"Practicality reigns at MAGIC"

(article obtained from WWD: Women's Wear Daily from February 18, 2009 issue)

Most exhibitors of MAGIC adopted a practical approach, emphasizing trend-focused apparel and competitive pricing to woo visiting apparel buyers. For men's and women's clothing at this year’s show, the search for value was driving retail orders from buyers. “We're seeing traction at the lower end, where we're offering value, and the higher end, where we have newness”, said Steve Lawrence, general merchandise manager of men's wear for J.C. Penney Co. Inc. Merchandise that "offers salable newness, nothing tricky". Lawrence was shopping MAGIC for items that fit that bill, including argyle sweaters that were understandable, but not what everybody already has. Overall, Lawrence said "he’s optimistic about fall, not because he expects a surge in business, but because retailers are better prepared than they were last year".
Kevin Morrissey, head buyer of men's for Macy's East, searched for hot items and new classifications. “Customers respond to new ideas”, he said. “We're looking to add some twists to our core items.” He expects fashion outerwear, woven shirts and fleece to connect with customers for fall.

Scott Norris, general manager of The Men's Wearhouse Inc., reported that the company's suit business was robust and that there were no plans to cut back on purchasing. “We have large buying power and we're looking to take advantage of that with quantity”, he stated. For fall, Norris anticipates suit sales will be strong, along with dress shirts and pants. On the sportswear end, he revealed that Men's Wearhouse is converting its MW Tux stores (formerly After Hours) to Men's Wearhouse & Tux and will add denim, T-shirts and a little tailored clothing to appeal to the younger customer who shops in these stores for his rental tuxedo needs.
Retailers shopping the condensed show at the Las Vegas Convention Center looked for updated classics that will offer customers the right mix of familiarity and newness, said David Wolfe, creative director of The Doneger Group. This is the time for tried and true trends. The trick is to refresh and tweak them. For men, this includes hybrid sport coats, muted plaids, argyle sweaters, vests, military-inspired outerwear, bright colors, cardigans and subtle details. For young men, extreme washes, Eighties and Nineties prints, transitional jackets, rugged country influences, plaid hoodies, V-necks or Y-necks and exploded graphics are expected to be strong for fall.

International buyers were also walking the convention center. "We are looking for fitted T-shirts, smaller sizes because the bigger styles don't fit many people in Japan”, said Manabu Shirakana, a buyer for Nano Universe in Tokyo. “We're especially looking for casual, L.A. styles.” Dresses, particularly in colorful prints and dyed batik, were still a big category, and especially long maxidresses.

Most buyers were reluctant to place early orders, but many said they would buy small quantities before the end of the show. They were looking for retail price points well under $100, with $60 or less being the most desirable. At $50 or less, people just pick up what they like and buy it. At more than $50, they'll think twice about it, said Wendy Litowitz Frederick, whose store in Charleston, S.C., caters mostly to tourists.
In response to retailers' concerns, several vendors lowered prices despite the risk of dwindling profit margins. STS Blue, a denim brand, dropped the top range of its jeans to $98 from $120, and their sister brand See Thru Soul reduced its price to $68 from $78. XCVI, a casual contemporary clothier from Los Angeles, offered what it dubbed incentive groups, which cost 30 percent less than the regular line. “Retailing around $100 right now is key”, stated Chris Myers, a sales representative for XCVI.

At this season’s show, bright colors dominated the palette, from fuchsia and tangerine to marigold and poppy red. There were some advocates of neutral hues, including Los Angeles' Ryu, which chose peach for its dresses fancied with ruffles and fringe. Novelty wear was also prevalent. For its new men's line, loungewear label PJ Salvage printed images of eggs and bacon on flannel bottoms priced at $36. Nelli, a contemporary line based in San Diego, enhanced its flirty frocks with heart prints, polkadots, citrus tints and watercolor-inspired splashes.

In the men's market, Premium at MAGIC, a new showcase at the remade, remixed and remodeled MAGIC Man, won early approval Tuesday for its mix of established vendors such as Nicole Farhi and DKNY and new finds like Sand, a Danish clothing company, and Paris-based Hoon. In the juniors section of MAGIC, vendors showed spring and summer styles, often excluding fall, and retailers placed immediate orders for reasonable offerings covering the variety of trends, notably bohemian chic and grunge.

Keeping up with consumer trends is vital to staying profitable in the apparel retail sector... if you cannot keep ahead of the consumers wants, you will fall behind and lose to the competition. Therefore, it is important fashion trends along with consumers spending trends are always being analyzed when determining what to buy for upcoming seasons.