In only two years, Project Las Vegas, with a focus on premium denim and contemporary, has carved a stylish niche in the fashion trade show universe.
The upcoming event at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, Feb. 14 to 16, should be no exception, or so hope vendors in their final stages of preparation. The acquisition of Project by Advanstar Inc. in 2005 put it under the same corporate umbrella as MAGIC International. In September, with the creation of a new sales management position, the two shows became even more closely aligned.
Now Project Las Vegas is expected to be bigger than ever, with some 1,200 brands scheduled to participate. The acceptance of more than 200 additional brands and some vendors’ expanded booth spaces have prompted Project to spill into a third hall at the Sands.
Grouped in Halls A, B and C will be a smattering of upstart celebrity-linked lines, brands that have big names but small businesses they are looking to expand, and numerous introductions of apparel using organic materials and trim. Denim, as in the past, will reign.
Born Uniqorn, the offspring of actress-musician Taryn Manning and her actress friend Tara Wagaman, will be relaunched at Project Las Vegas. It has a new business partner in Los Angeles-based Industry Concepts, a design firm run by Edward Bromberg. The initial line, with a focus on T-shirts, stopped shipping more than a year ago.
“This collection is very much knit-driven, but with luxurious, soft-handed fabrics with a lot of washing and detail,” said Bromberg. There will be fleece hoodies, V-necks, sweat bottoms and three-quarter pants. There is also a Perv short-short, which became the line’s number-one seller in a limited introduction in January, he noted. Aside from the HotPants, the line has been designed to be forgiving to imperfect figures, with long lengths and loose fits that provide a draping effect. “Most pieces are just comfy,” said Bromberg.
Fine details include jeweled zipper pulls in the shape of a heart with two little unicorn heads embossed on them, à la the company logo. The heart can be removed and worn on a chain. Wholesale prices range from $28 for basic knits to $100 for dresses and other fashion pieces.
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Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers label will reappear at Project, where it was unveiled in 2005. Designer Sara Scargall said the brand would preview its fall 2007 collection, a reflection of Stefani’s latest album, “The Sweet Escape.”
Key pieces, wholesale priced from $25 to $100, will include tracksuits, parka vests, sweaters, sweatshirts and knit bottoms. Scargall described the look as a warm collection in rich browns, golds and “awesome blues.” Although the holiday collection embodies an Eighties hip-hop feel, there is a “Rasta vibe,” too, she added.
A. Kurtz, a line popular with celebrities, also will introduce its fall 2007 collection at Project, maintaining its vintage military style but broadening the concept with a worldly approach that encompasses themes of travel and cultural exploration.
Already its spring lineup embodies prints inspired by topography and maps. The fall collection will expand on that and introduce product hangtags that resemble beat-up passports. Knit hoodies and slimmer cargo bottoms will be some key items, said Sean Connelly, a principal. The fall palette will be darker, with more over-dyed blues, black and a lot of gray that builds on its core green and brown color story. Wholesale prices at A. Kurtz range from $17 for hats to $68 for apparel.
Still primarily known for its caps, A. Kurtz posts annual sales between $3 million and $5 million and is looking for controlled growth, noted Connelly. “We are still a small to midsize company.”
And, like many others, A. Kurtz is becoming environmentally aware and using more sustainable fabrics, such as a new bamboo-cotton blend that will appear in most of its knits in the fall and holiday collections.
Del Forte Denim is building a business exclusively with organic denim. However, founder Tierra del Forte stressed her product line was about offering a jean with a good fit that happens to be eco-friendly. “We stick to basic, flattering jeans rather than supertrendy styles,” said del Forte. There are little details like embroidery inside the fly and Art Deco-inspired rivets. “It makes the wearer feel like she has something special on.” Building on the organic theme, Del Forte is also introducing a jean with organic leather trim.
Other changes include new washes that build on the popular dark indigo to include more gray and vintage looks in black and rust, said del Forte, whose jeans wholesale at $88 for most long styles.
Many firms also said they were adding some higher-rise and wider-leg jeans. Del Forte, for instance, is introducing a slouchy boyfriend jean this fall. “It is still sexy,” she said.
Seven For All Mankind, a Los Angeles-based leader in premium denim after seven years in business, is bringing its women’s summer collection, which also includes jeans made with organic cotton. It, too, is introducing higher waists and wider legs in some styles, such as the Gingham jean for spring and the Georgia jean for summer. But skinny options, such as the pegged Roxanne jean will continue as well.
Color-wise, Seven For All Mankind will unveil a new acid wash that harkens back to the Eighties-era fad. Also on tap is a deeper version of its dark green Toronto wash. There is also an organic wash called Yosemite, a greenish-brown tone. The brand is adding little details such as wash and fit information printed inside the waistband. Wholesale prices range from $60 to $95.
Boy Meets Girl, a knit-driven collection known for its activewear and sportswear, will launch its first organic pieces at the show, including tunics and dresses made from organic bamboo. Although the emphasis will be on its spring-summer shipments, the New York line will preview its fall 2007 collection as well. “We are finding that buyers are buying much closer to the season,” explained creative director Stacy Morgenstern, who expects hoodies with a satin interior lining marked with the Boy Meets Girl logo to be among its most popular items. Wholesale prices for the line are set at $22 to $80.
Jem Sportswear, whose primary business is in licensed T-shirts, has ambitious plans for Project and intends to use the format to introduce four collections: Awake Black, an upscale women’s T-shirt line; Awake Couture Girls, mini versions of the Awake Couture fashion T-shirt line for women; little jem, a collection for infants and toddlers, and jemLAB, futuristic designs for young men. It will also display product from existing lines, including Well Worn, a women’s line of American nostalgia-themed Ts, and the namesake Jem men’s brand. Wholesale prices range from $16 for the men’s line to $45 for Well Worn.
Jeff Marine, Jem’s chief executive officer, noted that the company is starting an international business this year and will enter markets in the Far East, Europe, Canada and Mexico.
Bali-based 3rd Born, which started out seven years ago as a men’s label, will show its second women’s collection at Project Las Vegas, said founder and designer David Eagles. With this latest line, its women’s apparel will move away from printed T-shirts and into more “fashion styles and yardage prints,” said Eagles, who is using more rayon jersey and French terry fabrics. New styles from 3rd Born include a long-sleeved wraparound top in a bamboo print and a playful dress with a large panda image on the front. Wholesale prices range from $17.50 for a tank to $32 for a dress.
A.B.S. By Allen Schwartz will present retailers with it’s “Mod Squad” Sixties-inspired collection that showcases sheaths and T-shirt dresses with graphic color blocking, vivid colors and prints, at $69 to $99 wholesale.
Think Audrey Hepburn and Mia Farrow, said Cynthia Erland, marketing director for the line. “It is vintage baby doll, yet ‘Mod Squad’ modern.”