NEW YORK — As vendors get set for the Coterie show next week, they’re dealing with a tepid retail climate but feel there are opportunities to sign substantial orders for immediate and spring deliveries.
Among the key trends on the block are sustainable clothes and collections that are “Made in the USA.” Also noteworthy is French Rebellion, billed as a full-service marketplace, sales platform, press office and collective of 30 French designers and brands.
French Rebellion was founded by Julia Simon and Courtney Daniels, who are also behind the Édité showroom and the Sister Tribes agency. Also cofounded with Murielle Bourdette-Menaut, Stephane Dago and Gilberto Bonelli, it is best described as a hybrid between a showroom and trade fair, featuring some 23 designers over 2,500 square feet by Coterie’s TMRW section. The space will exude a distinct French vibe, from the decor to the music and food stations that will complement the French talent on display.
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Daniels said, “There is a whole obsession around French fashion that, we feel, is coming into fruition recently again.”
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Added Simon, “We just want to give the French experience to the buyer and reconnect the buyer to the brands and to their environment, which is the goal.”
Brands include Rad Hourani, Albertine, Barn’s, DO Paris, Le Facette, Margaux Lonnberg, Shamaz, Vanessa Bruno Athé, Lucie Blanche and Paradis Perdus.
This season, the show will also launch Coterie Coaches, a program that features a selection of industry professionals providing advice to new designers at the show. The coaches are Chelsea Matthews of Matte Black, Anita Gatto of New City PR, Arielle Vavasseur and Marisa Spinella of Penelope and Coco.
Coterie will take place this Sunday to Tuesday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
“We have worked diligently to move our dates closer to fashion week,” said Emilie Cooke Lewis, Coterie director at ENK International, which organizes the show. “A lot of buyers travel to New York for fashion week. We expect a great showing due to dates being on the tail end of fashion week.”
Coterie also has several established names showing for the first time, such as Pamella Pamella Roland, Under Armour and Zadig & Voltaire.
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Julie Brown, president of her namesake New York-based label, hopes for “great traffic, energy and buyers looking for items they sold best but, at the same time, a real fresh feeling.”
She cited jumpsuits, dip-dyes and shorts and jackets “to throw on and layer up” as key trends, with many buyers looking for immediates.
“They are buying much closer to delivery since the weather has been so hard to predict this year,” Brown said.
Mark Tourgeman, vice president at Ström, the Los Angeles- and Stockholm-based brand, said, “We are expecting a busy show and anticipating many international buyers to attend Coterie. Personally, I feel specialty retailers will be looking for new, up-and-coming brands. The majority of them will be ordering closer to date and should place immediate buys for fall-holiday and taking notes for spring. I feel retailers are testing product and chasing reorders, rather than going deep with any brand.”
Genetic will launch the concept of Genetic Los Angeles at Coterie. Earlier this year, the Los Angeles-based brand secured investment from Peter Morton, cofounder of the Hard Rock Café empire that encompasses concert venues, hotels and restaurants, and Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records and cofounder of Beats Electronics. The new concept will focus on showcasing Los Angeles’ creative spirit via special projects.
“The general business climate has been somewhat challenging due to the overassortment of the same product mix,” said Genetic founder and creative director Ali Fatourechi. “We are very much looking forward to introducing a new direction and a specific point of view. This season, we are working on new shapes and proportions unlike any other season and introducing unexpected fabrics. A key trend for us is this ‘denim uniform,’ which is inspired by East L.A.”
Veronica M. Toub, founder and chief creative officer of VMT in Los Angeles, said that, for her line, the “gypsy-boho vibe continues.”
“Influences for the color palette come from my travels in the Mediterranean this summer, and we are focusing on contrasting fabrics, a mix of textures and geometric embroideries,” Toub said. “Key trends include boho, fringe, global traveler and modern nomad.”
Meanwhile, Stella & Jamie, Los Angeles, will be showing looks that mix denim with leather and distressed leather with long, languid skirts.
“Customers are very driven toward what influencers say,” said creative director April Mun. “So directly working with celebrities and bloggers to get their feedback on social media helps us tremendously on our Web-site sales.”
Amour Vert, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based sustainable label manufactured in the U.S., gives back to the environment by planting a tree for every Amour Vert T-shirt sold.
“This season, one of the key trends within the collection is sporty chic,” said Christoph Frehsee, cofounder and chief executive officer of Amour Vert. “We have created several pieces in the collection for a fashionable girl-on-the-go that are incredibly comfortable [and] easy to style…whether worn with sneakers or with heels. We have some cozy sweaters and supersoft hoodies and Ts to throw on with any look. We also have…dresses that are…sexy with a touch of preppy.”
Among the introductions are T-shirts in a mélange knit made from recycled polyester and Modal as well as a selection of outerwear, including a handwoven poncho.
“Social responsibility and sustainability are big topics in the fashion business right now, but only a few players have the ability to respond quickly to this new customer demand,” Frehsee added. “We are benefiting from this shift in consumer behavior and are growing at a rapid rate while accommodating our customers’ needs.”
MODELS: LARISSA AT MAJOR AND COURTNEY AT ONE MANAGEMENT; HAIR BY MARCEL DAGENAIS FOR LVA ARTISTS; MAKE UP BY JAVIER RAMERO; MODEL: LARISSA/MAJOR