NEW YORK — With luxury a major factor in the retail marketplace, Elyse N. Kroll, executive director of ENK International, figured the wholesale world was ready for something special as well.
Such was her mission in launching Clear, a boutique accessory trade show in a booth format that ran last week at Gotham Hall here at 1356 Broadway, close to the tents at Bryant Park. Kroll wanted it to embody the elite nature of the runway shows, so she and her team hand-picked 27 high-end vendors, many from Europe and new to the U.S., to participate in the show.
“We wanted the show to be the essence of quality versus quantity,” she said. “When I chose exhibitors, what we tried to do was be a store and buy for that store. And then I was interested in inviting only a particular kind of buyer. I wanted to separate it out because your A-plus stores like to shop separately. They will shop in a crowded environment, but they like this choice, too.”
Kroll said the event drew 150 visitors, including buyers from Henri Bendel, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys New York, Selfridges in London and Joyce in Hong Kong.
“When our customer shops, it’s a more intimate experience,” said Ed Bucciarelli, president and chief executive officer of Henri Bendel. “[At the show], they served treats as you walked from booth to booth. It felt very upscale, like the consumer’s retail experience.”
Bucciarelli was pleased with the merchandise assortment at Clear, pointing out Kenjiikeda’s handbags and Margot Michon Jewelry’s silver tattoo-like pieces that complemented the Eighties-rocker looks at Luella Bartley and Alice Roi.
Masaakira Yasue, who represented Kenjiikeda, said it was the firm’s first time in the U.S. and he wondered if the show’s timing to run concurrently with fashion week was the best approach.
“The show has a very nice atmosphere and the buyers have been very friendly,” Yasue said. “I wrote some orders, but I feel like many people don’t have the time to stay here and ask about the details of the bags. Our fringe bags can take up to two days to make because we hand-cut the fringe and that’s what makes them special.”
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Many vendors said retailers were not writing orders, waiting either for ENK’s Fashion Coterie or for the European collections to take place before making decisions.
Sara Consoli, a sales representative for Iosselliani, a nine-year-old French jewelry company, said the show had been a challenge. “I’m here to learn,” Consoli said.
She said there was much exchanging of business cards, but few actual sales. Iosselliani offered silver necklaces with serpent motifs, jaguar head rings and delicate vintage gold bracelets with colored stones.
Reinhard Plank, a year-old Italy-based hatmaker with distribution in Florence, Milan, Paris and Japan, said reaching the U.S. market is its next step.
“We’re here to see how the American market works,” said Klaus Plank, managing partner. “We’re not after big business yet, so this atmosphere was ideal. We want to grow our business step by step.”
Reinhard Plank offered a colorful selection of felt hats in modern shapes that were sometimes accented with items such as feathers.
“It is a lovely show for us,” said Giuliana Gnerre, a representative from Gnerre, a glove manufacturer based in Naples. “This is our first show in the U.S. We saw a lot of our [existing] customers and met with five or six new [stores].”
Gnerre produces leather and exotic skin gloves for Chanel, Lamberston Truex, Neiman Marcus and DKNY stores. The firm showed an assortment of gloves, with standouts including soft black patent leather gloves and an elbow-length silhouette designed from leather that is cut on the top layer to create texture. Prices ranged from $120 to $1,600 at retail.
Bagteria, an Indonesia-based brand that has distribution in Europe and China, offered limited-edition bags with hand-tooled sterling silver frames, salmon skin or silk bodies and intricate beadwork. The bags wholesaled from $330 to $1,000.
“The buyers that came through were very positive,” said Stephen Brenner, U.S. distributor for the firm. “We signed some new accounts. We really came here to see what the reaction to the brand would be and it was great.”
Melissa Galit, market analyst for moderate-to-better handbags and jewelry for The Doneger Group buying office based here, said she had a good experience, but wished there were a few more vendors.
“I was excited to see new people,” Galit said. “Pashma, the scarf company out of India, was amazing. [It offered something] really different and unique. This show was really about being novel.”
Kroll said for the next edition of the show, she may rethink some of the vendor selections to improve upon the range, as well as do more to get the word out about the show.
“The buzz is out there,” she said, “so the work really starts now.”