NEW YORK — Despite being added to an already busy schedule and being located away from the more established shows, Moda Manhattan’s first September show enjoyed strong success.
The show attracted approximately 350 exhibitors and about 2,500 buyers. Equipped with larger open-to-buys, retailers were buying closer to season, favoring dresses, knitwear and leggings in color palettes of black-and-white, neutrals or nautical-inspired navy.
Having long served the January, May and August markets at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Moda made its September debut at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building in New York Sept. 17-19. Demand for September and February shows “was reaching a clamor,” according to Britton Jones, president and chief executive officer of Business Journals Inc., which owns Moda.
“It exceeded our expectations, because we exceeded so many of our exhibitors’ expectations,” said Jones. “We always try to control expectations when we do a launch, because it’s rare to find a runaway success, but this came pretty darn close.”
According to Jones, at least 90 percent of surveyed buyers gave the show a “good to excellent” rating in terms of the mix of merchandise, the appearance of the show, amenities and how it compared with other shows. Almost 80 percent of buyers gave the location a favorable rating.
“Anytime you choose a new location, there is a learning process on the part of the buyers, and the buyers are used to Moda at the Javits Center,” Jones said. “But once the buyers came, they were happy there.”
Moda searched for months to find a venue that was both large enough and had the appropriate ambience. It settled on the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building because of its hardwood floors, high ceilings, post-and-beam construction and lighting, despite its downtown location. The show organizers made the aisles a wide 8 to 10 feet.
“I typically write at home, but I sat and wrote at Moda,” said Jennifer Huggard, who owns the better and bridge specialty retailer Tyler House in Raleigh, N.C. “I found good items, and I had the ability to sit down and write without people bumping into you. The booths were bigger, so a lot of the booths had tables, which is conducive to leaving paper.”
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Encouraged by strong fall sales, the Carolina shop owner sought out color from a sea of neutrals and ordered novelty skirts, city shorts and fill-in items for the holidays. “The merchandise mix was so improved over what Moda had been in the past,” Huggard said. “I thought it was one of the most pleasurable market experiences I had had in a long time.”
Miriam Muniz, account executive for novelty sweater maker Cupio, said longer sweaters and wraps were popular knit shapes for spring. For colors, whites, neutrals and the occasional turquoise piece sold well.
“Everyone worried it wasn’t going to be a good show because it was all the way downtown, but there was pretty good traffic and the buyers did do orders,” Muniz said.
As the president of the New York-based Fashion Express Buying Office, Diane Resnick has more than 60 stores on her roster, and about half of them come up for September’s trade-show week in New York.
“I had to encourage my stores to go down to Moda because it was out of the way, but once they got there, they were happy they went,” Resnick said. “Moda did a great job. It’s a beautiful new space, easy to navigate, with an airy, open feeling to it.”
J. Mickey Judkins, who owns the Eau Claire, Wis.-based better and contemporary specialty retailer Details, said she went to all the New York trade shows but lost at least four hours traveling between them. She thought Moda’s venue at the Metropolitan Pavilion was nice, but she would prefer if all the shows were held together at Javits, like Moda’s August show, which shared space with Fame and other shows.
Judkins spent her larger open-to-buy on leggings, day dresses, travelwear knit dressing and “very special items.” She added that “navy looked fresh for spring.” But she reserved funds for January, so “as I see trends form…I have money to go back in deeper.”
Elisha Daniels, fashion director for the Boston-based Sara Campbell dress line and Sara Jane sportswear line, enjoyed a wonderful show as an exhibitor, with lots of traffic and writing.
“This was the best September market I have had in years and years,” she said. “All the elements that make a fabulous show were there. The venue was open and bright, and all the buyers were talking about how much they loved it.”
The better-to-bridge lines, for which dresses wholesale for $129 to $200, sold “dresses, dresses, dresses,” Daniels said, particularly in black-and-white graphic prints.
“There has never been a time for dresses like right now,” Daniels said. “Everyone is buying dresses. We even put dresses in the sportswear line — that’s how strongly we believe in dresses.”
Resnick is a sportswear buyer for the Fashion Express Buying Office, but she could not dispute the power of the dress for spring. As denim’s role is softening after years of strength, that casual mainstay is being replaced by the skinny pant, leggings and knit dressing, she said. She also noticed neutral colors outpacing brights, and a strong nautical and navy influence.
But her stores are waiting to see what the trends will be before buying for spring, she said. “My stores are buying closer to the season and are being pretty cautious,” Resnick said.
Future September and February Modas will also be in the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building, but Moda will continue to take place in Javits for the January, May and August slots, where it shows with Fame and Accessories the Show.
The February Moda will likely add Accessories the Show, with about 30 exhibitors. And Moda will make its way to Las Vegas for August 2007 or 2008, Jones said.
TOP TRENDS AT MODA
- Dresses
- Knit dressing
- Leggings
- Black and white
- Neutral colors
- Nautical and navy