Grandpa Stockholm and many more.

I am looking forward to hearing how the Fall 13 selling season progresses.  Let’s hope the optimism expressed by some about last week is real.  I still have my doubts that the industry is sustainably improving as much as reported.  Then again, my financial background and the false dawns of the past few years have made me a skeptic.  Like I have said so many times in these blogs, I’ll believe it when I see it.  But when I do, I’ll be just as happy (and relieved) as everyone else.

Paul Brindley

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The morning of Monday, February 18 saw me heading off for my semi-annual immersion into the Las Vegas fashion trade show week.  The February editions of the shows host the commercial debuts of Fall/Winter collections of designers across the spectrum of men’s and women’s apparel and accessories categories at 17 different showcases.  After an easy 4 hour drive, I arrived in a chilly Sin City.  My first stop was the Sands Expo and Convention Center at the Venetian Hotel.

Yes, there are 17 different showcases in total if you include the sub-shows under the same roof. Let’s count them:

At the Mandalay Bay: Project, The Tents @ Project, Project MVMNT, Project Mens/Wear, ENKVegas, PoolTradeShow

At the Las Vegas Convention Center: WWDMAGIC, Platform, Sourcing, ISAM.

At the Sands: Stitch, MRket, AccessoriesTheShow, CurveNV, Capsule, OffPrice.

At the Rio: WWIN

The shows were staggered over 4 days starting Monday, February 18. Most run 3 days.

I was greeted by new locations, new names, lots of foot traffic and a good deal of confusion.

The MAGIC Group of shows

The driver of the week is the MAGIC group of shows split between the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.  “MAGIC” is the shorthand that a lot of people use for the week.

The LVCC shows were set up as usual with Platform shoe show and Sourcing resource show in the South Hall, and WWDMAGIC in the Central and Northern Halls.

The Mandalay Bay CC configuration (which has been tweaked a number of times in recent years) underwent a complete overhaul.  The result has caused considerable dissatisfaction with agents, designers, manufacturers and buyers.

The trouble really began when ENKVegas was acquired last year by MAGIC parent company, Advanstar.

ENKVegas was previously a stand-alone show at the Wynn Hotel.  ENK always put on classy, professional and well-appointed trade shows. Some veterans of their Intermezzos and Coteries in New York thought the Vegas show was their best.  The Vegas show had an intimate vibe that was appreciated by agents and buyers.  ENK did that bit extra – from the setting and layout, to the food at the complimentary buffet, through to the highly anticipated stewarded drinks they served at the end of each day.

Contemporary and better contemporary men’s and women’s sportswear collections, denim, dresses, accessories and footwear brands were spread over two adjacent function rooms.  Agents and designers thought that buyers were motivated into writing orders and leaving paper by the exclusive atmosphere and juried mix of collections.  There were more men’s than women’s collections.

Those days are over.

ENKVegas

ENKVegas is now an exclusively women’s show.  It has become just another another sea of booths housed in a enormous white tent on the carpark of the Mandalay Bay.  The booths are basic. The floor is a thin carpet right on the carpark tarmac and the designers and agents working the show are forced to use porta-potties – and not the high end ones at that.  From the first morning, there were grumblings.  To add to the dissatisfaction, the other new show, The Tents at Project which took up one quadrent of the tent, is a curated mix of upscale men’s collections.  This section had a plush carpet, more constructed booths, and more open space in general.  It is easy to see why the women’s collections were not happy.

By the way, this was the February show which is the least challenging of the two when it comes to weather.  What’s going to happen in August when it’s 110F, you spend all day standing on a carpark tarmac in a tent (despite it being air-conditioned), and you have to go outside and use a porta-potty!  From the extensive feedback that I got both during and after the show, I can see a lot of collections dropping out of ENK between now and then.

The change in location and intimacy of ENK and the moving of the previously inside Project women’s section to the tent had a real effect on the business done during the week.  Many sellers felt  that buyers were doing more walking and looking than writing business.  Some felt that buyers had trouble finding them.  When I was there on the first morning, the foot traffic was moderate.

