Los Angeles showroom owners continue to debate about what dates the five fashion markets should be on for store buyers.  They have changed the Fall II, Holiday/Resort dates to a Tuesday-Friday schedule.  Many think the date should remain the same while others want to get closer to the New York market dates.

The early birds have won. Starting in June 2010, the fashion market dates at all the downtown showrooms inside the California Market Center, The New Mart, the Cooper Design Space, the Gerry Building and surrounding buildings will be moved up by as much as three weeks to capture more retail dollars, which often are spent by the time buyers finish visiting New York.

Just in time for the Fall II season, the Los Angeles Fashion Market now will be held May 18–21 instead of June 11–15. For the Holiday/Resort season, the market dates have been set for July 27–30 instead of Aug. 6–10, avoiding running into the late August and early September dates of the MAGIC Marketplace and other trade shows in Las Vegas.

For now, the market dates for early 2010 remain the same. The market for the Summer season will be Jan. 15–19, and the market for the Fall season will be March 19–23.  The schedule will also change in May and July. Buyers will now be able to visit on Tuesdays through Fridays instead of Fridays through Tuesdays.

Building owners are happy about the change. Showroom tenants are mixed. “Our tenants have been after us for years to make a change like this,” said Ethan Eller, general manager of The New Mart, whose 12 floors are filled with showrooms carrying mostly contemporary lines. “The weak economy helped to push this through. People are more willing to take a chance in times like this than otherwise.”

A few weeks ago, the various building owners sent out surveys to their tenants, polling them about what changes they would like. Many of the responses were quite positive. Steve Hirsh, owner of the Cooper Design Space, said he received lots of e-mails from showroom tenants supporting the new dates. “This is great news. We have been struggling with our production teams meeting supply-and-demand dates with market being so late after N.Y. shows,” wrote one person anonymously. “I think this will be a positive change going forward for everyone.”

Wrote another e-mailer: “The industry has changed, and we need to change with it. Markets over the weekends are a thing of the past.”

On Oct. 15, the owners of the four buildings met and set the new dates in motion. Mona Sangkala, leasing director at the Cooper Design Space, thinks other market dates should be changed, too. “We’re taking baby steps, good baby steps,” she said. “Then we can work on the March and October dates. They could be earlier, too.”

Ed Mandelbaum, co-founder of blue the boutique contemporary trade show normally held five times a year in Los Angeles, attended the Oct. 15 meeting. He is excited about renovated market dates. “It has been something we have been lobbying for, for the longest time,” he said. “The June-to-May change is fantastic. There is no reason for market to be so far away from the [May] New York market. It’ll be a great help to brands that are trying to get their Holiday-season production started in a more timely fashion, and it is good for testing product.” (ENK International, which produces the Bright Cos. show at the CMC, did not comment by press time.)

Mixed merchandise, mixed response

While tenants in the smaller showroom buildings seem pleased, the showroom tenants in the California Market Center are a more diverse group, which means there is some dissent over the new dates. The CMC’s three large buildings house showrooms for contemporary lines, misses collections, children’s wear, juniors, menswear, shoes, purses, jewelry, embellishments, fabrics, swimwear and gifts. That leaves a lot of room for a variety of opinions.

“I think it is a positive thing,” said Mary Cesario-Sofio, co-owner of the Hale Mary Showroom in the CMC. She carries contemporary lines and accessories for women. “Los Angeles should be one of the first markets, not one of the last.”

Peter Jacobson, whose Creative Concepts showroom in the CMC carries European lines, isn’t enamored with the new dates. “I don’t think the May date is going to make any difference one way or another,” he said. “And July is disastrous. European lines usually break at the end of July at the Prêt-à-Porter show in Paris. … I doubt I could get the lines for July. I could for August.”

Others are concerned about altering the markets to Tuesdays through Fridays. “I don’t agree with having it on Tuesdays through Fridays at all. They tried that in Dallas and Atlanta, and I think they have all gone back to weekend shows,” said Robert Friedman of the Robert Friedman Showroom, whose updated lines include City Girl, Christine Alexander and Frank Lyman Design. “Sundays and Mondays are our best days. I think having it on Sundays through Thursdays would be better.”

For those who are looking for some new work fashion . . . Carhartt sales representative Dennis O’Keefe states that online sales are helpful to all parties because they allow customers to see the breadth of the product line like lined work pants, including items dealers may not carry in their stores.  While online shopping can be cold and faceless, one retailer enjoys speaking with clients worldwide and maintains that, even in a virtual world, customer service still comes first.

