NEW YORK — Accessories trade show Clear presented fall collections from 16 designers at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center here last week, marking the second time it has shared a venue with the Fashion Coterie apparel exhibition.
ENK International president Elyse Kroll’s goal was to exhibit talent, both new and old, from all over the world.
“Everyone is at Clear because we feel they are special enough and that they deserve to be there,” said Kroll. “We have several consultants, stylists and retailers who view every collection to figure out where they should be merchandised at the shows. But we believe Clear will always be small.”
Parisian designer Alexandra Benitah and her husband, Dov, showed their 18-month-old jewelry brand, Elia Stone, for the second time at Clear, which ran Tuesday through Thursday. The line’s 24-karat gold coin necklaces and stone cuffs, which range from $50 to $225 at wholesale, currently sell at Big Drop and Henri Bendel in New York. The Benitahs are looking to get into more American department store doors and think Clear’s upscale environment will provide the right exposure.
“It’s quite exclusive here,” said Alexandra Benitah. “It’s nice for us and it’s nice for the buyers. It makes them want to buy.”
Retailers strolled through Clear’s small, bright space, but a majority of them were there to check out accessories trends for fall as opposed to placing orders.
“I’m just looking at everything and whatever catches my eye, I buy,” said Peri Arenas, owner of Veri Peri in Palm Springs, Calif.
Stacey McElhany was doing the same for her store, Violet, in Denver.
“I’m here for the Coterie, but I’m popping over to Clear,” said McElhany. “I’ll probably wait to do jewelry later on in the season.”
One designer who attracted major traffic was London-based Zufi Alexander, whose funky handbag and small leather goods collection was popular.
“We’ve done well here,” Alexander said. “We’ve seen our stores in the U.S., Russia, Japan, and now we have a lot of new accounts in the States.”
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The three-year-old brand began at Saks Fifth Avenue and Henri Bendel in New York, and has since landed its snakeskin shoppers and red fox-trimmed satchels at Harvey Nichols International and Japan’s Celux, the members-only store sponsored by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
“I love this show,” Alexander said.
Handbag designer Julie Winn agreed: “It’s fantastic to be here. It’s quite a prestigious show and I’m honored to be chosen.”
Winn was showing her six-month-old line, Phoenix Rising Designs, a collection of napa-skin and python handbags that wholesale for $275 to $499. While the fledgling brand hadn’t had any appointments as of Tuesday morning, Winn sees showing at Clear as important to both getting her name out and making sales.
“The line is totally different than anything out there and I would like people to get that,” she said.
But her business manager, Kirsten Francissen, said, “We’d love to be in Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys — you know — the ones that everyone wants.”