There was a strong showing of Australian brands including Ladakh, One Teaspoon, Estilo Emporio, Helen Kaminski, Australian Luxe Collection.  I will see many of these collections again in Sydney in April at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia.

I had a chance to catch up with one of favorite designers and industry people, Charlotte Tarantola at her booth.  Charlotte is a perpetually positive person and really didn’t have anything to say about the new digs.  The booth was busy from the get-go as it always used to be at the Wynn.  The collection is a reflection of Charlotte herself: bold, vibrant, positive and ever-evolving.

Some of the stand-out men’s collections at The Tent’s at Project were the hip, colorful shoe brand Del Toro Shoes, the eyewear collection Linda Farrow sunglasses, and the Namaste Showroom represented Chippewa.

Project

Comfortably inside the convention center were all Project’s men’s and unisex brands.  The space where the women’s collections had been was occupied by Project Mens/Wear, a traditional menswear showcase and the newly branded MVMNT, MAGIC’s new street and skate section that used to be known as Street and Slate, and housed upstairs (then again, I heard MVMNT was moved downstairs only because there was an unrelated conference upstairs. But it looked like a designed move to me).  PoolTradeShow had been shipped off to it’s own ballroom space down the hall.  The fashion forward Workroom section was organized out of existence.

The effect of all this was to make Project seem even more massive than ever.  I heard from a number of highly respected veterans of the show that it was just too big, that buyers said they couldn’t find them, that collections were not clustered with similar or complimentary brands, and that many of them will be reconsidering their commitment to the show.

One of my success stories, Wood Underwear was exhibiting – Wood is Good!  Terresa Zimmermann, the owner/designer has done an incredible job of developing and promoting the collection over the past 2 years.  I was match-make an excellent partnership between Wood and Namaste Showroom.

Terresa said, “We had a great location, right in front of the DJ and bar.  Great exposure generally.  We were showing our new line, Hermosa Beach Collection, composed of 3 styles of underwear and 2 undershirts, all in 9 collegiate inspired colors.  The color block really grabbed attention.  We were also showcasing our new display units and merchandising options.  Stitched Lifestyle in the Cosmopolitan took delivery of the first new display.  We had quality traffic all 3 days, from the very established like 42 Saint, to the very new like Unscruff.  The next couple of weeks’ follow up should prove interesting and give us a better idea how to judge the success of the show.”

PoolTradeShow

Pool was fun as usual.  More than 100 emerging and independent contemporary brands showing the full range of clothing, shoes, bags, hats, jewelry, accessories of all kinds.  There was also an expanded cash and carry section of very interesting stuff.

Due to the reconfiguration of Project, Pool was shunted off to it’s own ballroom space.  It was previously attached to the women’s section at Project.  Pool was separated into it’s own space a few years back which caused a severe drop in foot traffic and waves of complaints from exhibitors.  This time the separation only seemed to make the heart grow fonder because the energy was high, buyer traffic was brisk, and buyers were leaving paper.

The eco friendly watches of Sprout were doing good business.  These sporty watches are made with materials that are easy on the Earth but last as long as their more polluting competitors.

I also liked the accessories collections: Paradise Metal Art, Flea Market Girl, Hj Designs, GREENOLASTYLE, and Ornamental Things.

The fine and funky Franco Nakagawa of Magnet Showroom was showing all his vendors: Adeen, Golden Bears, Relik and Coveted Society. Franco represents those eye-catching collections that push the fashion envelope but are still wearable, stylish and affordable.

Pool is well worth a look.  You’ll find labels that will eventually transition on to the main floor at Project.

WWDMAGIC

WWDMAGIC at the Las Vegas Convention Center seemed busier than in recent times.  I am never quite sure just how buyer-busy the show is.  There are so many people in the space, from sales reps to booth staff to vendors to industry folks to media, and, yes, to buyers, that is it hard to work out who’s who.  But this time around I had a sense that buyers were active.  My feedback confirmed my suspicions.

My first stop was to visit the Australian plus-size label, Kita-Ku who were showing in the North Hall.  I had given the label some advice prior to their trip to the US.  I think they are better suited to the WWIN show at the Rio.  They were generating interest with buyers and sales agents who wanted to represent them in the US.

