DALLAS — Fashion Industry Gallery, the boutique-style mart located in downtown Dallas that accents contemporary, premium denim, bridge and young designer collections, is expanding with more wholesale showroom space and marketing tactics to lure vendors and specialty retailers alike.
As FIG nears its first anniversary in January, it has double the reason to celebrate: The mart’s 50,000 square feet and 41 show spaces, including those for multiline reps, corporate showrooms and five guest designers, are fully leased, according to J. Gavin Smith, executive director of FIG.
“We will open a second level containing about 25,000 square feet of show space in time for the March show; construction will start before yearend. We are expanding and seeing growth at every market. We’re getting a whole new round of permanent leases,” said Smith.
The expansion overlooks the new Henry S. Beck Jr. Park that opened this fall, occupying the grounds surrounding FIG, located at 1807 Ross Avenue in the downtown Arts District. The 20,000-square-foot park cost almost $1 million to build and is a collaboration between Brook Partners, parent of FIG, and the Beck family. The park includes lush landscaping, fountains and public spaces.
FIG executives are courting new tenants with an aggressive outreach that includes visiting stores as well as design firms in showrooms across the country. The pitch plays up FIG’s highly focused merchandise mix of fashion-forward styles not typically found in wholesale showrooms outside New York or L.A. — a big draw for specialty retailers who want to get the majority of their seasonal buys done in Dallas.
“Our success is about getting the right stores to shop here and the right vendors to show here. Stanley Korshak, Neiman Marcus and many other leading specialty stores have given us strong approval,” said Smith. “Bridge retailers, especially, are responding to our bridge fashion collections including Dismero, Bill Burns Collection, Stephanie Schaich, Jeannie Maag, Helena, Jon and others.”
FIG continues to go after more retail traffic with direct-mail and Internet marketing tactics. A new campaign kicks off in the first quarter to announce the expansion. Its Web site, fashionindustrygallery.com, now includes a line and showroom list, floor plan and guide to hotels, restaurants and cultural events.
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FIG’s popular guest designer appearances at each market continue to draw crowds of retailers, vendors and design students. Past guest designers have included Trina Turk, Tracey Reese and Charlotte Tarantola, all of whom have participated in an open Q&A session with Mattie Roberts, the fashion, culture and entertainment reporter for the TXCN cable network.