Fashion Blog

A shot of the crowds at MAGIC last year.

Excuse me……I never got the email-memo-postcard with whose idea it was to jam pack JULY with tradeshows! Back in the day (which was last Wednesday) it was a SIN to run a tradeshow during July.

July has more traditionally been a month for sales, markdowns, more sales, inventory and vacation. If you own a “resort” type store July is your holiday season.
So what is up with all the shows?

Let’s review…

Bread and Butter has become a “must go” show but this one is held over 4th of July weekend. The “fair”, as they like to call them, is in Barcelona and the Europeans go on vacation in August so I guess they don’t care about us….but really 4th of July?

Premer Vision or Premer Vis-yawn held in NY is nothing like its big sister in France. Save your money and go to Paris! But if you must feel the heat (and smell) of NYC city streets the tradeshow runs July 16-17.

The Miami swim show July 18-21….well; this has always been an important show, especially if you do big business in swim. I guess a weekend in Miami can’t be too bad. It’s hot everywhere, and since they moved the show to South Beach it’s bearable.

Now here are the ones that KILL me (or better said I would like to hurt).

Collective and Blue NYC July 21-23 Project and Capsule NYC July 21-23. Who what where why? Are they showing?

Checking out the online resource guide they all have very important brands that will be showing. But really what should I be buying….aren’t all the men’s brands opening the lines at MAGIC? Did I miss another memo?

In my (I hope not too old fashion) world…the idea has always been, by the time the vendors show the lines at MAGIC/Project (Las Vegas 25-27) the vendors know (or least they tell me they do) what they are cutting and it’s much easier for the independent retailer to do their buying.

I know what a few of you are thinking…and I don’t want any hate mail on this. The truth is that a buyer is always buying two seasons at the same time. Some are buying three deliveries at once. We train our buyers to buy 30% of the OTB up front when the season opens (usually with the hot lines that sell out early) then 30% at the end of a buying season and the balance in season.

Each store is a little different but you get the idea.

In August I will be previewing Spring I, wrapping up Holiday and buying “in season” FALL hopefully at off price. Even in October I am still looking for “at once” but now I am looking for only off price and margin builders. I am also looking to test early spring and get a heads up on the fashion trends.

Buying is a full time job….please let me keep my July’s free…if not what’s next - tradeshows in December?

I have to tell you something. I am feeling a little depressed. We’ve gotten dozens of phone calls in the pass few weeks for retail check ups. Some of these stores had been doing “ok” business but now find themselves overstocked and with no traffic.

I can’t stress enough how important the right location is! You can spend all the money in the world and have the best PR person but you cannot make people go out of their way to shop!

Maybe these stores got by (which you know is not what retail is about) but now…I don’t know what to tell them. Well, actually I do…move the location or close. But most of the stores really just need a little kick in the pants….no cry babies allowed. You can’t sit and wait for the customers to come in…you have to give them a reason to. Hear is SOME GOOD NEWS, people are shopping and they are shopping at full price!

The key is to have something different. You need to have items in the window that make people stop in there tracks and say WOW! Trust me, everyone will find a way to justify spending if you give them a reason. In the words of DV “give them what they didn’t know they wanted”.

Here are a few more key tips.

1. 1. Suck it up and kill (markdown aggressively) goods you know are dead. Use that money to buy in season off price items you know are selling well. If you are not a resort store you have about 2 weeks to do this (before Memorial Day) because after that you won’t be able to give goods away. Think July as your vacation, inventory and clearance sale month.
2. 2. Take a good look at your floor. Does it bring people in or is it cluttered with merchandise and decorative items? Track how people walk around in your store! Look for the “dead” zones and find ways of driving traffic there.
3. 3. Set up some spy shopping in your store. Test out your sales team. Do some sales training…..sales is not something that you just learn, it really is an art.
4. 4. Check your customer service….policies allowing returns only for store credit have to go! You need to be competitive.
5. 5. Take the time to review every penny spent. You WILL lose your business in nickels and dimes. Check your credit card rates, cell phone service, and anything you think can be negotiated.
6. 6. No every form of promotion cost an arm and a leg. Do thing different to get written about in your local paper. Do you have a my space page? A mini website? Do you send email blast?
7. 7. Feeling overwhelmed? Call us for a retail check up. It’s an excellent return on your investment and the changes we implement will affect your business immediately.

For those of you thinking about opening a store….funny as it sounds, there probably hasn’t been a better time in the past 5 years! You will be able to find great locations in hot areas, you will be able to better negotiate rent and terms and you will be able to find excellent staff. I say go for it.

Studies have always shown that business that open during slow economic times do better than business that open during a boom. Why? Because they have better leverage in negotiations and that have to learn early to count every penny.

The trend in retailing is also all about the boutiques! Mall traffic is down and people just don’t want to shop in big boxes….it is all about the personal experience and having something different!

Have a question? Feel free to post a comment!

Whew….so I feel like I have been around the world in 45 days. It started back in March with Montreal fashion week and ended in April with Peru Moda. One thing that is clear….there is an amazing amount of talent just waiting to be retailed!

Photo: Montreal

Photo: Miami

Photo: Peru

I know we have all been reading about the doom and gloom, people losing their homes, gas prices at $4 bucks but let me remind you that when times get tough people go SHOPPING!

The key is to have something worth buying.

You need to have fresh new goods in your stores! You need to keep clean inventories and buy items that will make people say “I’ve got to have that”. 

Spring II and Fall I are going to be very item driven. Good news for you young designers, if you haven’t sold up your OTS (Open to Sell) try to be in a (tiny) in stock position for in season selling. You are going to see that after the elections sales will start to jump. 

Here are a few of my favorite finds during my travels.

Second Yoga Jeans from Montreal
Maria Pryor found her at Miami Fashion Week. She is from Argentina
Meche Correa no website but what amazing handmade bags! Drop them an email for more information luna5@terra.com.pe they are from Peru.

If you’re reading this, our brand new website is now online!  Feel free to explore the top menu to see all our site has to offer.  Here are just a few of our new additions:

• Brand new design for easier navigation and organization
• New product pages offering ability immediately with Paypal
• This blog for showcasing the latest news and updates
• Easier registration to our upcoming must-see workshops
• plus much more!

When you’re done, leave some feedback below and let us know what you think!  Thanks for visiting.