The feedback from the industry veterans that I spoke with was good.  I am withholding peoples’ and brands’ names under instruction but here are some quotes:

“Having a great show.  We are seeing stores with multiple doors.  Buyers are looking for something new because everything looks the same or is hanging everywhere.”

“I think foot traffic has been a little off but I’m still happy with business.  Retailers are reporting a good second half to January after a weak Xmas and New Year selling period.  They are writing deeper orders.”

“We had a great Tuesday.  I wrote enough business on Tuesday to cover my whole show.  We are showing Fall sweaters early and stores are booking them.  The Fall sweaters are selling as strongly as our Spring styles.  Buyers are looking for that bit extra: texture, detail, a little embellishment, and are still buying the architectural shapes that can be worn with leggings.”

ISAM was small as usual at this time of year.

I had a walk through the Platform show show in the South Hall.  It is massive.  As with most accessories at present, anything goes with shoes.  I did see a lot of color in leather, suede, and synthetics.  The athletic shoe continues to be popular as do boots of all kinds.

I skipped the Sourcing show. No time and nothing to see there for me.  I’ll catch the trend forecast seminars at LA Textile Week.

Modern Assembly

The negative feedback from Project and ENK has continued over the past month.  Advanstar will have some serious rethinking to do before the August round of shows.  Many brands I have spoken to are looking to the new Liberty show that will debut at The Venetian/Sands Expo in August.

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Agenda

Agenda is a streetwear, surf, skate and fashion show mostly for men that was held on Friday and Saturday, January 4–5 at my adopted hometown Long Beach Convention Center in lovely downtown Long Beach, California.  All is revealed in my post, 2013 off to a cautious start for US Fashion Industry.

Los Angeles Fashion Market Week

January 14-17 saw an expected quiet market week in the downtown fashion district.  Collections were showing new Summer styles and writing immediates goods for fill-in.  There were bursts of buyer traffic in the different buildings.

Designers and Agents

The D&A trade show on the 3rd floor of The New Mart was steady on Monday.  As usual the show was small compared with the peak times of the year with only 33 booths showing 35 brands.

D&A vet, Ben De Luca of Christys’ London hats had already worked Fred Segal, LA Style and headchange.com when I caught up with him on Monday afternoon.

Gabriela Shultz of Adornthyself Showroom was showing Fluxus and American Colors by Alex Lehr.  Gabriela was very happy with Monday.  She had met her expected order totals in one day having worked retailers, Girl Boy Girl, Laguna Supply, Jill Roberts and Cupcake Clothing.

Whitney Gardner of Nyali Showroom in the Cooper Building was showing 4 of her lines.  Whitney said they were having a great market, writing lots of immediates.  For the first time, they were doing some cash and carry, moving some past season inventory of En Shalla.

The New Mart

The New Mart building in general had some steady traffic in spurts on Monday and Tuesday.  The upper floors were busier on Monday afternoon and lower floors seemed to have more activity on Tuesday.

Tami Smith of T. Smith & Co on the 10th floor was busy on Monday but things had quietened down by the time I was in the showroom on Tuesday afternoon.

The 4th, 5th & 6th floors had plenty of foot traffic on Tuesday.  Showrooms like La Rue, Charlotte Tarantola Leila Ross and Joken Style were doing good business.  Eme Mizioch at Joken Style had buyers in from amazon.com, fab.com and myhabit.com.

The Cooper Building

Like the New Mart, the Cooper Building had it’s moments of activity.  While generally experiencing slow traffic, Brad Jaco, owner of the highly regarded Namaste Showroom had seen buyers from along the west coast, such as Wrights, American Rag, Shop Adorn and Tumbleweed.  Brad is excited by Wood Underwear, a hip, new line of men’s trunks and boxer briefs that I had referred to him.  Wood is creating some serious buzz.  Buyers were also drawn to Tulisan, a collection of handmade, limited-edition illustrated prints that are applied to bags, totes and household accessories out of Indonesia.

