12.May.2010 | sportswearnet.com
WORKROOM TO RETURN FOR SECOND VEGAS SHOW IN AUGUST
Organizers of Workroom, the progressive fashion showcase that debuted in Las Vegas last February, have confirmed plans to go forward with their second show on Aug. 17-19. Taking place at the Mandalay Bay once again, the show is expected to grow in size from its inaugural roster that included brands such as Surface to Air, Dana Lee, Won Hundred, Vandalist, Hyden Yoo and Them Atelier. As Oak buyer Kim Christenson said of the attractive platform, “Workroom opens the market to vendors looking for a more sophisticated atmosphere with strong, progressive designers in a refreshingly frill-free environment, a welcome platform amidst our consistently tight schedules.” Mexico showroom’s Dave Pacho added: “The caliber of buyers and press that attended the show was great and the proximity of workroom to Project and MAGIC made it incredibly easy for buyers to attend. I was able to catch a lot of great buyers because of that convenience factor.”
Tim Yap

24.Feb.2010 | sportswearnet.com
LAS VEGAS TRADE SHOW LANDSCAPE EXPANDS
New venues, multiple competing shows and an absolutely massive assortment of brands created a rather overwhelming atmosphere in Las Vegas last week. Although many shows or shows-within-shows aimed for intimacy, the sheer volume of exhibiting brands in the city made navigating the show circuit akin to running a marathon.

The granddaddy of the Vegas shows, Advanstar’s MAGIC Marketplace, which ran Feb. 16-18, continued its reign as the largest and most sprawling of the Vegas shows. Covering two so-called campuses this season, the show was split by gender. The Las Vegas Convention Center housed the women’s section WWD MAGIC, MAGICKids, Sourcing at MAGIC and a new show-within-a-show concept, the FN Platform, an aesthetically pleasing showcase of all-white booths that housed approximately 500 women’s, men’s and kids’ footwear brands, including major players such as Kenneth Cole and Camuto Group. Peggy Merck of Camuto Group reported brisk business and steady traffic for the company both at its FN Platform booth, which showcased the brands Arturo Chang, BCBGeneration, BCBGMaxAzria, Kensie Girl, Lucky Brand and Vince Camuto, and its large Jessica Simpson apparel and lifestyle booth in the WWD MAGIC section.

In addition, the Convention Center also housed the Pool Tradeshow, which continued to be an artsy/kitschy mix of apparel, shoes, accessories and household gadgets, some of which were available directly for sale in the Cash and Carry section.

The Mandalay Bay Convention Center, across town, was the site of the rest of Advanstar’s offerings, and had a decidedly more masculine bent. Upstairs, the MAGIC show continued with sections for traditional menswear, premium and contemporary menswear, street-driven and young men’s apparel, and S.L.A.T.E., a special juried area for skate, surf and street brands. While the Premium and Street sections seemed cramped and overrun with brands that offered sameness and row after row of men’s underwear brands, S.L.A.T.E.’s more intimate and relaxed atmosphere served it well. Key brands showing there included L-R-G; Obey, which offered current denim trends such as acid-wash leggings and coated jeans at affordable prices; and Triple Five Soul, whose fall 2010 collection was inspired by the pre-Cold War Soviet Union.

The first floor of Mandalay Bay served as the new home of Project Las Vegas, which continued to be the most extensive showcase for men’s and women’s premium denim and contemporary fashion. Well organized and easy to navigate, it featured more than 750 brands. Included in the vast mix were four impressive lines making their debut: Improvd, Project founder Sam Ben-Avraham’s directional womenswear collection that offers cool style at affordable prices; The Same Guy, a rather uncharacteristically graphic- and logo-free line of men’s and women’s basics from Christian Audigier; Propriété de, a men’s workwear- and street-inspired line; and Double Fantasy, a line of chambray collared shirts by showroom owner Vince Gonzales. Established LA-based denim brand Kasil also unveiled its new The Workshop collaboration platform at the show. The first looks were created by Rachel Zoe’s former assistant Taylor Jacobson and included several ultra skinny fits in a variety of washes. While most exhibitors reported good results from the show, foot traffic seemed steady but not as intense as in prior seasons.

