Designers & Agents wrapped up its three-day show Friday at the Starrett-Lehigh Building during a very busy fashion week in New York City.
The trade show, which overlapped with New York Fashion Week, is usually held after the New York fashion shows, and next season, D&A will revert to that time frame, running Feb. 15 to 17.
“It’s been really good,” said Ed Mandelbaum, president and co-founder of D&A. “It would have been better not with these dates. We try to stagger the dates so retailers could cover the market, and we usually go two days before Coterie.” This year both shows, as well as Brand Assembly, ran simultaneously. [Next season, Coterie will run Feb. 7 to 9.]
Nevertheless, Mandelbaum said, “We’re having a very successful show and people are happy.” According to Mandelbaum, 55 percent of the exhibitors were international, with the biggest representation being from Italy, France and Scandinavia, respectively.
Overall, there were 200 exhibitors including 18 new brands. “We’re very selective in the brands,” said Mandelbaum, adding that the new brands hear about D&A through word-of-mouth.
When asked what the main trends were at the show, Meryl Mandelbaum, chief creative officer of D&A, said, “The show transcends trends. These are all independent designers with a unique outlook; some have been doing this show for 20 years.” She said exhibitors came from France, Japan and California.
“The first day was insane. It was the single best day ever. Yesterday was very good, and we had traffic all day. Today, we’re having ups and downs,” said Mandelbaum on Friday. “Exhibitors seem to feel confident.”
April Frederick, owner and buyer for Estuary, a boutique in Petaluma, Calif., about an hour north of San Francisco, said she bought denim, shirting and dresses from such companies as AMO Denim, Margaret O’Leary, Penelope Childers, and Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese. She was trying to focus her buy on sustainable brands and natural fabrics.
Frederick said she bought barrel jeans and striped, cute men’s shirting for women. She was also buying a lot of prints and color for spring.
Vanessa Gieser and Sue Giers, sisters and founders of Sosue, a 10-year-old Hamburg, Germany-based apparel collection, were showing at D&A for the first time.
“It was amazing. It was very positive,” said Giers. The brand makes knits, tops, jeans, jackets, raincoats and coats. She said the blouses come in one size — small — that fits everyone.
A top from Sosue.
“We’ll sell online from Tokyo to Texas,” she said. She said that it was recommended that they show in New York, and they chose D&A. Sosue sells 340 retailers in Europe. Around 95 percent of its collection is made in Europe, primarily in Portugal and Italy, as well as Romania and Turkey.
Giers said that the bestsellers in Germany sell the best in New York as well. They said that they opened 30 new accounts at D&A on the first day. Wholesale prices range from $73 to $400 (not landed).
Tracy Reese, founder and creative director of Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese, a Detroit-based fashion brand, said, “Business was awesome. We opened a lot of new accounts all over the U.S., in the Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and West Coast too.” She said what she likes about D&A is “it’s very civilized.”
“There’s a nice group of stores that come through. I saw people I was selling when I had Tracy Reese and a lot of new stores that are attracted to the color and joy and patterns,” she said. She also spoke to a few stores that are focused on sustainable design, so her line fits that bill too.
Some spring looks from Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese.
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Reese said the brand has “a huge shirt business,” and did well with a double shirt, that has two collars and two sets of cuffs. She also did well with soft draped pants “that make everything look good.”
Reese said that vibrant, fit-and-flare dresses are a signature for the brand. Reese said she has seven full-time employees in Detroit, and works with 20 teaching artists, who help the brand with community programming and sustainability workshops. She added that Detroit is the only UNESCO City of Design in the U.S. “Detroit is an exciting place to be right now,” said Reese, who returned to her hometown in 2018 after 30 years in New York. After she returned, she launched her sustainable and ethically sourced clothing line.
She said the company started shipping fall a few weeks ago, and “people are having a great reaction.”
Bogdan Zsholabchuk, account executive with Mul-Olga line, was selling upcycled Ukrainian towels, with all vintage embroideries, repurposed as new garments. They were also showing men’s shirts that were upcycled with feminine styling, along with vintage headscarves made from upcycled water bottles.
A sweater from Mul-Olga.
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Olga Mul said, “My product is different. It’s not only clothes, it’s all history.” The collection retails from $500 to $2,500.
A coat from Mul-Olga.
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Bridget Quinn, owner of Liza’s Lace in Southold, N.Y., said she was shopping for both vintage and new clothing at D&A.”This caught my eye,” said Quinn about Mul-Olga.
“I worked in wholesale before I opened the store. D&A was where you’d go to find cool, unique brands.” She said she purchased belts from Kim White Handbags that she carried last season and they did well.
“I love the story. I love that it’s a labor of love. I do vintage because I think it’s sustainable and it’s something that’s one-of-a-kind pieces. This emulates that. I like investing in my clothing,” said Quinn. The store opened in June.
Samantha Sung, a brand that’s known for its dresses and hand-printed silhouettes, was performing well at the show. Everything is made in Indonesia of fabrics including cotton, stretch taffeta and silks. Helen Zhikhareva, who owns Showroom 48, said it was a busy show, especially Thursday. She said she opened a lot of new accounts. She said the Samantha Sung line focuses on prints, with dresses wholesaling from $417 to $475. The company sells nationwide, and does a significant business in Europe and Asia as well, she said.
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