Ellen Cope of Lefties Showroom thought the week progressed well for them.  “Buyers were filling in for Summer”, commented Ellen, “We built momentum during the week”.  Lefties had seen buyers from Ron Herman, Revolve, Fine & Funky and Nasty Gal.

The California Market Center

The contemporary floors of the CMC were very quiet when I was there.  Paige at Showroom Five21 told me that Tuesday had been OK.  The showrooms on the 4th floor were deserted.

Swim Collective

Unfortunately, I was too sick to attend Swim Collective.  Apparel News described the show as solid:

“The mood was upbeat and productive at Swim Collective, held at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach, Calif., Jan. 23–24.  On the first day, most returning brands had appointments booked back-to-back to take early reorders for Spring and unveil new Summer deliveries.  Key specialty swim stores in attendance

included Diane’s Beachwear, Molly Brown’s, Jack’s Surfboards, Tilly’s and HSS Huntington Surf and Sport.”

West Coast Trend Show

I paid my first visit to the West Coast Trend Show which is a hotel suite based trade show held at the Embassy Suites LAX North in January and August.  The ran from Saturday, January 26 to Monday, January 28 – Saturday is appointment only attendance.  The show is owned and operated by independent men’s sales representative, Ken Haruta.  Ken started West Coast Trend as a better men’s contemporary showcase four years ago.  The show is getting bigger each time, and definitely trending more contemporary.  Ken has been fantastic to me over the past couple of years by providing referrals to his vendors for my clients who are looking for sale representation.

The show takes over floors 4 to 6 of the atrium style Embassy Suites. Ken arranges for all the rooms to be used by collections or buyers creating an exclusive environment. The 7th floor is for buyer accomodation.

Brad Jaco from Namaste Showroom had 4 lines in his suite.  The above mentioned Wood Underwear was showing new leg lengths in boxer briefs and new cotton viscose tees in 8 colors. Wood had attracted attention from Stitched Lifestyle in the The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, and Boca Man in Pacific Palisades.

Brad shared the room with Sid Stumacher who was showing the brilliant sunglasses collection, Randolph Engineering.  Like Rayban, Randolph were originally made for the US Air Force.  The sleek styling and quality construction are evident as soon as you try them on.  At retail price points from $130 – $200, they are incredible value for money.  If I didin’t already have 8 pairs of sunglasses, I’d buy a pair today.

It was good to catch up with the NZ collection, Rodd & Gunn.  I always catch up with them in Vegas during the trade show weeks.  The collection continues it’s contemporary evolution.

I was very impressed by the vibe and activity of the show.  The vendors that I spoke with were impressed by the quality of the buyers.

The next West Coast Trend Show will be August 3-5.

It is only 2 weeks until the Fall Winter 13 edition of the Las Vegas fashion trade shows.  I’ll be there as usual.  It is going to be very interesting to see how busy it is.  Will we finally see the industry pull out of this 5 year funk?  Or will the falling debt ceiling crush any optimism?

Paul Brindley

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Following are 2 articles that give an excellent summary of the seaon. One is from the National Retail Federation (NRF) website that covers retail sales in general. The other is from California Apparel News that is specific to the apparel world.

Holiday Retail Sales Up 3.0 Percent to $579.8 Billion – NRF website

NEW YORK, January 15, 2013 – Solid consumer spending in the month of December helped retailers finish the year with a healthy holiday shopping season, however economic uncertainties sent a cautious consumer to the stores. According to the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, December retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) increased 0.8 percent seasonally adjusted from November and  increased 2.1 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

Total holiday retail sales increased 3.0 percent, below NRF’s projected forecast of 4.1, to $579.8 billion. Additionally, non-store holiday sales grew 11.1 percent. Shop.org in October forecasted a 12.0 percent growth in online sales in the months of November and December.

“For over six months, we’ve been saying that the fiscal cliff and economic uncertainty could impact holiday sales.  As the number shows, these issues had a visible impact on consumer spending this holiday season,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “We can’t expect consumers to continue to carry the burden of growing our economy—Washington must put political differences aside and do what it takes to get our country growing again and Americans back to work.”