Renée Cohen of the Renée Cohen Showroom in the CMC also likes the idea of Sundays through Thursdays. “Tuesdays through Fridays just isn’t enough time. Sundays through Thursdays gives buyers the time on the weekend to fly in on Saturday and then work at the show on Sunday. Sunday is usually the busiest day for us and Monday. So I am torn,” Cohen said.

Joanne Lee, senior vice president of CMC services, said building owners are evaluating the Tuesday-through-Friday schedule. “As a result of tenant and attendee request and interest, a Tuesday–Friday date pattern is currently being considered for the smaller [Holiday/Resort and Fall II] 2010 markets. We have performed a tenant survey and are still reviewing the benefits of and interest in this new date pattern for those two smaller markets,” she said.

Many showroom owners said they were up for change, but the ultimate decisions rest with the retail buyers.

Buyers weigh in

Store owners and buyers who frequent the Los Angeles Fashion Market are for and against the new market dates. With many store buyers scouting for merchandise closer to season, some would like to see later markets. One of those is Susan Liss, owner of the Compliments boutique in Indian Wells, Calif., who has been attending markets for the past 24 years. She carries a wide variety of resortwear, eveningwear, casual clothes, accessories and gifts. “I just complained about this last October show, which years ago used to be in early November,” she said. “If it were closer to Christmas, we could fill in for Holiday and buy Spring.”

She is also not pleased with the Tuesday-through- Friday dates. “That would be very bad for me,” she said.

Liss normally drives to Los Angeles on Friday and does most of her business on the weekend, leaving on Monday. Hotel prices are much cheaper on the weekend, and traffic isn’t quite as congested.

Joan Pointer, who owns the Champagne boutique in Newport Beach, Calif., isn’t concerned about the Tuesday-through-Friday change. She normally attends market on Fridays. She doesn’t see anything wrong with the change in the market dates, but she would like more showrooms to carry Immediate goods as well as seasonal items. “We have plenty of money to spend for November and December,” she said.

—————————————————-

My Take: It does not make any difference to me when they have their debuts.  Arguing over when they will have it seems a little bit ridiculous to me.  It also seems that they would not sell as much if they have it at the same time that New York fashion debuts.  The buyers cannot be in two places at the same time.

I think it should be up to the designers when they show or debut their fashions.  It should not make any difference what season it is when lowrise jeans or Greek clothes are being debut.  It is also understandable that certain fashions like Halloween costumes are only seen in a certain time of year.  That would mean that the sexy Halloween costumes for 2009 would have already been debuted weeks or months ago.

Admittedly, it would be a little bit different if the designer was doing custom Greek apparel or custom ripped skinny jeans because they are custom made.  Custom made apparel is different than other apparel.  Other apparel can be debuted anytime in my opinion.  In fact, I think they would sell more if they had winter clothes available in the summer and summer clothes available in the winter.

—————————————————-

Related Resources

Prom Attire

Young men usually dress in tuxedos, sometimes paired with brightly colored ties.  Young ladies wear traditional prom dresses. They may purchase their prom dresses from specialized shops, boutiques or internet retailers. There are many specialty labels selling prom and bridesmaid dresses that release new collections each prom season.  Traditionally, young ladies will also wear a corsage, given to them by their dates, and they give matching boutonnières to be worn on their lapel who are usually wearing tuxedos.  Prom night and prom attire have become a big right of passage to many high school students in America.

Wall Declarations

Home and office decorating has never been so simple!  Personalize your space quickly and easily with our vinyl lettering, quotes and monograms.  Pre-spaced vinyl words and decals give you that hand painted look without the mess!  In fact, vinyl lettering is faster, easier and better than stenciling. Did you know that wall decals are not just for the walls? They are wonderful on doors, windows, mirrors, furniture, and just about anything else you can think of. And the lettering is made from removable, but not repositionable, vinyl so it will not harm your walls.

Recessed Lighting

A recessed lighting or downlighting is a light fixture that is installed into a hollow opening in a ceiling. When installed it appears to have light shining from a hole in the ceiling, concentrating the light in a downward direction as a broad floodlight or narrow spotlight.  This energy efficient lighting gives your store a nice clean look. It is important to let the dealer know what type of ceiling you have when you place your order. Not all ceilings allow for the same type of recessed can.  This dealer will work with you and go over all the details providing you with the best jewelry store lighting.

A division of New York–based Charles Komar and Sons, Komar Distribution Services is on a mission to start business on the West Coast.  A 350,000 ft.² distribution center in San Bernardino California was started two years ago for their own brands that include sleepwear and intimates labels and has since grown into Komar Distribution Services.  For the past 80 years the company has operated a distribution center out of McAlester Oklahoma and went west to satisfy its own distribution needs, which quickly found brands eager to facilities and resources.

