Slowing Economy Sets Tone for Buyers at MAGIC Shows
By Khanh T.L. Tran and Max Padilla LAS VEGAS ? Economic reality took some of the luster from MAGIC Marketplace and the satellite trade shows here, as buyers factored in price first and vendors tweaked their strategies to appeal to cost-conscious consumers.
Merchants were attracted to brands that combined good style at a reasonable price during the shows from Feb. 10 to 16. Consider Priorities, a North Bergen, N.J.-based contemporary brand that channeled the mixing of prints that evoked designer labels such as Thakoon and L.A.M.B., including a red plaid ruffled blouse wholesaling for $48 and a leopard-print trenchcoat costing $120.
“My prices ? people are liking,” said Stefani Toonkel-Greenspan, president of Priorities, which showed at Project at the Sands Expo & Convention Center. “It looks more expensive than it is.”
Even at contemporary boutiques in California, a bellwether for trends in apparel and retail, price was a major consideration. “There’s no way to avoid as a Southern California retailer [the fact that] the economy was hit here,” said Jaye Hersh, owner of the Los Angeles specialty shop Intuition.
Diana Schmidt, owner of K-Lane’s in Anthony, Kan., was weary of the recession headlines and their impact on shoppers, while acknowledging she was cautious in making purchases. Seeking to appeal to customers who want dressier apparel, she ordered a black-and-white floral print crop jacket from New York-based Clara S. with a wholesale price of $39 at the Women’s Wear in Nevada show.
In the premium denim sector, where jeans can easily wholesale for as much as $175, jean makers began emphasizing prices over trends. For the first time, Frankie B. and Evisu introduced styles that wholesale for less than $90, while Yanuk recast itself as a moderately priced line with jeans wholesaling from $40 to $50. “We’ve been getting a lot of demand for lower-priced items,” said Frankie B. designer Daniella Clarke.
Chloe Dao, a buyer for Lot 8 in Houston, shopped for fresh women’s lines at the Pool show. “Our numbers were down last year and the year before,” said Dao, who won the second season of reality TV series “Project Runway” as a designer. “But you still got to buy clothes.”
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