PARIS — Two overriding issues in the lingerie industry — expanding a global reach in distribution and sourcing and the collaboration on exclusive lines between merchants and vendors — were in the forefront at the Salon International de la Lingerie and Interfilière trade fairs.
The four-day Eurovet-operated shows, which closed here Feb. 5, saw interaction between retailers and exhibitors sizing up the international marketplace for new channels of distribution as well as locations for store launches and additional doors and discovering innovative brands and products.
Retailers reviewing collections at exhibitors’ stands included Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, J.C. Penney, Bloomingdale’s, Henri Bendel, Victoria’s Secret and Style Avenue Middle East, the Saks Fifth Avenue licensee based in Dubai.
The show, which drew 21,976 visitors, served as a merchandising laboratory for smaller specialty boutiques and major retailers such as Kohl’s, which will introduce its first designer line of average-size bras bearing the Moments label in June, said Fran Abranowicz, senior designer for private-brand intimate apparel at Kohl’s.
Abercrombie & Fitch is also scouting for its own intimate apparel brand, according to a trend seminar presented by Jos Berry, president and chief executive officer at Concepts Paris, a forecasting trend firm. Sylvia Harven, creative director of Abercrombie & Fitch, was at Berry’s “The Best of the Interfilière” seminar, but she declined to give details of the retailer’s lingerie launch, which industry executives expect will be a major rollout by 2008.
However, Harven said she was impressed with the myriad presentations of trends at SIL.
“We saw the Ultra Show, and it was over the top with a lot of seamless looks, a lot of Lurex and metallics, and a lot of baubles, pearls and bling,” Harven said. “It was very opulent. Sleepwear was also incredible and looked like eveningwear or sportswear.”
Abranowicz, who noted Kohl’s proprietary bra brand would be launched in more than 800 doors, said he was at the salon to glean forward concepts for spring 2008.
“Next year this time, we’ll also have coordinating bottoms that will be fixtured separately and sold in over 900 stores,” he said.
Lily Amir Arjomand, general merchandise manager for Saks in Dubai, said, “I knew exactly what I was looking for, and I found it: bling. Everybody is enhanced, but on top of that, they all want push-up looks. I had to find the sexiest lingerie with the most bling, definitely with beading and Swarovski crystal.”
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Amir Arjomand noted that the best-selling brands she ordered at SIL included I.D. Sarrieri, Lise Charmel, Roberto Cavalli and Christian Lacroix. She added that one-of-a-kind kaftans by Natori selling for more than $1,000 each “flew out of the store last year.”
“This year, we are doing kaftans with Carolina Herrera,” she said, adding that “fun” merchandise from the U.S. like thongs by Hanky Panky are top sellers. “We bought 10,000 pairs and put them by the cash register in different colors. Women buy 10 pair at a time.”
Eucovita Gonzalez, owner of Luintanilla-Nevado, a four-unit lingerie chain in Segovia, Spain, said she found some “terrific” full-figure bras by Prima Donna, Felina, Lejaby and Barbara.
“I am so happy because this show understands the needs of a specialty retailer looking for top brands and quality lingerie,” Gonzalez said.
The introduction of Fruit of the Loom underwear for women for the European market was new on the scene. The line consists of four groups: True Comfort, True Style, True Elegance and True Secrets. Jo Lewis, FTL’s retail marketing manager, said the line was “designed specifically for the European market with emphasis on everyday comfort and simplicity.”
The expansion of the Fruit of the Loom label in Europe follows an aggressive move by parent Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which acquired Fruit of the Loom Inc. in 2002 and signed a deal in January to purchase VF Corp.’s intimate apparel business for $350 million. The deal is expected to be completed by early March.
Meanwhile, main topics of discussion included the best venues in which to develop new territories and cultivate new consumers as competition grows fierce for high-quality intimate apparel and textiles that can be sourced and produced faster at sharper price points. Identifying trends quickly and producing merchandise at a more rapid pace to accommodate shorter lead times at retail were key. In some cases, finding quality, handcrafted resources, especially from China, is becoming a problem.
Josie Natori, chairman and chief executive officer of Natori Co., which exhibited the Josie, Natori and upscale Josie Natori collections, said, “Nobody in China now has the time or the inclination to do handcrafted laces. It’s all done by computer. That’s why I recently went to India.”
Another factor expected to affect manufacturers and merchants is the increasing number of lingerie trade shows.
As retailers and vendors contemplate how to juggle budgets and decide which trade shows to attend in the U.S., Europe and Asia, two new major shows are expected to dramatically broaden Eurovet’s global presence in the international trade circuit: the inaugural Hong Kong Lingerie fair set for April 3 to 4 and an “exploratory salon” in Russia in 2008, said Marie-Laure Bellon-Homps, general manager of Eurovet. The giant trade show organizer is considering partnering with Alexander Federov, president of Wild Orchid Inc., which is based in Russia and operates more than 110 Wild Orchid boutiques and 64 shops called Bustier, Bellon-Homps said. Another potential partner is Intercharme, a beauty products trade show staged in Russia in October.
“Our Shanghai show doubled in size and attendance in just one year,” Bellon-Homps said. “Shanghai is a powerhouse in Asia, more than Beijing. But Hong Kong is regarded as more relevant for companies from Japan and South Korea, and it is viewed as politically correct with Taiwan. It’s an intermediate step, a hub of distribution, and it’s very close to production and consumption. But we’ll continue to stay in Shanghai, which also is very important.”
Anne-Manuèle Hebert, Eurovet’s international manager, said, “Hong Kong is a platform we expect to grow in a big way. The forums, in association with Hong Kong Polytech University, will help with inspiration for innovation, creativity and even the environment.”
Regarding Russia, Bellon-Homps said, “We are…testing a specialty event in Moscow, maybe after the Paris salon in 2008, around Valentine’s Day. We already had a dinner with a panel of industry experts who said there is a need for a [trade] show in Russia that features quality lingerie. The idea will be to do a salon with a partner in place, perhaps associated with a charity and a dinner, and attract people from the Ukraine and surrounding countries, which total around 9 million inhabitants.”
Bellon-Homps said the Shanghai Mode Lingerie fair on Oct. 26 to 27 and the upcoming Hong Kong venue would have no impact on Eurovet’s annual show in Paris and the Lyon Mode City fair in Lyon, France, Sept. 1 to 3. “As a matter of fact, we are seeing more visitors from China because of the exposure there. Two years ago, we had 1,000 Chinese visitors at the combined Paris and Lyon shows. Now, the potential is growing to 10,000.”
As for Fedorov’s plans to further his retail reach abroad, the Russian architect-turned-retailer said, “I plan to open six concept stores in London this year and plan to later open stores in the U.S.”