The Next Big Clip

Cited: Apparel News

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.

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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.

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