Apparel companies at Los Angeles’ spring junior market responded to the recent softening of denim by bolstering their mix of fabrications and offering a wider range of lengths in bottoms.
Vendors said the mood of retail buyers varied during the three-day market that ended last Wednesday, but noted there were bright spots, with dresses continuing to sell well for this year across all categories.
Sales of dresses have grown much faster than those of jeans among girls between the ages of 13 and 17, according to The NPD Group, a consumer and retail information company in Port Washington, N.Y. In the 12 months ended Aug. 31, dress sales jumped 48 percent to $848.2 million from $575.1 million a year ago, NPD said. In the same period, jeans sales rose 19 percent to $2.09 billion from $1.75 billion, NPD reported.
Rona Pfund, co-owner and general merchandise manager for Vanity Shops, a 200-unit junior specialty chain based in Fargo, N.D., ordered denim and cotton Bermudas from Mudd and Hydraulic and dresses from Hot Kiss and Eyeshadow. “We have a big dress business,” Pfund said. “We’ll also be looking for lots of items that can be layered — shorter jackets with longer tunics underneath.”
Buyers may have been skittish about betting on denim because the skinny jean didn’t take off as quickly and strongly as expected during back-to-school.
“Skinnies performed well regionally, but it wasn’t the key item everyone wanted it to be,” said Sharon Nocero, senior account executive for Paris Blues, based in Rancho Dominguez, Calif. “It’s all about alternative lengths now — cropped and cuffed, Capri, Bermudas. The shopper is smarter than she used to be. She can wear alternate lengths for a longer time period.”
Karyn Newman, sales manager at YMI, a Los Angeles company that makes an eponymous junior denim brand as well as the young contemporary label Royalty, said, “The whole market was banking on something [skinnies] that the girl never got.”
Yet, Newman said junior shoppers might cotton to skinny jeans next spring. YMI booked more orders for skinny styles than boot cuts during the recent market. Still, to help counter softening denim sales, the company introduced non-denim fabrics such as stretch twill, cut into strapless dresses, cargo-style microshorts and other styles with looser fits.
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“We’re very much prepared for an alternative to denim,” said Jamie Gluck, vice president of brand marketing for Los Angeles-based Hot Kiss, which showed short-shorts, Bermudas and cropped peacoats in cotton twill plaid, knit jersey short-alls and a mix of dress silhouettes — from halter-top to strapless. In denim, the company focused on alternate lengths, displaying Bermuda-length jeans featuring thick colored stitching. Dresses and jackets wholesale for around $20, and bottoms for about $15.
Other global junior companies, including Miken, Passport, XOXO and Z. Cavaricci, showed Bermuda-length bottoms, as well. XOXO showed varieties in cotton stretch fabrics, while Z. Cavaricci displayed unembellished denim versions. Through its junior label, Department of Peace, Z. Cavaricci also displayed Eighties-style jeans in Crayola-toned red, turquoise and yellow. The skinny-leg model features zippered ankles and wholesales for $12.50. “Denim has slowed down, but we’re still selling skinnies,” said Rokhsan Enanoria, designer for Z. Cavaricci. “We’re also boosting up our other fabrics [such as] stretch cotton poplins, stretch twills and brushed seersucker.”
New York’s Dollhouse also increased the proportion of linen, twill, stretch sateen and other non-denim fabrics to make up 40 percent of its spring collection, with denim constituting the majority, said sales representative Jessica Pharaon. In spring 2006, non-denim textiles had contributed to 30 percent of the line. In addition to the new fabrics, buyers also liked anything with suspenders, romper-style dresses and shorts and bold colors such as red, black and white, Pharaon said.
At Fishbowl, the young contemporary tops line produced by Los Angeles’ Second Generation, the slogan for the trade show was “fashion basics with a twist,” said sales representative Maggie Arensmeyer. Because of an uncertain economy buyers gravitated toward proven sellers with special styling. A French terry tunic with an asymmetrical funnel neck was popular.
Capitalizing on the trend for dresses, Los Angeles’ Harkham Industries doubled the number of styles for its junior dress line, Johnny M., to 100 for spring from 50 in the fall, when it launched the brand. Johnny M. said retailers ordered dresses made of cotton voile, embroidered and sequined cotton and dot prints with wholesale prices ranging from $18 to $35. Shirtdresses, maxi-length dresses and styles with kimono sleeves were also popular. “There were very few styles that people didn’t pick up,” said Jacob Wolf, president of sales at Johnny M. Among the retailers that ordered the dresses were Dillard’s, Parisian and Nordstrom.— With contributions from Ana La O’