Advanstar also launched a new show concept in a room just outside the entrance to Project. Dubbed Workroom, it featured a mix of approximately 20 apparel, footwear and accessories brands and was meant to resemble a cutting-edge specialty boutique that specialized in cool and up-and-coming designs. Key exhibitors there included Lacoste, Radcliffe Denim, Hyden Yoo and the surf-inspired brand ambsn. The show also featured the debut of Cloth, the new line by former Anzevino & Florence designer William Anzevino, and the return of the brand Kanvis, which had been on hiatus the past few seasons. Designed by Kfir Levy, this men’s and women’s line no longer features basics and is much more fashion driven than before and now features asymmetric jackets, henleys with interesting hardware detail and wispy knit tops.

Further down The Strip, at the posh Bellagio Hotel, trade show powerhouse ENK International hosted the fourth and largest ever edition of its ENK Vegas show, which featured more than 150 hand-picked exhibitors across two ballrooms in a setting that was again intimate, elegant and inviting. Top denim brands such as Hudson, Parasuco, J Brand, Paige, Serfontaine, Habitual, Agave and Citizens of Humanity served as some of the show’s key attractions and offered the season’s top denim trends including the ubiquitous jegging and dark-wash styles. Serfontaine showed edgy, rock-inspired styles that included a denim jacket with leopard-print sequins on the back and distressed jeans with glimmering sequin insets.

Capsule Las Vegas also grew and included approximately 150 mostly street, up-and-coming and young designer brands in its location on the fifth floor ballroom of The Venetian hotel. Although traffic appeared on the slow side on Wednesday, the final day of the two-day event, exhibitors overall said they were happy with the results of the show, which again featured clothing racks and wooden shelves to separate its "booths." Among the many impressive brands on display there was Temple Bags, a new LA-based bag company that creates modern satchels and knapsacks from recycled surplus WWII cloth.

The next round of trade shows in Vegas is set to run earlier than usual next season: Aug. 17-19.

25.Feb.2010 | WWD
WORKROOM LAUNCHES WITH DIRECTIONAL BRANDS
Advanstar Communications, owners of MAGIC, Project and Pool, launched a boutique show this season called Workroom that featured about 30 brands, split evenly between men’s and women’s.

Vendors at the show, which was located in a prime spot at the entrance to Project at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, included directional labels such as Lacoste Red, Surface to Air and Kova & T.

The no-frills setup featured uniform racks for vendors and a hip, utilitarian aesthetic in its furnishings. “The goal is to offer an intimate environment that also benefits from the traffic to Project,” said Sharifa Cudjoe, a sales director at Project who was involved in overseeing Workroom.

“It looks like they are going after the Capsule crowd,” noted James Hammonds, men’s buyer at American Rag, referring to the crosstown trade show in The Venetian hotel that attracted progressive and designer brands.

Philip Sitbon of denim brand Sitbon Laundry showcased intensely washed and repaired selvedge jeans with silver-plated hardware, retailing for $200 to $450.

Grown & Sewn featured similarly appealing wash techniques, but on a range of chinos, while Hyden Yoo offered up stylish mixed-media outerwear in wool and nylon or fleece and nylon, in silhouettes with an architectural bent.
David Lipke

26.Feb.2010 | California Apparel News
WORKROOM ROOM BOWS WITH CURATED COLLECTIONS
This season marked the debut of Workroom, the new upscale trade show located next to the Project Global Trade Show at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

With just 21 lines, the show featured an airy, loft-like atmosphere.
Among the lines showing were Factory by Erik Hart, Kova & T, Radcliffe Denim, Sitbon Laundry and Ai for Ai.