Ron Weissbrod, Komar’s vice president of business development, said Komar currently has approximately 10 customers being serviced out of the San Bernardino location. Those customers represent 15-20% of Komar’s business out of the West Coast location, and Weissbrod expects that number to more than double in the next several years. He declined to name Komar’s current clients. But Weissbrod said customers include domestic and international swimwear, sleepwear, intimates, sportswear, dress, and children’s and junior’s brands that retail in major and big-box retailers through to specialty stores and independent boutiques. Client testimonials on Komar’s Web site count Liz Claiborne Sleepwear among its satisfied customers.

Down economy, interest up

As the economy forces companies to cut spending and reduce overhead, interest in Komar’s services has never been higher, Weissbrod said. “A good example is that of a swimwear company that only uses its warehouse 50% of the year, when it is actually shipping goods. The rest of the year the warehouse sits empty, but it is being paid for,” he said. “With this economy, companies are looking for ways to increase their efficiency.”

With its 40-plus employees and state-of-the-art facility, Komar’s San Bernardino location offers apparel imports, warehousing, distribution, supply-chain management, customer service, and accounting and back-office systems for bigger operations as well as boutique brands. “Everyone needs to lower their overhead,” Weissbrod said.

He declined to discuss Komar’s fee structure, but Weissbrod said most companies, whether they have their own distribution and back-office operations or outsource them, would realize savings. One way Komar could fatten a company’s bottom line is by reducing the kinds of costly mistakes that are often made when shipping to new accounts as well as big box or major retailers. “We work with so many retailers—and have for nearly 100 years—that we know their specific requirements,” he said. Meeting shipping requirements and “virtually eliminating chargeback’s” make for significant client savings.

Technology, which allows Komar to track goods from overseas factories onto boats, into and out of the warehouse, and onto the sales floor, is another money-saving bonus. “If a company knows where every single piece of product is at any given time, from the moment the order is placed to when it is cut and sewn down to whether it has been invoiced and when it is paid, they have so much more to work with and can be more agile,” Weissbrod said.

Tech appeal

With the influx of interest and business, Komar is keen on staying at the forefront of technology—from developing proprietary software that enables it to keep clients informed in real time as to the status of their goods to implementing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) mapping and compliance with “nearly every major retailer.” The facility is also Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)–enabled, something that is becoming a key factor for companies selling goods to the likes of Wal-Mart and other big-box stores.

“We are very technology-focused,” said Melinda Cook, Komar’s director of customer service. “Our array of services and clients requires us to be at the forefront of what is going on. It’s how we save our clients money and run our own business more efficiently.”

To communicate with clients, Komar has developed software that is installed directly onto clients’ computers. The dashboard, as it is called, gives clients constant access to reports such as sales reporting and history, gross margin analysis, style master management, reserve and bulk order management, inventory forecasting, production-order status, and real-time inventory visibility and control, a release from the company states. “The software makes everything visible and transparent. And it eliminates the hundreds of e-mails from different people that would otherwise be necessary from the moment a purchase order is written until it is delivered,” Cook said.

In fact, several times a day clients’ records are updated, which enables them to keep real-time track of progress of goods.

Currently, each client’s record is updated multiple times a day so they can track the progress of their goods in real time.  The software allows a client through constant access to reports to improve sales or to correct problems when they occur.

“The minute a shipment passes through our dock doors, it is in our system,” Weissbrod said. “That means a client can turn stock as soon as it comes in and that is something that is a big advantage in the current market,” he said.

—————————————————-

My Take: With the right ingenuity and innovation, this proves that any company can survive the tough economic times.  It makes no difference whether they are selling natural skin care products or custom packaging, technology can help them improve.  That is, if you use it correctly!

All the technology in the world cannot improve your the sales of your organic moisturizers or the sale of custom printed totes if you do not use it correctly.  In fact if you use it incorrectly, you may not be in business for very long.  Just because you have a computer with lots of software on it does not mean it will improve your business if you do not use it properly.

—————————————————-

Other Resources

Homecoming Court

The Homecoming Court is usually dressed in formal dresses and tuxedos and is a representative group of students that consists of a King and Queen, and possibly Prince(s) and Princess(es). Generally, the King and Queen are students completing their final years of study or seniors, while the Princes and Princesses are underclassmen for juniors. In high school, 17-18 year old students in their final year are represented by a King or Queen.  In college, students who are completing their final year of study are usually 21-23 year old.  College students usually opt for evening dresses and dress suits that they can use in their career.