Hunting for Newness at L.A. Textile Show

Designers and fabric reps turned out for the April 14 –16 run of the Los Angeles International Textile Show atthe California Market Center with a realistic outlook. article : apparel .

GREEN JEANS: Calik USA showed organic and recycled cotton denim dyed using organic dyes made from walnuts. Amid sluggish retail sales and a faltering economy, few expected the textile trade show to draw big business. Many exhibitors noted a drop-off in traffic, particularly from larger manufacturers, but the designers who did come to the show said they were pleased with the products they found. And both longtime exhibitors and those new to the show were encouraged by the contacts made and sample orders placed.
Among the companies and designers spotted walking the show were Bebe, Monique Lhuillier, Hale Bob, Raw Earth Wild Sky, Kritik, William Beranek, Tarina Tarantino, Carole Little, Estevan Ramos, Rojas, Lily et Cie vintage boutique owner Rita Watnick and a cadre of former “Project Runway” designers, including Rami Kashou, Sweet P Vaughn, Kit Pistol and Santino Rice.
In between posing for cell-phone photos, Vaughn and Kashou were both shopping the show with very specific fabrics in mind.
Vaughn was on the hunt for upscale fabrics for the contemporary market, more-theatrical items for a costume-design project she’s working on and lower-priced fabrics for a mass-market collection she described as “something secret.” The designer spent three days at the show, browsing the lines and attending trend-forecasting seminars by Peclars Paris and Promostyl.
Kashou was looking for colors, prints, new textures and unusual treatments. Something “clean and modern with new treatments,” he said, adding that he has found several fabrics from Korean mills, as well as items from local and New York suppliers.
“It’s been better than any time so far,” he said.
Kashou spent several days at the show, as did designer Freddie Rojas, who said he was working with a mix of domestic and international companies, including several Korean mills.
“I’m looking for a lot of novelty fabrics— trying to stand out from the mass market,” said Rojas, who said he recently began developing his own prints.
Samantha Robinson and Karen Kananen, designers for eco label Raw Earth Wild Sky, were on the hunt for organic and sustainable fabrics, including Seacell and Sasawashi, a Japanese fabric made from paper and infused with vitamins and minerals.
The textile show featured fabric, trim and artwork suppliers as well as trend-forecasting materials and services in the CMC’s 13th-floor penthouse. Several CMC tenants showed in their own showrooms on the seventh floor. A group of Korean textile mills organized by the Korean Textile Trade Association showed in the Fashion Theater on the lobby level, as well as among the other exhibitors on the 13th floor.