December retail sales, released today by the U.S. Department of Commerce, showed total retail and food services sales (which include non-general merchandise categories such as automobiles, gasoline stations, and restaurants) increased 0.5 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month and increased 4.7 percent adjusted year-over-year.

“While non-store retail sales increased a hearty 11 percent this December, total December sales could not make up for shortfalls in certain categories like electronics,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “Heading into 2013, consumers could continue to think twice about their discretionary purchases as they face decreases in their paychecks and other concerns with their household budgets.”

Other findings from the December retail sales report include:

•    Clothing and clothing accessories stores’ sales increased 1.0 percent seasonally-adjusted month-to-month and increased 2.5 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

•    Electronics and appliance stores’ sales decreased 0.6 percent seasonally-adjusted month-to-month and decreased 0.4 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

•    Furniture and home furnishing stores’ sales increased 1.4 percent seasonally-adjusted month-to-month and increased 3.0 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

•    General merchandise stores’ sales were unchanged seasonally-adjusted month-to-month and decreased 3.4 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

•    Health and personal care stores’ sales increased 1.4 percent seasonally-adjusted month-to-month and decreased 0.7 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

•    Nonstore retailers’ sales increased 0.5 percent seasonally-adjusted month-to-month and increased 9.6 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

•    Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores’ sales increased 0.6 percent seasonally-adjusted month-to-month and increased 4.7 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

—

After Tough Christmas, Retailers Squeeze Last Business Out of Season – California Apparel News

December 27, 2012

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The fabric of our lives – FT.com.

Paul Brindley

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I ended my review of the final 2012 Los Angeles Fashion Market Week in November with a “I’ll believe when I see it” about the optimism heading into the holiday retail season.  With so many people still out of work and so much uncertainty about where the economy is headed, I think consumers did the prudent thing in pocketing their cash.  It didn’t help that all we heard about during November and December was that the debt ceiling is falling in, that we were about to jump off a fiscal cliff, and that heavily armed demented sociopaths lurked around every corner.  Add a Hurricane Sandy to this melancholic mix, and it is hardly surprising that holiday sales could be best described as tepid.  I’ll have more to say on this in a post later this week.

So after a limp holiday sales season, it was energizing to bowl up to the first domestic trade show of 2013, Agenda.  Agenda is a streetwear, surf, skate and fashion show mostly for men that was held on Friday and Saturday, January 4–5 at my adopted hometown Long Beach Convention Center in lovely downtown Long Beach, California. The 10-year-old show was the biggest I have seen.  There were more than 550 brands, up from 450 brands this time last year.  I was there Friday afternoon and it was humming.

Registration at Agenda

It is obvious that the show is growing beyond it’s original target audience of young contemporary stores and surf and skate retailers.  The offering of product is broad.  From the expected logo tees and caps, surf and skate apparel and accessories through contemporary denim collections, quality eyewear like Raen and Mosley Tribes, premium footwear fashion lines (Onitsuka Tiger, Puma), contemporary menswear (e.g. Astronomy), watches (G-Shock), headwear, headphones, and on and on.  A full list of exhibitors is available on the Agenda website.

I caught up with Adam Redhead, the LA Showroom Manager at The Park Showroom.  The Park is a highly regarded young contemporary/contemporary men’s agency with showrooms in NY and LA.  The Park were showing 3 of their collections – Athletic Recon, Australia’s Zanerobe and the hip accessories of M. Cohen.  Adam was having a busy show.  I cruised past the booth a couple of times to speak with him but kept going because he was with buyers.  Adam thought the show was “big and busy” and “was very happy with the quality of the accounts and buyers they were working with”.

Adam echoed some of the feedback I received from the vendors regarding the new Friday and Saturday scheduling.  Many thought that moving to a Saturday didn’t work.  I’m told that a lot of vendors have requested a return to the Thursday and Friday format.  Adam also thought the 8AM was way too early.  I agree.  I doubt buyers need the early start. Plus it makes it an awfully long day for vendors in the booths.

