Yahoo Lifestyle Designers & Agents Wraps Up With High Energy and Strong Sales
NEW YORK — Exhibitors showing at Designers & Agents, along with retailers shopping the show, were pleased with the pace of business at the three-day exhibition that ended Tuesday.
Ed Mandelbaum, founder of D&A, said 185 designers were featured at the show, held at the Starrett-Lehigh Building, which was two booths bigger than a year ago. His wife, Meryl Mandelbaum, creative director, said one area featured newbies to the show such as clothing lines Heater Harlan, Betty & George and Bare Knitwear and Sam Reychler, a Belgian shoe collection.
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“Sunday was incredible,” said Meryl Mandelbaum. I was wondering what state of mind people would be in, and Sunday was incredibly busy. The energy and enthusiasm was palpable. People were happy to be in their fashion community and focus on creativity.”
“I’m looking for accessories and shoes and handbags,” said Audrey Aguilar, owner of the 900-square-foot store Lily in Old Greenwich, Conn. She said she found some great leather and suede handbags at Oliveve, a woman-owned brand made in New York. “They were beautifully priced for the quality.” She also found some scarves at Oats and Rice, which are Mongolian cashmere in beautiful colors and organic patterns.
Aguilar said she likes D&A over other shows because “it’s more upscale, more European and more unique.”
Merry Vose said she was also focusing on accessories for her three stores called Cabana, Canary and Clover in Dallas. “We found adorable socks at Hansel from Basel and scarves from Apiece. The socks have little florals and metallics and the scarves were florals and plaid.” She also pointed to the boots from Penelope Chilvers.
Vose said she was walking the shows and looking for newness. “Everything’s been real fresh and fun,” she said.
Ben Diamond, owner of Bare Knitwear, was upbeat about the show. “We have been manufacturing in Peru since 2014 and are based in Vancouver.” Diamond was showing the collection of knitwear designed by his wife and company founder Kelsey Adair.
The sweaters, which retail between $350 and $400, are made of alpaca. “They’re contemporary, easy-to-wear silhouettes,” Diamond said. He noted that a lot of their customers are coastal, from the Northeast and Pacific Northwest. He said the mood was high at the show and the customers he sees go back, do a thorough edit and then place their orders.
As far as what’s trending, he said knit vests were doing very well, as well as hairy brushed sweaters.
Diamond said he wasn’t worried about the potential U.S. tariff situation because as a Canadian brand, there’s always a 20 percent duty on their products, which they import directly to the U.S. from Peru making orders tariff free.
Tracy Reese, founder and creative director of Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese, said the exhibition was going well. “We’re seeing our favorite stores and got a great reaction to the collection. People are having good sell-throughs right now,” said Reese.
At the show, they were selling a lot of tops and dresses, as usual. Her collection is responsibly sourced using all sustainable textiles. “We care about workers’ rights and that they’re making a decent wage,” she said. She noted that she launched an apprenticeship in Detroit, with small batch production, and spring styles are currently in production.
One of her bestselling blouses, with a lot of different prints, retails for $264. She’s also doing a workhorse shirt in white. A Tencel jersey dress framed with organic cotton in the body, is a bestseller.
Reese enjoys showing at D&A. “It’s so civilized. All my favorite people are here. The vendors are treated with respect, and there’s a lot of tasty stuff and hand-crafted items. It’s really curated,” she said.
Another vendor, Love Binetti, was also having a very good show. “It’s been going really well,” said Luz Solarez, director of sales. Despite the political turmoil, buyers are coming in like it’s just another day and placing orders, she said. The brand is designed by Diego Binetti.
Solarez said she did business at the show with stores such as Jill Roberts, Cotton Club, Julian Gold, Elizabeth & Prince and Erica Wilson.
The brand has two directly owned doors in Sag Harbor, N.Y., and Palm Beach, Fla. “Being able to have shops has really changed how we design. We used to be a bohemian company, we’re now wearable fashion,” she said. Their cashmere sweaters are all made in Nepal and 10 percent of the proceeds go to a school there. They also do a denim style for $265 and make it in different colors. Their number-one bestseller is a checked jacket.
Showing for the first time at D&A was Heather Harlan, which makes a clothing collection. Harlan, founder and designer, said she was previously with a showroom, and now she’s handling sales in-house. Ninety-five percent of her collection is made in New York City. The line, which is four years old, features shirtdresses wholesaling for $179. There are also some in flannel for $205.
Harlan said they’re also doing well with taffeta pieces, such as a shirt and skirt. “These are versatile pieces that you can wear with sneakers and T-shirts or dress them up.”
“Shirts and shirt dresses are really my thing. I love a feminine take on menswear,” she said.
Harlan said they she met a lot of New York stores at the show. “Sunday was the best and busiest day. Yesterday we were a little quieter, but still made nice connections. And I saw a couple of stores today,” she said.
Another vendor, Betty & George, did well with a pocketless coat with a side slit and sweater Ts. The line, which is based in Los Angeles, wholesales from $70 for the lightweight tanks to about $259 for the coats The collection is a reflection of real life and is inspired by heritage and human connection. The line is crafted from recycled cashmere, and each piece is designed to be lived in, blending vintage charm with modern ease.
Nicole Matar, a sales rep, said the brand’s owner Lauren Parrish was the original founder of Brochu Walker. The brand also has a collaboration with Paul Rusconi, a contemporary artist, with graphics and sayings such as “Love.”
One vendor, Brenda Knight, was showing real sheepskin coats retailing for $4,000. “The hand-painted bespoke pieces are selling well,” said manager Emma Delieu. She was also offering a faux group of contemporary looks that are reversible. “We’re finding that things that are unique are selling more than the classics,” Delieu said.
“We’ve had a good show. The last two days were very good,” she said. “We love D&A. It’s a very small, eclectic show and I love that it brings in independent stores,” she said. Among the stores she worked with were Shari’s Place, with three stores in Greenvale, N.Y., Southampton, N.Y., and Palm Beach, Maddy’s 390 in Greenvale, N.Y., and Veronica’s Closet in Rhode Island.
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