Gretchen Jones, designer of Portland, Ore.–based contemporary women’s line MothLove, gave the show high marks for looks and location.

“I was pleased with the proximity to Project, enjoyed the layout and design of the venue,” she said. Although traffic seemed slower than she had anticipated, Jones said American Rag, Atmosphere, Moule and Candy Store Collective were among the retailers that shopped the show.
“I would have loved to have seen more contemporary womenswear buyers, as the traffic seemed menswear-driven,” she said. However, being that A/W 2010 is only my second national collection, I feel as though exposure and brand recognition are an [integral] part in participating in any trade show, and from last season to current I found growth in actual and anticipated sales/orders.”

This is the second national collection for MothLove, which features sophisticated bohemian pieces in organic cotton, silk, bamboo and soy-blend fabrics.

Anna Korte, who designs Portland-based accessories lines Im:mortal and AK Vintage, was equally enthusiastic about the look of the show.

“The venue was beautiful and spacious,” she said. “Everyone who walked in commented on how good it felt in the space. The coordinators did an amazing job creating a fresh atmosphere and a carefully curated group of just 25 brands.”

The Im:mortal collection features leather bags, pouches and accessories, as well as scarves, pendants and necklaces.

She also felt traffic was somewhat slow but said that “all the right buyers were there,” including representatives from American Rag, Shotwell, Zebraclub and Need Supply Co.
Yves Spinelli, a rep for the Hatch showroom was at Workroom showing the Kova & T collection. Hatch was also showing Factory by Eric Hart, Lacoste Mens and Womens and Lacoste Red at Workroom. (Hatch representatives were also showing their collections at Project.)

“The overall impression of the show from me and accounts with whom I spoke was that it was a very nice space to showcase emerging lines and focus more attention, as things don’t get lost in the vastness of Project,” Spinelli said.

The new show drew several buyers from Asia, as well as a mix of well-established specialty boutiques from the East and West Coasts and new stores, Spinelli said.
Although traffic at Workroom was lighter than at Project, Spinelli said, “The quality of accounts that came through were more selective and serious.”

He also gave the venue high marks for atmosphere and selection.
“The space was really nice and open and intimate, and it was a nice place to meet and work with clients,” he said. “There were some nice emerging lines in there, and it was a nice mix of new and interesting designers.”
Alison A. Nieder

29.Jan.2010 | California Apparel News
WORKROOM SET TO LAUNCH IN LAS VEGAS
Another show will join the Las Vegas trade show lineup in February when Workroom bows Feb. 16–18 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Organized by Andre Warren, Stephanie Seeley and Sharifa Cudjoe, Workroom is being billed as a new and independent trade show. (Warren is chief merchandising officer of Advanstar Communications’ fashion group, Stephanie Seeley is Pooltradeshow’s show director and Sharifa Cudjoe is director of the Project Global Trade Show. Project and Pool are divisions of Advanstar and run concurrently with another Advanstar property, the MAGIC Marketplace.)

“It’s a completely separate, individual, independent show,” Warren said. “The three of us banded together within the company and are putting on this independent show. We created the kind of show that we, as buyers, would like to see.”

Prior to joining Advanstar, Warren was the menswear buyer for Fred Segal Fun in Santa Monica, Calif. Seeley has a background as a buyer as well, most recently holding the post of buyer for American Rag in Los Angeles.

Slated to be held alongside and concurrent with Project, Workroom will be miniscule in comparison with the biggies that Advanstar produces. Its roster of 20 to 25 brands will include Surface to Air, Erik Hart, Kova & T and Deus Ex Machina. “We’re trying to keep it small and create a unique experience. The vibe is like nothing under the Advanstar landscape. ‘Lo-fi’ is a catch phrase we’re using to describe it,” Warren said. An open-floor plan, nontraditional booth systems and communal areas will help differentiate Workroom from Advanstar’s other shows.

For more information, visit www.workroomshow.com or call (323) 666-2691.
Erin Barajas