The Australian-owned fashion wholesaling and marketplace technology innovators, NuORDER were exhibiting.  It is definitely worth your while to take an extensive look at the website, and take advantage of free demonstration if there is a fit.  The technology facilitates easy and efficient product ordering and follow-up, and smooth communications between buyers and manufacturers and agents.  NuORDER is pointing the way to the future of technology within the fashion industry.  The scope of automation within the industry is vast.  It may scare some of the players in the market who see these technological advances as pushing them to the margins, and on to obsolescence but as with other sectors, it is unstoppable.

NuORDER booth at Agenda

The fashion industry has been slow to embrace technology and thereby innovate within the industry.  The entrenched way of doing business has been in-person and hands-on which is understandable on some levels, such as the need to see and feel a garment before ordering.  However, the technology available to, say, view and order product remotely is making the need to travel to trade shows or spend your store open hours on the phone to vendors and agents less crucial.  There are many other examples.

And these changes are picking up steam.  Heath Wells, one of the owners of NuORDER, told me, “In just over 12 months over 1 million styles have been ordered and independent research has shown an average increase in sales of 17.6% per order. We have 45,000 registered retailers and some amazing brands including, Helmut Lang, Citizens of Humanity, Elizabeth & James, Ted Baker, Parker, Alternative Apparel, Hurley, Adidas, Supra/Krew, Hudson Jeans & LEVIS.”

It would seem Agenda’s status as a required show is growing.  If you are looking to sell into the men’s young contemporary streetwear or activewear demographic, you should seriously consider doing the show.  I’m not sure I would do the show if I was a true contemporary collection but that may change as the mix of contemporary labels continues to grow.

This week is Los Angeles Fashion Market Week in the downtown fashion district.  The showrooms I spoke with last week aren’t expecting much.  If a label has short turnaround on production, you’ll see some new styles for Summer delivery starting at the end of April. Otherwise, buyers will be filling in with immediate goods.  For a lot of buyers, the focus will shift to the Fall collections debuting in Las Vegas next month.  I’ll be downtown tomorrow and Wednesday speaking with as many people as possible.  I’ll get you a full report by the end of the week.

By all accounts, 2013 fashion retail has gotten off to a cautious start all around.  It will be interesting to see how the coming months unfold.

Paul Brindley

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How internet shopping killed the trend | The Australian.

I was at a Fall/Winter 13-14 and Spring/Summer 14 trend seminar a few months back.  The seminar reflected exactly what is said in the article.  I kept hearing that the trend will be “this” as well as “that” which seem across the spectrum.  Summer fabrics in winter, winter colors in summer, tailored pieces here, clunky oversize sweaters there – it was all over the place.  We have seen this freedom for a while with accessories like shoes and jewelry.

I love it.  The sensibility reminds me of the punk and post-punk fashions of the late 70′s and early 80′s when anything went.  People were freed of what was “the fashion”.  We made our own until they became “the fashion” and the whole thing was assimilated.

Maybe the independent universal connectivity of the internet and social media will keep freshening the new ideas to stay ahead of the Fashion Borgs.  I hope so.

What do you think?

Paul Brindley

paulbrindleyconsults.com

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Enjoy.

Fashion 2.0 | The Next Chapter of Content and Commerce Integration | BoF – The Business of Fashion.

Paul Brindley

paul brindley consults

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Abbot Kinney Attracts National Brands – Fashion Retailing News | California Apparel News | LA Fashion.

I was on the street just Wednesday with my bestie and fab fashionista, Tracy Engelien of Boxie.  We were doing our seasonal scouting of stores in the hip fashion areas of Los Angeles.  Each season, we cruise through Venice, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Hollywood and the east Sunset Blvd areas to check out what boutiques and specialty stores are stocking.

In the article, they quote Barbara Phillips of Minnie T’s (Barbara was a customer of mine when I sold Wildlife Works) as saying, “It has totally turned into a baby Third Street Promenade.”  Tracy said almost the same thing word for word on Wednesday!

I started visiting Minnie T’s about 11 years ago.  The changes to the street are marked.  However, I think Abbot Kinney will retain a good amount of it’s character simply because of it’s history, locale, architecture and proximity to the pricey hipster residential area.  Let’s hope so.

Paul Brindley

paul brindley consults

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Welcome to the Shows! – Fashion and Apparel Trade Show Coverage | California Apparel News.

