Color and other innovative tanning techniques are driving
a competitive outerwear market.
Black leather jackets are out, and innovative tanning processes are in.
So say exhibitors in the outerwear category at MAGIC, who maintain that the brilliant colors and textures that are being seen in the rest of the fashion mainstream have crossed over into the realm of outerwear, and that cutting-edge innovations only help the bottom line.
“Black leather jackets are dead,” said Jeff Adler, senior vice president of Adler Leather, a 50-year-old company based in Sylmar, Calif. “In the past, if you were sitting with inventory in just black, it was worth gold. Today, it’s almost worthless. It’s not what the consumer is looking for, and retailers know that.”
Because outerwear as a category has become so competitive in recent years — with not just an increasing number of companies joining the fray, but also big fashion brands producing large volumes of shearling coats and fur-lined parkas — vendors said the only way to stay ahead is to provide a luxurious look at an accessible price point, and continue to create new tanning processes for leather.
HIDE AND SEEK
“You have to have a keen eye for leather skin trends,” said Adler. “Styles will always be more or less the same, so the key is to always find the cutting-edge tanning process.”
This year, that happens to be marbleizing, a technique whereby leathers are given a two-tone look. That, and putting out things like junior-inspired rabbit coats in shades of pink and red that wholesale at $49, have helped Adler Leathers achieve a 20 percent growth in sales in what is otherwise seen as a lackluster year for the industry.
“Retailers want quality, and are not interested in those cheap furs that lose hair,” said Jun Li, owner of Los Angeles-based Funky East Design Inc.
“Also, a variety of color is important — bright green, pinks, light coffee. As long as we give retailers color, in furs like fox and rabbit, business is great.”
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The Funky East collection wholesales from $165 to $1,100; Li said she manages to keep costs down by using European fur but doing the dyeing and bleaching in China, to create “American, ladylike styles” at reasonable prices.
AN EARLY WINTER
Linda Richards, president of the eponymous New York-based coat maker, said heightened competition simply means having to accelerate the whole process.
“[For] anyone who has merchandise in their stores early, it’s going to sell,” she said. “The better customer is already shopping in advance of the season.”
Richards said most of the production of her line — which wholesales from $209 to $740 — is done in the United States, Italy and South America, the latter of which she describes as “an up-and-coming territory” for fur and leather production.
“People want luxury fibers,” she said. “Wool alone is not good enough anymore, and it has to be infused with cashmere, angora, llama, alpaca — something luxurious and interesting.”
Richards predicted a major trend developing out of upholstery-weight tapestries and jacquards.
“Coats are becoming more and more of an accessory,” she said. “The trench made such a big impact for spring, and I just feel that now people expect more of a spring coat — and we have to give them something new and exciting.”
For fall, Richards is going heavily into luxury with rich fabrics, fur trims and lots of cashmere. “As a coat manufacturer in the better/bridge category, I feel like we have to be the innovator. In Europe, we’ve been seeing some printed trenchcoats, which I think we’ll start seeing here. We’ve just introduced a jacquard paisley Lurex outerwear piece. We’ve taken the trench, which was so important for spring and fall, and given it a November delivery,” she said. “Those coat departments need an injection in November and December.”
Other vendors are aiming for a different consumer; they say it’s all about knowing who your customer is. Alice Jim, president of New York-based Prodi International Inc., said her business works because she keeps minimum orders extremely low, keeps prices reasonable and focuses on volume of output. Her factory in China’s Hubei province, with its 1,000 employees, can produce some 400,000 jackets a year.
“We have our own designers, and because we have our own production facility, even small orders are fine,” she said, adding that she has occasionally been asked to do as few as 10 pieces in a particular style. She follows the trends — fox fur and some mink in fashion colors like red, pumpkin, pink and beige for the upcoming season — but keeps prices accessible at $100 to $250 wholesale.
HOT SELLERS
Some vendors are seeing sales spike in unlikely places, such as Orange County in California.
“We’re bouncing off a brilliant year so far, and have already been getting reorders, even if the season has only just begun,” said Peter Jacobson, president of L.A.-based Creative Concepts, which represents top French brand Rizal in the United States.
“The reorders have ranged from Orange County to the mountaintops [in the] off-season, so we’re quite excited about the current season.”
He attributed his solid business to the fact that “the better product always sells,” citing a year-over-year increase of about 30 percent in sales in recent years.
However, he also said that it was crucial to stay a step ahead of the trends.
“Our fall line will have all the latest trends: leopard, fun fur colors like pinks and baby blues, and lots of white throughout,” he said. The entirely French-made line doesn’t come cheap: While leather and suede coats for spring range at wholesale from $100 to $250, his top-of-the-line Astrakhan and mink furs are priced at wholesale between $700 and $5,000.
“Business has been good, and it looks like this year is promising, but the market is getting competitive,” said Candan Yurdakul, vice president of New York-based coat maker Tanatar. “Every day, more people are getting into the category.”
Yurdakul said his collection is made in Turkey and is focused primarily on lightweight shearlings in beige and earth tones, as well as slim-fitting silhouettes. His collection, which he sells under private label to department stores, wholesales for between $700 and $800.
He agreed that red appears to be a standout color for the season.
“I think you have to stick to your quality, and keep the products as high-end as possible,” he said. “If the customer appreciates the quality, they’ll keep coming back.”