Los Angeles  (August 10, 2011) – The California Market Center (CMC) welcomed key retailers ready to buy at the Holiday/Resort edition of Los Angeles Fashion Market, Monday-Thursday, August 8-11, 2011, also featuring SELECT Contemporary Tradeshow, FOCUS Apparel & Accessories Show, and TRANSIT LA Shoe Show.  Showroom representatives and exhibitors shared a positive outlook, pleased by the quality of buyers and great orders left behind in light of the industry's impacted tradeshow calendar this month.

“Despite close proximity to the Vegas shows, we’ve had a lot of good orders and have made a lot of new customers this Market," said Dale Pike of New York-based Deepa Gurnani, an exhibitor at SELECT.  "We will definitely be back in October.”

Likewise on our 5th floor, Melanie Forbis of the new Gloss Star Group showroom reported: “We're having a good show.  We're celebrating our new showroom with the opening of many new accounts this Market and the buyers we are seeing are actually writing great orders.”  The showroom represents Australian contemporary brands Seduce, Bluejuice, and Katherine.

Retailers spotted throughout the Market included Planet Blue, Fred Segal, LF Stores, Kitson, Nasty Gal, Arcade, JMR Chalk Garden Stores, Zappos, Madison, Diavolina, Belle Gray, Wynn Las Vegas, Plenty Stores, Pacific Trading Company, Wendy Foster Stores, Caesar's Palace Shops, Ai Wish Stores, The Red Balloon, Marshall Retail Group, Solestruck, Nordstrom, KSL Resorts, Jigsaw, Ambiance San Francisco, Ritz-Carlton, Polkadots & Moonbeams, Eden Boutique, Canal Jean Co Shops, Style Lab, Pechanga Resort & Casino, Tootsies, Brentwood General Store, Boulmiche, XTC On Melrose, Pacific Sunwear, and Harrah's, to name a few.

The refreshing presence "of a number of out-of-town boutiques this show," was also pointed out by Laura Zorner of LA-based brand Bella Luxx. "SELECT has been great for us.  We've made a lot of good contacts and our brand has been getting a lot of exposure since our debut at this show last Market."

Featured in the Fashion Theater from Monday-Wednesday, SELECT Contemporary Tradeshow launched in January and has quickly become an essential meeting ground between exhibitor and buyer in LA.  "It's important for us to have a presence at every SELECT show," said Nina Frank of New York luxury knitwear brand Minnie Rose. "This is where we'll meet with LA buyers like Planet Blue and Fred Segal."  Other notable exhibitors in the juried showcase included Magaschoni, Sam Edelman, Linea Pelle, Gorjana, Twinkle by Wenlan, Whiting & Davis, Pour La Victoire, and many more.

Additional resources were found in the 13th floor Penthouse of the CMC, featuring FOCUS Apparel & Accessories Show, also Monday-Wednesday.  FOCUS is the Market's platform for hand-picked independent designers and emerging brands keen on expanding into the wholesale marketplace.  Notable brands this show included young contemporary dress line Sweet Sinnamon, socially-conscious accessories Good Works Make A Difference, and handmade jewelry line Zana de Souza. 

Also featured in the Penthouse on Monday-Wednesday was TRANSIT LA Shoe Show, the Market's dedicated showcase for contemporary shoe collections, including regularly exhibiting heavyweights like Jeffrey Campbell, Irregular Choice, Report Signature, Frye Boot Co, Seychelles, Steve Madden, and hundreds more.

"This is our second time exhibiting at TRANSIT and already we know it's an important show for us," said Mikey Arendsman of the Original Kork-Ease brand, which has made a comeback in the Contemporary marketplace. "We've seen many key footwear buyers at this show like Madison, LF Stores, Kitson, and JMR Chalk Garden.  We definitely plan on exhibiting at every show."

"Buyer traffic was as expected for the industry's busy August show calendar, but the quality of buyers and orders proved that the upswing for this Market continues," said Joanne Lee, Senior Vice President of the CMC. "We saw key retailers this Market who left behind great orders, even with the Vegas shows just a couple of weeks away, affirming that this August Market is still vital for both brands and buyers in LA.

Los Angeles Fashion Market Spring 2012 will take place Monday-Thursday, October 17-20, 2011, with showrooms open for Preview on Sunday, October 16.

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