More women’s sportswear and dress lines are going green this fall.
Recognizing that buyers are looking not only for the latest trends, but for casual clothing with a conscience as well, more companies plan to introduce or increase the presence of organic fabrics into their collections.
Martin Klein, executive vice president for sales at New York-based Kaktus Sportswear, said his line hopes to introduce an entire collection of organic cotton blend casual tops, jackets, pants and possibly skirts and dresses at WWDMAGIC. “The demand [for organics] seems to be getting stronger every season,” he said, “and we can do it at a price.” Kaktus activewear sets typically wholesale for $18 to $33, with novelty tops at $10.75.
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Jennifer Ashley, president of Hippie Ink by Jennifer Ashley, also plans to increase the organic component of her Los Angeles-based business, noting she recently sold more than 1,000 units of organic cotton blend thermal “Love the Earth” T-shirts to Nordstrom. “I really think the direction will be all organic in the future,” she said.
At WWDMAGIC, Hippie Ink plans to show baby-doll T-shirts, wholesaling for $30, and tie-dyed, crystal-embellished hoodies and matching cotton or fleece lounge pants, wholesaling for $55. Most of her collection includes T-shirts and casual separates made from a blend of organic cotton and vintage cotton, with T-shirts accounting for 70 percent of her sales. “People can dress up with just a T-shirt,” Ashley said, adding that she’s seen women wearing them under tuxedo jackets to dressy affairs or simply layered with jeans.
Such versatility has made T-shirts and casual separates a growing segment in the women’s sportswear market with yoga and spa-inspired attire some of the trendiest.
Nomadic Traders, for example, plans to introduce a shadow batik design in subtle earth tones on soft rayon knit T-shirts and yoga-style pants in its fall collection. Wholesale prices are $26 to $37. Another easy-to-wear travel collection by the Berkeley, Calif.-based line features pull-on skirts, pants, wide-leg cropped pants and a two-way zip jacket in a polyester, rayon and nylon blend for $19.50 to $32 at wholesale.
“People lead such busy lives that they want to be comfortable but look good,” said Gilda Whitehead, merchandise manager at Nomadic Traders. “There’s more acceptance of casual dressing.”
Vivid colors also play a key role for fall, often mixed with neutrals. Bright oranges and citron greens appear on Nomadic Traders’ quilted nylon jackets and vests, priced at $44 to $64, and also influence the line’s lightweight novelty boiled-wool jackets with asymmetrical cuts and embroidery. Deep berries, aquamarines, plums and spice are intermingled with varying shades of charcoal throughout the collection.
“I think with the economy not being as strong, people like having nice bright colors to put on,” Whitehead said.
Putumayo incorporates a similar palette into its fall line with vivid hues in its jackets. One features brightly colored antique Indian sari fabrics, while its Aztec jacket shows rich browns, teals and purples.
“We’re looking at more textures and fabrics from all over the world,” said owner Kathryn Peters. “I travel to Costa Rica to India to Shanghai and take the best the culture has to offer.”
Meanwhile, dresses still pack a punch for some vendors, who said demand has not waned.
“They’re still important,” Peters said, “but I don’t think basic dresses will be strong.” Because the dress market has been flooded with options, it’s a more difficult category in which styles need to stand out to be relevant.
This season, “it’s more about the detail,” she said, adding that Putumayo plans to show wrap dresses with fabrics from Shanghai and other styles that look like one-of-a-kind pieces. Dresses wholesale at $68 to $128; jackets, at $68 to $88, and sweaters will wholesale at $44 to $75, representing its three best-selling categories.
Charlie Guggenheimer, director of women’s sales at Honolulu-based Tori Richard, also believes the current dress trend has legs.
In turn, the line plans to show six different dress silhouettes, including a baby-doll sundress, an Empire cap-sleeve style and a layered jersey kimono.
Guggenheimer also believes basic styles won’t do the trick.
“We feel very strongly that novelty embellishment, both on separates and dresses, is the key,” he said, referring to its use of a bird motif and a jungle palm print. “Dresses tend to run a cycle and that cycle can be three to five years.” He said he thinks the dress trend is only in its second year. For Tori Richard, wholesale prices range from $22 to $50 for tops, $42 to $100 for dresses and $60 to $80 for pants.
A glimpse of glimmer also remains a trend with lasting power from past seasons. Tori Richard weaves silver Lurex into its tropical-print holiday collection that includes an Empire-waist dress, a camisole, a tunic and a pleated skirt in silk crinkle chiffon, some of which can be paired together or with basic black knit separates.
“It’s dressed up with a holiday feel,” Guggenheimer said. “You could wear it to go to dinner during the holidays in the Caribbean, Florida or Hawaii.”
Hippie Ink also incorporates metallic elements using metallic stitching and silver foil in several of its T-shirt designs. “Metallic is going to be huge in more of that futuristic look,” Ashley said. “There’s a wave toward futuristic type of clothing.”
TRENDCAST
– Eco-friendly fabrics are in demand.
– Relaxed yoga and spa-inspired looks continue to gain momentum.
– Rich, bold colors brighten a lackluster economy.
– In dresses, it’s all about the details.
– A hint of metallic is still hot.