If you were in the Los Angeles area this week, I hope you had the opportunity to come by the Globaltex trade show at the LA Convention center. There were a lot of great vendors, new products, new and familiar faces and interesting seminars. Since GlobalTex is a new trade show, they’re still fine-tuning it and responding to exhibitor and attendee feedback. I’m hoping the next show will fill the entire room and then some. If you’re looking for industry trends, companies such as MPDClick were there as well as a trend area showing some of the latest fabrics, colors and prints.
So here’s what I learned:
1: Trade shows are still the best way to see and feel new products, colors and designs. I’m a big fan of technology, don’t get me wrong, but nothing beats holding something in your hand to really understand the product.
2: Hemp jersey is my new favorite fabric. Seriously. I was thinking “Hemp Jersey?” How soft can that be? Well, it’s as lovely as Modal – soft and drapey, without the clinginess of Modal. One of my clients is already using it in some of their designs and I can’t wait to see it when it comes to market.
3: Heavy rains made for a light turnout the first day of the show. It also made for nightmarish traffic, but that’s to be expected in Los Angeles.
4: Frances Harder of FBI, Victor Dahan of Shipson, Ken Wengrod of FTC and I had a great time on the “Speed to Market” panel. We approached the subject from our own view points. Frances moderated and injected her wisdom about bringing production back to the LA area and how California designs are sought after around the world.
5: Ken talked about financing and the current credit situation. Everyone wants to know what will happen if/when CIT files for bankruptcy. Ken explained the most likely scenarios and let everyone know that business would still continue. I swear I heard a collective sigh of relief.
6: Victor discussed how to improve the supply chain and how markets in China and Russia are opening up to American goods.
7: We all talked about how selling to the international markets should not be a barrier in business any more. Financial transactions, credit, customs, commercial invoices and more are easy to address and can expand a company’s revenue stream dramatically.
8: I talked about the role of technology in speed to market and how using tools can give you a 360 degree view into the design, sampling, production, inventory and financial aspects of your business and how no company should ever be without them. No matter what your budget is, there are tools to help your business.
9: Retailers are conducting business differently and manufacturers need to be able to react quickly to change. Keep inventory low. Don’t expect the re-order. Speed to market is an entire process from design to delivery, know how to react.
10: Don’t wear boots with three inch heels when walking a trade show.
Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated. Email: jill@fashionbizinc.org
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