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At the temporaries in the convention center, jewelry and fashion accents spilled over from the Fashion Accessories and Boutique sections into the Handmade and LA Contemporary divisions. Even ExTracts boasted a large number of robes, wraps and slippers, many of them featuring microfiber (affordable and washable, with a super-soft touch) and increasing ornamentation such as prints, applied embellishments, and a mid-tone color palette. Another trend to watch in personal care was a renewed emphasis on exotic locations as a source of ingredients, authenticity and atmosphere. Countries in Asia beyond China and Japan are raising their profile, such as Akhassa’s Rituals collection. And Africa is starting to appear on the bath and body horizon, as in the Rain line, distributed by Kimberly House Ltd.
When shoppers aren’t caring for themselves, apparently, they’ll be caring for their homes in style. Another niche product category raising its profile in LA is deluxe homemaker accessories, from faux fur laundry bags to feather-trimmed dish gloves, decorative brooms and especially aprons. With one foot in retro 1940s through ’60s appeal, and the other in princess-style imaginative luxury, accessories like fancy hostess aprons (from the brand-new company Heavenly Hostess) attempt to make everyday chores feel fun and special.
If that’s still not enough nostalgia, shoppers could find handbags made of obsolete media — everything from vinyl records, to vacation slides (by Red Camper): ironic for those too young to remember the originals, and iconic for those who do.
Meanwhile, as befits the climate, LA offered a lush, bright take on the season’s hot colors, orange and green, as on Impulse’s photo plates.
Funky Finds
In keeping with a destination best known for unique personal style, many of the most notable products from the LA market were not necessarily trends, but just in a class of their own.
To name a few:
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Mirror Me Esteem-wear mirror image T-shirts aim their inspirational messages at the person who needs to read them most;
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Auto Paint Cosmetics nail polish is inspired by classic cars;
the Xubaz scarf with pockets, launched the week of the show, can hold a passport, cell phone, iPod and other modern essentials; -
FlatOut Bear sheepskin teddies by Cute-ture have endorsements from a dizzying list of celebrity parents;
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Animania serveware from Prosperity Tree brings the anime craze into the realm of home decor;
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SickWear’s “Hoochies” funky flip flops drape the toes in flowing fabric, and
the Lava Chocolate liquid chocolate bar is like a hot fudge sundae to go — hold the ice cream.
What’s News
The LA Mart and George Little Management, producer of the California Gift Show, are cooperating to produce greater seamlessness for buyers attending the LA market. For example, both venues accepted each others’ badges and distributed each others’ directories for the first time, and GLM co-sponsored the Takin’ It to the Stars party at the LA Mart.
The street party was a hit, raising $45,230 for Gift for Life, which benefits the American Foundation for AIDS Research. That amount, the most ever raised by the event, brings the five-year total to about $150,000. At the gala, Gerry Seibel, vice president and general manager of the LA Mart, presented a “Marty” award to Peter Schauben, longtime gift sales rep and founder of Gift for Life, and one to Bob Chisholm, president and CEO of Home Sweet Home, presenting sponsor of the event.
The LA Mart also added the “Temptations” Luxury Lifestyle section to its temporaries, and several new and expanded showrooms cut ribbons during the show, including Steve Shino, Petal Pushing, Miller Import, Gold Well, Sylvie Jourdan, Purplepearl, DB Imports, Anne McGilvray, Joanne & Co., Indigo, and Platt Collections. Also debuting was the Mart’s own Lounge, complete with business center.
Meanwhile, GLM’s California Gift Show added luxury tabletop and bed linens categories to its At Home section, and several former At Home exhibitors relocated to other sections to streamline the buying experience. At the same time, ExTracts moved to West Hall, so that mid-to-high-end retailers can find everything they need — what GLM calls “lifestyle design-oriented products” — in one place. The co-located Sources volume retailing and importing show also doubled in size.
Exhibitors at the LA Mart generally reported doing strong business, as did those at the Convention Center, with traffic picking up on the weekend after a slow start. Jimmy Belasco, founder of Jimmy Belasco Soy Candles, spoke for most of the vendors Gifts & Dec talked to when he said, “Most people didn’t know this [the Convention Center] was open on Friday, but I did great.”
The California Market Center suffered from low buyer attendance: several exhibitors in the Glow temporaries had abandoned their booths by Sunday morning, and several of those that remained cited very little traffic. In fact, Amscan’s showroom — though still at CMC for the summer market — announced plans to move to the LA Mart for the January 2007 show.
However, Jon Weiglin, recently appointed CMC director of gift leasing (and former president and COO of the LA Mart), has ambitious plans to attract more exhibitors and buyers both. Says Weiglin, the fun of his new job is that he has “a great building, great owner support, great capitalization, and a clean slate” to work with, and plans to offer affordable exhibition space to small, vibrant startup companies. Realistically, he says, he wants to sign up four or five new showrooms by the January market.
See you in New York!
© 2006, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.