Exhibitors at The Train and The Box, which wrapped up three-day runs here last week, found buyers still recession scarred and reticent to dive too deeply into order writing.
The Train, which was launched in 2004, focuses on upscale ready-to-wear and lifestyle brands, while its offshoot The Box presents high-end accessories. The shows took place at the Terminal Warehouse Feb. 20 to 22 and featured about 100 designers.
Muriel Piaser, fashion director of Prêt à Porter Paris, which organizes the two shows, said winter trends will focus on black and white and will also see designers look to bring opposites together, such as combining excessive and voluminous designs and fabrics with more refined treatments.
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Piaser also carved out a section of the show for what was dubbed The Nordic Invasion, featuring four designers from Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
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“I’m very interested in the Nordic designers,” said Piaser. “They combine marketing, creativity and good price. I think for the buyer it’s the perfect mix.”
Piaser said the Nordic designers featured in the show are well established in their markets and can allow stores to distinguish themselves with unique, under-the-radar product at prices that are in line with their current lineups. She also felt the Nordic designers in particular characterized the major trends of the market.
Sweden’s Ida Sjostedt said she was pleased to have received several orders. She found U.S. buyers interested in bringing in new and unique product, but was aware of the challenges of breaking into the market here.
“It’s so vast and big,” said Sjostedt of the U.S. “You’re really starting over again.” That said, Sjostedt didn’t feel any pressure to adjust her pricing or her designs to suit the market.
Pernille Aasholm, sales and public relations manager of Denmark’s Islaet, saw some signs of improvement from buyers.
“The recession makes a lot of the buyers go with the safe choices, the ones they know that have turnover,” said Aasholm. “People have been very careful for the last year when they have been purchasing, now more and more they need some new things in their stores.”
Je-Won Hwang, one of the founders of New York-based Whistle & Flute, also found a more positive outlook among buyers.
“I think everyone is sick of being so glum about the economy,” said Hwang. However, that didn’t mean buyers were placing big orders or looking to expand their horizons on styles.
“Colorwise, people are still buying a lot of black. It’s a pretty low risk color and an easy sell,” she said.