The feedback from the many showrooms I visited last Tuesday and Wednesday was that most were very happy with the week's business. I think the contemporary floors of the California Market Center were a little quiet but certainly there was plenty of activity in the New Mart and the Cooper building.
I
dropped by the Sunrise Brands Showroom on the corner of Los Angeles and
9th that houses Dylan George and Superdry (you can't miss it - it's has
the massive Superdry logos on the windows). The SYDNY Showroom was using the space for market. The Australian brand specialists were having a good show.I was interested to follow up on the relatively new accessories, lifestyle and gift show Coeur, on the 11th floor of the Cooper Building. This was only the third show for Coeur – their first was the Spring/Summer showcase at last October’s Market Week. They do two LA shows a year – Spring/Summer in October and Fall/Winter in March.
In March, the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Coeur, Henri Myers told me, “We are creating something different for the fashion retailer. We are looking to provide a diversity of options.”
The 11th floor of the Cooper is a large, bright, naturally lit white space – perfect for a trade show. The show was smaller this time around. I didn't get a chance to speak with any of the organizers to confirm if this was as expected or if there had been a drop off from this time last year.
I want make special mention of some socially conscious and sustainable collections that showed at Coeur that are benefiting important social programs around the world:
- 31 Bits is a jewelry collection using fashion and design to empower Ugandan women to rise above poverty. They buy jewelry handmade by the women using 100% recycled paper and other local materials. They are committed to working with each woman until she has graduated from their program and attained a sustainable means of income within her own community. They also work with the community on English lessons, support groups, finance and vocational training and HIV/AIDS and health education. This is an awesome cause. The product is excellent. I urge you to check out the website - www.31bits.com. For wholesale orders, contact Meredith Hazan at Maritime Showroom in LA or Jackie Gilles at the social and ecological brand-focused Forge Showroom in Austin, TX.
- Forge was also showing FEED. FEED designs and sells bags, tees and accessories to fund programs to provide school meals to children around the world. Some of the products are made and/or embellished by people in the local areas such as Guatemala and Kenya. Since 2006, FEED has been able to raise enough money through the sale of products to provide over 60 million school meals to children around the world through hte World Food Program. FEED has also partnered with the US Fund for UNICEF, raising much-needed funds for their Vitamin A and micronutrient supplements program and providing over 46,000 children with essential nutrients.
- Forge also represents the socially responsible brand, Raven + Lily. Raven + Lily is handmade eco-friendly jewelry and accessories by marginalized and HIV-positive women from North India and Ethiopia. The pieces are made from local up-cycled and recycled local materials such as handmade beads and charms from melted bullet casings and vintage silver coins, recycled cotton papers, woods and hand-milled natural soaps.
Consumer awareness is catching up to the dreams and aspirations of eco-entrepreneurs like Mike Korchinsky, the CEO & Founder of Wildlife Works and those true believers who created companies like 31 Bits, FEED and Raven + Lily. Please support these companies whenever possible. As Jackie Gilles of Forge Showroom just said to me, the product still has to be good. I think you'll find that the style and quality of most of the socially conscious and sustainable products out there are at least as good as their less enlightened competitors.
The National Retail Federation has recently predicted a 4% increase in holiday sales for this year over last year, and reported a surge in consumer spending during September. I want to believe that we are actually slowly pulling out of this never ending economic gloom. I'm not sure how much the election result in 2 weeks has already been factored into the market. I am going to have to stay with what I have felt for a while now; that despite bright spots like last week's market activity, I'll believe it when I see it and feel it.
Paul Brindley
paulbrindleyconsults.com
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