Ron Robinson United State of Fashion Event Highlights Small Businesses and Female Designers

On Thursday April 13 I headed over to the Ron Robinson boutique on Melrose Ave for the United State of Fashion event where the store showcased an impressive collection of made in USA brands for every type of product from beauty to jewelry. L.A. is a hub for start-up fashion brands and the expansive apparel industry in California made up of small business owners attracts talent from all over the country. According to the White House website small businesses account for 50% of all private sector jobs in America and the prospects for growth are continuing to expand as confidence in the economy grows despite an uncertain retail climate. The designers who showed up to the event to talk to customers about their brands were real life examples and many even brought one of their employees with them to help out. Since the average manufacturer in America has an estimated 50 employees or less optimism for entrepreneurs who want to establish American operations is on the rise as Washington highlights new trade and economic policies during National small business week.

I entered the boutique in their beauty department where they were introducing products from the Apothia beauty line. The line was developed and made in America and includes make-up, hair care and, skin care products. The reps were excited to help customers discover new products and everyone was enjoying getting pampered in the store with hair styling and make-up samples.
After getting my hair done and eating a chocolate cupcake I continued to the rest of the store where two jewelry designers were showing off their creations. Both designers were inspired by their travels around the world and had found creative ways to incorporate their internationally sourced gems and materials into their products for authentic and personalized pieces.

The first brand Kenton Michael designs was a husband and wife team based in Southern California where they design and hand make all their pieces. The fun surf wear inspired style bracelets they had on display were each unique and the two explained that they had included recycled beads they found as well as hand carved beads they purchased from a village in Africa through a personal friend. Well researched sourcing was an important part of their design process and each piece had a different story to tell.

Luna Sky was the second jewelry brand and Samantha the young owner and designer came out to talk with me about her beautiful gold and silver pieces featuring crystals and colorful gemstones. Customers were intrigued by the delicate designs sparkling on display. Sourcing was also an important part of designing for Samantha who has her studio in downtown Los Angeles central to the LA fashion and jewelry districts. She has traveled around the world to gem shows collecting crystals and precious gems that inspire her but, Los Angeles is still home.
She said,"I love having my studio in LA and working with my team rather than not knowing who's making the products." According to Samantha she was inspired to create her brand because she feels that jewelry is such a personal investment that people will be putting on their body or giving as gifts. She told me that right now instead of seasonal collections Luna Sky focuses on applying their philosophy of transferring positive energy through all of their pieces into each product in order to create a personal connection for their customers. The young brand has been steadily growing since Samantha originally founded it and she has continued to work hard at getting her name out there. She is always thinking of ways to best serve her customers and share the Luna Sky message and has a fun and informational blog on her website talking about tips for wearing jewelry as well as information on the history and meaning behind different gems and jewelry styles in her collections.

Photo via Instagram @lskyjewelry

Next I stopped by the accessories department where milliner Gladys Tamez was talking to customers about her popular Hollywoodland collection which you can read more about in my interview with Gladys on the launch of her collection here.

The last designer I spoke to was Lina of Bandit and Cash who was there presenting her festival season collection of decorative vintage tees and tanks. The festival season collection was a collaboration between Lina and Sugar, a made in USA t-shirt and lounge wear brand based in Miami. The Bandit and Cash brand is a true fashion success story. According to Lina she went to school for fashion merchandising and has been working as a stylist in Miami for Sugar t-shirts and other brands for the past several years. She has always loved finding vintage t-shirts and in her spare time she would embellish or rework them into modern styles she liked. She often wore her creations to work and got compliments on them from co-workers. One day the designers at Sugar asked her where she got them and after telling them she made them they asked her to bring in ideas for a new festival collection they wanted to develop. She quickly created a selection of designs she had in mind and after presenting the collection to Sugar began creating the first collection of Bandit and Cash. Lina has been hard at work ever since and hand embellished over 700 pieces for the collection which is now sold at department stores such as Nordstrom's after launching in LA. She told me that she loved creating the collection and was inspired to make it more personal and decorative because she noticed there were too many plain one size fits all style tees in the fast fashion festival collections she had seen.
Lina said she made sure to design for all different body types offering some of her favorite looks like side cut outs and open back styles as well as long flowy outfits to pair with leggings. She also told me she wanted to make sure the styles would endure through the summer so that people could wear the pieces all throughout festival season rather than just for one event.

Small businesses like Bandit and Cash are an important part of the fashion industry in the U.S. because designers like Lina who are driven to create pieces based off their passions are often the people best suited to create solutions for customers with similar interests and experiences.

It was so great to see all the fun looks from the new collection on display around the store and customers enjoyed the event finding new brands and enthusiastic designers.

Prince Tributes: Check out These Stars' Prince Inspired Fashion in my Article for E! News

 Celebrities remembered Prince in style on the 1 year anniversary of the icon's death.
http://www.eonline.com/news/843160/when-doves-cry-beyonce-bruno-mars-and-more-of-the-most-moving-prince-tributes-in-the-year-since-his-death

Check Out my article on the MTV Awards Gifting Suite in Beverly Hillsfor Hollywood Glam Magazine!

The SLS Hotel presented the MTV Awards Gifting Lounge event in Beverly Hills on Friday April 7. The gifting lounge included vendors and designers from several innovative companies from around the country. Celebrities and media attended the event before the MTV Movie and TV Awards to get in the spirit of the event and check out the interesting products. The event took place in the courtyard of the SLS hotel on a sunny day in Los Angeles and the space was filled with colorful displays from vendors.

