Designers & Agents, the three-day contemporary trade show that ended Sept. 14, drew retailers to the Starrett-Lehigh Building who were searching for a highly curated selection of apparel and accessories.
Meryl Mandelbaum, the show’s creative director, said the exhibition featured 200 exhibitors, the same as last year. “The show’s been healthy, and traffic has been great. Yesterday [Sept. 12] was really busy. People are buying and enthusiastic and relieved to be back,” she said. She said that 53 percent of the exhibitors are from the European Union and Japan.
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Exhibitors were excited by the quality of the retailers and the traffic they were seeing.
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Tracy Reese, designer and owner of the Detroit-based sustainable brand Hope for Flowers, said she opened up a lot of new stores at the event. “People are upbeat about spring,” she said, adding that her company’s prices are stable and that’s achieved through good terms with her factory. “We’re working hard to keep us in our sweet spot.”
The brand is selling blouses along with their dresses. “People love the fitted styles. Spring is a great season for us,” she said. She also noted that she’s selling pants really well, pointing to a Tencil with linen-striped pants. “Organic cotton sailor jeans have been great.”
Reese said she mostly produces in China, with a small batch in Detroit. “It’s really challenging to find sustainable textiles in the U.S. We have to import every component. We hope there’s an opportunity to rebuild our textile industry. We would love to produce here,” said Reese.
Joseph Greco, owner and chief executive officer of Jakett, a jacket resource, said, “We’re having a strong moment with suede right now.” He said his jackets retail from $600 to $850. Greco said he’s selling a lot of fringe and relaxed pieces, as well as shortened trenches. His line is made in Pakistan, and “all of our products are sustainable.” Greco said that he’s been able to open some new accounts and see current accounts at the show. He noted that prices have gone up a little bit. “We’re absorbing a bit portion of the increases,” he said.
Luigi Zavan, the commercial director for Le Sarte Pettegole, said that the show has been good and his business has been growing every season. Shirts that have a scene on the back and are plain in the front are selling well, as well as man-tailored shirts with embroidery. The line is made in Italy, and prices have been stable. Retail prices are $390 on average.
Samantha Sung, who designs her own namesake brand, said business at D+A was good. “People are responding to the new fabrics,” she said, such as viscose silk. She said she manufactures in Italy and Bali, Indonesia. “My best silhouette is a shirtdress,” said Sung, who sells to specialty stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Stanley Korshak, and Julian Gold in Texas. She said for spring she’s keeping prices stable. Her retail prices are under $1,000. Based in New York, Sung said she makes everything in Italy, and sells a lot in the European market.
Zero Degrees Celsius was doing well with a tie-front striped shirt feminized with rhinestones that wholesaled for $78, along with a mixed media knit with cotton, also $78. Brian Cahill, sales representative, said, “The show’s going well. We’ve been busy.” He said it helps that two other trade shows, Brand Assembly and Cabana, were also taking place in the Starrett-Lehigh Building. Zero Degrees Celsius is designed in California and made in China.
Beth Rothenberg, who is in business with her nephew, William Blankman, was showing BR Collaborative. “We only do jackets, that’s our niche,” she said. The brand’s jackets, with names such as Blue Jay, Dove and Gardenia, wholesale from $190 to $310. In business for the past 18 months, all of the jackets are produced in New York City. “We’re direct-to-consumer, but we want to develop our line in the wholesale market. The consensus was D+A was the best fit for us,” said Rothenberg. She said it’s been a very nice experience, and she likes the fact that the show is multinational. The jackets are made of such fabrics as Austrian wool, denim, and Japanese cotton. “There are some great travel jackets,” said Rothenberg, noting their next move is leather and suede.
Stuart Cheasley, owner of Rose and Rose, said he’s been seeing existing clients and a few new ones. His company, which is based in the U.K., makes its collection in India. He said that’s he tried to stay consistent with his prices. His dresses and tops wholesale for $145.
Tammy Lalande, owner of Cinderella’s, a high-end women’s specialty store in Lake Placid, N.Y., said, “I’m actually looking for new designers that I like.” She said that the exhibitors who show at D+A have become “an important part of my buy.”
“There’s an intimacy about the space that enables communication,” she said. She said she was buying hats from a line Freya and jewelry from Chan Luu. “I love them,” she said. She also likes Majestic Filatures, which “have beautiful high-end fabrics, and high-end sweaters and Ts.
James Scully, who owns the store Jamestown Hudson in Hudson, N.Y., said, “It’s definitely the best show. It’s the most sophisticated and everything is very well chosen.” He said he was buying from H + Hannoh Wessel. “His shapes are so flattering and he has a great sense of color,” said Scully. He also found a great shirt line from a California resource called Monday 12.
Scully’s 1,400-square-foot women’s and men’s boutique opened in May 2024, “and the response has been insane,” said Scully, who was previously a casting director.
He said he was excited about the Peppino Peppino jeans from Italy that have “amazing denim shapes,” and are from $200 to $350. He also liked the looks from Heather Harlan, who is based in Brooklyn, and uses pretty Japanese and American cloth fabrics. “You can wear it as a dress or over jeans,” he said. He also liked the French cotton bags from Moismont, and the dresses and separates that are all washable from Katharina Hovman. “People are looking for things that are easy to wear and easy to travel with,” he said.
Scully said he loves that the brand selection at D+A is “super sophisticated. You can fill a whole store with this show,” he said.