Paul Brindley

paul brindley consults

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The feedback from the many showrooms I visited last Tuesday and Wednesday was that most were very happy with the week’s business.  I think the contemporary floors of the California Market Center were a little quiet but certainly there was plenty of activity in the New Mart and the Cooper building.

I dropped by the Sunrise Brands Showroom on the corner of Los Angeles and 9th that houses Dylan George and Superdry (you can’t miss it – it’s has the massive Superdry logos on the windows).  The SYDNY Showroom was using the space for market.  The Australian brand specialists were having a good show.

I was interested to follow up on the relatively new accessories, lifestyle and gift show Coeur, on the 11th floor of the Cooper Building.  This was only the third show for Coeur – their first was the Spring/Summer showcase at last October’s Market Week.  They do two LA shows a year – Spring/Summer in October and Fall/Winter in March.

In March, the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Coeur, Henri Myers told me, “We are creating something different for the fashion retailer. We are looking to provide a diversity of options.”

The 11th floor of the Cooper is a large, bright, naturally lit white space – perfect for a trade show.  The show was smaller this time around.  I didn’t get a chance to speak with any of the organizers to confirm if this was as expected or if there had been a drop off from this time last year.

I want make special mention of some socially conscious and sustainable collections that showed at Coeur that are benefiting important social programs around the world:

• 31 Bits is a jewelry collection using fashion and design to empower Ugandan women to rise above poverty.  They buy jewelry handmade by the women using 100% recycled paper and other local materials.  They are committed to working with each woman until she has graduated from their program and attained a sustainable means of income within her own community.  They also work with the community on English lessons, support groups, finance and vocational training and HIV/AIDS and health education.  This is an awesome cause.  The product is excellent.  I urge you to check out the website – www.31bits.com.  For wholesale orders, contact Meredith Hazan at Maritime Showroom in LA or Jackie Gilles at the social and ecological brand-focused Forge Showroom in Austin, TX.
• Forge was also showing FEED.  FEED designs and sells bags, tees and accessories to fund programs to provide school meals to children around the world. Some of the products are made and/or embellished by people in the local areas such as Guatemala and Kenya.  Since 2006, FEED has been able to raise enough money through the sale of products to provide over 60 million school meals to children around the world through hte World Food Program.  FEED has also partnered with the US Fund for UNICEF, raising much-needed funds for their Vitamin A and micronutrient supplements program and providing over 46,000 children with essential nutrients.
• Forge also represents the socially responsible brand, Raven + Lily.  Raven + Lily is handmade eco-friendly jewelry and accessories by marginalized and HIV-positive women from North India and Ethiopia. The pieces are made from local up-cycled and recycled local materials such as handmade beads and charms from melted bullet casings and vintage silver coins, recycled cotton papers, woods and hand-milled natural soaps.

It is particularly gratifying for me to see the continued rise of socially responsible and sustainable brands in the market.  I started in the US apparel market in 2000 working for the grounding breaking environmental and wildlife conservation company, Wildlife Works.  We were well ahead of our time using organic fabrics and low impact processes.  As National Sales Manager, I was privileged to go to work every day knowing that every sale we made benefited people, animals and the environment in Kenya that needed help so desperately.  Consumer awareness is catching up to the dreams and aspirations of eco-entrepreneurs like Mike Korchinsky, the CEO & Founder of Wildlife Works and those true believers who created companies like 31 Bits, FEED and Raven + Lily.  Please support these companies whenever possible.  As Jackie Gilles of Forge Showroom just said to me, the product still has to be good.  I think you’ll find that the style and quality of most of the socially conscious and sustainable products out there are at least as good as their less enlightened competitors.

The National Retail Federation has recently predicted a 4% increase in holiday sales for this year over last year, and reported a surge in consumer spending during September.  I want to believe that we are actually slowly pulling out of this never ending economic gloom.  I’m not sure how much the election result in 2 weeks has already been factored into the market.  I am going to have to stay with what I have felt for a while now; that despite bright spots like last week’s market activity, I’ll believe it when I see it and feel it.

Paul Brindley
paulbrindleyconsults.com

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