Project is Revving up efforts to promote women’s brands at its Las Vegas edition, as its advances its approach to the trade show business in a persistently challenging economy.
Held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center Aug. 22 to 24, Project is embracing its role as a preview of what’s to come and the place to buy products for immediate delivery.
“For American women’s brands, New York market week tends to be the opening. This gives buyers an opportunity for buyers to see what is coming up in the new season, as well as a chance to get back into product that is for immediate [delivery],” said Andrew Pollard, president of Project.
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Besides, there’s a complete shift in the way fashion brands and stores do business.
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“They’re leaving less paper at the shows. They’re looking for new connections. They’re looking for new ideas. They’re looking for new partnerships,” he added.
To enhance the experience for exhibitors and attendees, Project is undertaking new initiatives geared specifically to the women’s market. Besides sponsoring women’s runway shows with eBay and Nolcha, it’s also considering hiring a female equivalent to Nick Wooster, the former men’s fashion director for Neiman Marcus Group Services, who is creating an entire section filled with everything from men’s tailored clothing to underwear, shoes, bags and art, all of which has been vetted with his discerning eye.
“We already have a number of women wanting to do the same thing,” Pollard said.
Project is also acknowledging the importance of the accessories market with a new section dedicated to jewelry and handbags. Featuring a capsule group of about 15 brands like Giles & Brother and Dannijo, the accessories section is intended as “an area that we’re launching to be a catalyst for a whole accessories area,” Pollard said. “Accessories are a large part of any successful business, especially e-commerce.”
Brands that are making their Project debut include Adam by Adam Lippes, Alexis Bittar, Lovers + Friends and Lauren Conrad’s Paper Crown.
Kymerah, Daniel Feld’s season-old contemporary line that retails between $150 and $800, hopes to appeal to buyers as a first-time Project exhibitor. With a sales goal of $1 million in the first year, Feld, a “Project Runway” alumnus who has worked at Zac Posen and Donna Karan, is showing bias-cut silk chiffon tank dresses in abstract orchid prints with asymmetrical hems.
Next door at Workroom, Project’s satellite show that is in its fourth season, new women’s exhibitors include Yuukiogura, B Store, Stripe by N and Leidi by Idiel.
Los Angeles’ Stand & Deliver, which sells at Maxfield in its hometown, Blake in Chicago and Battaglia in Saint-Tropez, France, is premiering on the Las Vegas trade show circuit at Workroom. It’s bringing silk-cashmere Ts, denim minidresses, studded leather moto jackets and other looks from its spring collection that merges Native American heritage with Sixties-era Hells Angels bikers. With retail prices starting at $100 for T-shirts and hitting $1,600 for leather jackets, Stand & Deliver’s designers said they can customize some designs for retailers who want unique, exclusive pieces for their stores.
“We always work with our retailers to do custom tweaks,” said Corey Parks, who designs the line with Yohanna Logan and makes everything in Los Angeles. “It’s not changing the design or the pieces. Changing the color — stuff like that we can do.”
At Project, denim is a driving force. Novelty will dominate denim trends, whether colored skinny jeans at Rich & Skinny, Seventies-inspired flares at AG Adriano Goldschmied, stretch gabardine tinted pastel hues from MiH Jeans or bright top-stitching at Genetic Denim.
Concerned about the economy’s uneven, spotty recovery, Rich & Skinny lowered the wholesale prices for its fall collection by 35 percent to be between $53 and $85. As a result, it was able to add Macy’s to its retail distribution, which already included Nordstrom. But no matter what price points retailers carry, Rich & Skinny chief executive officer Michael Glasser said stores are demanding speed to market.
“Everyone is looking for what’s available,” he said. “The pressure is to be delivered fast to stores. No question about it. The stores just buy closer to season. They want to react to what’s going on.”
Since AG Adriano Goldschmied operates a massive factory at its headquarters in South Gate, Calif., it can turn around an order in a week if the fabric is in stock. It can also test new styles like jewel tones to update the vivid primary colors that have been popular this past spring and summer. As a result of its quick ability to react and deliver, AG increased its shipments by 38 percent from a year ago.
“The second the trend starts, everyone is hustling to get it to market,” said Sam Ku, AG’s design director. “You have to get on it or you’ll be missing out.”
Several denim designers are turning to the Seventies for inspiration in their spring collections. Ku said AG will display volume with wide-leg cropped jeans, culottes and a flare style with braided waist detailing.
Los Angeles’ Genetic Denim is bleaching flares and going for looser fits with overalls and boyfriend jeans. London-based MiH Jeans, which is best known for a flare called the Marrakesh worn by celebrities like Ashley Greene, is introducing more wide-leg silhouettes to the point that they’ll make up half of the spring lineup. New versions include the Oxford, a slouchy, androgynous wide-leg style.
“Jeans that are easier to wear in the summer” is how MiH founder Chloe Lonsdale described her approach to designing the spring styles.
After expanding internationally to Japan, Germany and Australia, South Korean denim label Washborn is making its debut at Project to spur sales in the U.S. Washborn’s parent, Growing Co., makes all the garments in its factory in Seoul, South Korea. Producing two other denim brands, Ttopp and Dress1, Growing Co. reports annual sales of $2 million to $3 million. Washborn’s U.S. division is expected to generate $500,000 in sales in the first year through contemporary specialty stores such as Planet Blue, Urban Outfitters, Pixie Market and South Moon Under.
Among the spring styles it will show at Project, Washborn is offering color-block pants in mixed fabrics, harem pants, pale blue denim and piping details. Wholesale prices run from $30 to $60, so that the most expensive item retails at $130.
Celebrity cachet plays a big role in the denim industry. That’s why Raven Denim is enlisting the help of Kaley Cuoco, star of the hit TV comedy series “The Big Bang Theory,” to design two styles for the holiday collection it’s launching at Project. With 20 percent of sales earmarked for the charity Friends of Animals, the collaboration includes a denim trouser named Shirley (after Cuoco’s dog) and a skinny style, dubbed Kaley, in stretch twill dyed black and olive green and enhanced with 9-inch zippers running up the back of the leg. Retail prices are $195 and $184, respectively.
“Holiday is a perfect capsule [collection] to do something like that [with Cuoco],” said Ya-el Torbati, designer of Raven Denim. “It’s a gift-giving time. It’s a nice gift since it’s connected to a charity.”
Women shopping for themselves usually gravitate toward dynamic designs that are also functional, said Mintee Kalra, women’s design director at Ever, from Maywood, Calif. To cater to women who buy now and wear now, Ever is expanding its leather options with slouchy shorts, snakeskin-printed vests, biker pants and utility dresses. It’s also experimenting with new fabrics, such as a Japanese-made Polytech blend that is supple enough to be a silk substitute but feels cooler on the skin. Ever cut the high-tech fabric into jumpsuits, dresses and trench-style tops.
“[Women are] looking for that dress that’s perfect for your interview, your first date and a bridal shower,” Kalra said, “those multifunctional pieces, things they can buy today and don’t have to hang in their closet and sit on until the perfection occasion.”