The Fall II/Holiday 2012 Los Angeles Fashion Market took place June 11-14, 2012 at the California Market Center (CMC). Solid traffic and new accounts were the predominant reports from many of the CMC’s showrooms and exhibitors of the Market’s featured tradeshows, including SELECT Contemporary Tradeshow, FOCUS Apparel & Accessories Show, and TRANSIT LA Shoe Show. The Market featured thousands of lines and daily special events, including a packed Fashion Show during the Opening Night Reception, retail seminars, and complimentary beauty services, plus much more.

“We love our new showroom and are extremely happy we chose to make the CMC our new home. Our first Market here has surpassed our expectations. Half the customers we worked with were new,” said Sophia Lee, CEO of new M.Rena showroom, in Suite B529.

Additional praise for this Market was given by Jerry Wexler, West Coast Sales Representative for Mystree, who recently relocated to Suite A286. “We are ecstatic about our new showroom location and the high traffic we saw. We’ve had a very, solid Market,” said Wexler.

Key stores shopping this Market included Zappos.com, Fred Segal, Kitson, LF Stores, Nordstrom, Forever 21, Marshall Retail Group, Von Maur, Wasteland, Kohls, Hot Topic, The Ritz Carlton Hotels, Just Basics, Roxy, London Boots, Pro Sports Club, Bella James, Via Lago, Global Purchasing Group, Apricot Lane, Bendls, KSL Resorts, Balboa Bay Club, W Boutique, The Shoe Lab, Kitsch Couture, Madam Butterfly, Studio 1220, Fresh Produce, Coutula, Posh Boutique, Girlfriends, The Red Balloon, Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, Armani 55, The Jean Pool, Velvet Hanger, SOHO, TheLALook.com, Retailologie, Bliss, Active Body Women’s Boutique, Beyond the Rack, Kenex in Japan, Sole Comfort, Manhattan Denim, ELM Stlye & Beauty, and Rosie Pope Maternity, to name a few.

In the Fashion Theater of the CMC’s Main Lobby, SELECT Contemporary Tradeshow exhibitors also reported great business. “We love showing at SELECT because it is the first place people shop when they arrive. Foot traffic is always great, and we have been busy, non-stop this Market,” said Dale Pike of Deepa Gurnani.

SELECT was held Monday-Wednesday of Market, and presented a tightly curated selection of Contemporary apparel, accessories and footwear exhibitors that included ABS by Allen Schwartz, Pour La Victoire Handbags, Sam Edelman, Deepa Gurnani, Boutique 9, Enzo Angiolini, Hyde Collection, Catherine Andre, Linda Richards, Gillian Julius, Azaara, Pour La Victoire, Remi & Reid, Inge Christopher, Whiting & Davis, ADA Handbags, Beagle House N.Y., Ally Rose Toppers, Adina Reyter, Voom by Joy Han, and many more.

In the Penthouse, 13th floor, TRANSIT exhibitors also reported seeing a steady stream of buyers. “We have been having a busy market. We love showing at TRANSIT because our customers shop apparel and accessories here at the CMC, and then conveniently come upstairs to TRANSIT to finish merchandising their stores with our shoes,” said Ro Gallant-Brown of Donald J Pliner.

Art Abenoza, National Sales Representative for Blonde Ambition agreed with Ro. “We have opened a few noteworthy new accounts this show, such as Kitson on Robertson. This show has definitely been a success,” said Abenoza.

TRANSIT Shoe Show was also held Monday-Wednesday. As the renowned footwear show running in conjunction with LA Fashion Market, the showcase was geared toward the fashion boutique buyers of Market, as well as specialty footwear retailers. Notable labels included Vince Camuto, The Frye Company, Splendid and Ella Moss Footwear, Report, Calvin Klein, Steve Madden, DV by Dolce Vita, MIA, Betsey Johnson, Kenneth Cole Reaction, BCBGeneration, Matiko, Seychelles, Rocket Dog, Lovely People, Kelsi Dagger, Corso Como, Blowfish Malibu, Chinese Laundry, NYLA Shoes, 80%20, Gee Wawa, and Irregular Choice, among others.

Across from TRANSIT in the Penthouse, FOCUS Apparel & Accessories Show presented its handpicked collection of emerging contemporary lifestyle brands. This edition featured returning exhibitors Jeffrey Campbell Shoes & Handbags, Mystree, and Mon Bijou, as well as new exhibitors SUPERbrand Apparel, Ali’s Collection, Crowned Bird, Ghost of Trouble, Rare Trends, Krammer & Stoudt, Bacci Collection, WM Designs, and Sharon Tang, in addition to an Emerging Designer co-op booth organized by Fashion Business Incorporated (FBI).

“I found FOCUS to be a great opportunity for emerging designers to launch my line. Being based out of Austin, Texas, I wanted to come here to break into the West Coast market and become a part of the community,” said Priscilla Barroso, Designer of Crowned Bird.

New brand Tootsielicious also chose to make their tradeshow debut at FOCUS. “This is our first tradeshow ever and we chose this show because we heard there is great traffic. We wanted to brand ourselves and get our name out there, and everything so far has been wonderful. It has been a huge success,” said Karen Gladstone, co-owner.

Contributing to the positive energy at Market was a variety of special events and perks for attendees. Monday evening, the CMC’s lobby atrium was packed with buyers, industry guests and various media outlets for a fashion show produced by James Campbell Productions, which presented highlights of the Fall and Holiday collections from Miilla, Monoreno, Darling, Chaudry, and Mystree. The show’s reception featured complimentary hors d’oeuvres from Trader Vic’s LA, Patron Tequila cocktails, and a high definition photo booth station, an organic wine bar courtesy of Frey Winery, and live beats by DJ Mahli. Other sponsors included Dry Soda, Honest Tea, and IZZE.

Finally, buyers found numerous additional perks and giveaways offered daily throughout the Market. Highlights included Beauty Lounges offering complimentary manicures by CMC tenant Hair Etcetra in the Main Lobby, as well as complimentary dry cuts & blowouts by Twist by Oliver Ifergan in Suite B540. SELECT hosted breakfast each morning, sponsored by Market Restaurant, and FOCUS hosted an Organic Wine Bar by Frey Winery each afternoon. Furthermore, two complimentary retail seminars rounded out the buyers’ experience. Mercedes Gonzalez, Director of Global Purchasing Companies, presented “10 Retail Trends for the Next 10 Years” on Monday, June 11. On Tuesday, June 12, renowned trend forecasting company WGSN presented “Key Fall/Winter 2012 Trends.”

Dates for Holiday/Resort 2012 LA Fashion Market are Monday-Thursday, August 13-16, 2012. The Market is open for Preview on Sunday, August 12.

You can learn more about the California Market Center on the Apparel Search fashion industry directory or you can visit the CMC site at www.californiamarketcenter.com