 

There were several fashion and jewelry companies that came to exhibit and show off their products. Many of the designers who traveled from around the country showed off handmade products they invented and created in their homes or with friends. One designer, JA designer collections, traveled all the way from Maine to show off her necklaces made from cloth and Bamboo. According to designer and owner Jane Arey she wanted to design something that could be worn several different ways but, didn’t want to work with scarves because she wanted her product to be versatile in many seasons. The necklaces made from materials such as polyester blend and bamboo were a big hit with guest s who enjoyed trying out the different styles. They came in several colors and the designer showed off how they could be styled into knots, twists and layers.

Another innovative jewelry designer was Caravan jewelers from Sedona Arizona. The designer and owner told me that she had originally started out a s affine jeweler but during the recession wanted to expand into more affordable jewelry. That led to the creation of her line of silk jewelry. She dies the silk strips in many different vibrant colors which she said are meant to represent gem colors so customers can still have a piece of ruby red or emerald green jewelry. The strips can be combined with a variety of bronze clasps to make necklaces and bracelets and pendants can also be added to the necklaces for an added sparkle. The collection was reminiscent of the desert vibes of Sedona and perfect for a relaxing vacation look.

The vendors ranged from casual and fun jewelry to more high end as well with an exhibition from Jewels by Durani which is based out of Los Angeles. The designer explained that her and her friend created the brand with pop culture inspired pieces. The jewelry was made out of a sterling silver base with gold or rose gold platings. The popular designs included necklaces with arrow pendants and another design with Arabic writing. It was a very popular booth.

Another pop culture inspired brand was Whimzey t-shirts. The line of sassy and girly t-shirts is based in Georgia and the designer said she often gets inspiration form the girls who work in her office. She had several collection including a southern inspired line as well as a line based on movies and TV shows. One of the most popular shirts among guests was the Flawless shirt which read, “Flawless n. a person who embraces their flaws and loves themselves”
 

There were also several beauty products and the Nail Alliance took their inspiration from Los Angeles when they created the Baywatch Nail polish collection full of bright California colors inspired by the movie remake coming out this Spring. The 90s revival trend is definitely still going strong and has even made its way into nail polish!
 

Other popular vendors included the Jessica Simpson children’s line, Luseta hair and beauty products Townsley Girl Cosmetics and the popular celebrity health food company Modus whose clients include names such as Carrie Underwood and pro-athletes. The event was full all day and guests enjoyed trying new products and taking their picture on the red carpet.

 

Coachella Pre-Party at Beach and Beverly in Hermosa Beach

Today I headed over to Beach and Beverly boutique in Hermosa Beach for their Festival Weekend Kickoff party. The cute little boutique opened on Pier Avenue 2 years ago and stocks local designers from LA as well as a few Australian designers to create a look that matches the store’s name marrying trendy Beverly Hills Fashion and relaxed California beach style. The store celebrated the arrival of Coachella with the latest trend in festival style, a braid bar they presented in partnership with the neighboring salon Jessica Rose. The braid bar is the newest installment that trend savvy retailers have been utilizing this season as elaborate braids have become a favorite among beauty bloggers and fashionistas this spring. You can’t have a Coachella party without flower crowns and Beach and Beverly didn’t disappoint with a table full of flowers and greenery to adorn braids with. I grabbed some delicious Belgian Waffles from my favorite French cafe afterwards and showed off my new look. 

Festival season is another addition to the multi-season retail calendar right in between spring and cruise collections. Coachella has become a nationwide event and for those who can’t make the trip to Palm Springs festival themed parties and experiences in their hometown have become standalone events in some places. Even anti-Coachella themed parties called “no-chella” have become popular events on college campuses on the big weekend. As the festival, itself moves away from trendy “festival fashion” branding and into experiential marketing with new haute cuisine initiatives a subculture of hometown “festival fashion” celebrations is taking hold in many places providing opportunities for retailers to showcase specialty lines and draw customers to the store with new experiences and promotions.

Check Out My Interview and Article for Hollywood Glam Magazine

On Saturday April 1 I attended the Rock the Red Fashion Showcase in Beverly Hills where I interviewed designer Tatiana Shabelnik on the red carpet for Hollywood Glam Magazine. I loved wearing my new Cherry Romper from Beach and Beverly for the event!

Check out my interview and article here.

The Return of Made in America: What Would it Really Take?

The made in America trend is coming back in full force and optimism is abound according to one survey by the National Association of Manufacturers but, after the announcement of Ralph Lauren's continued layoff plans this week and a disappointing 7 quarter decline in American's apparel spending the fashion industry is seemingly left out of the revival. American made clothing would be a smart investment for struggling luxury retailers who have been losing business to fast fashion, as frustrated consumers have been calling for American made apparel for a long time, with one of the most notable instances being the backlash for the Ralph Lauren US Olympic Uniforms made in China in 2012. Their voices have only gotten louder since the election of President Trump who has promised "America First" trade policies. An even bigger benefit is the increased turnaround time that American production provides. The year round work schedule and locality of domestic production more than compensates for the scale and speed of overseas production in most cases. However, companies have struggled to make any progress in this area and many are paying for it in profit losses and a declining reputation. Despite the dismal retail climate and lack of initiative from some of the industries' key players the American apparel industry is actually quite well suited for a turn around but, relying on traditional business practices from previous generations won't lead to success. Consumers are more and more interested in a local experience and they are placing value on high quality clothing that has an impeccable fit and, more disinterested in keeping up with fly by night trends in the ever expanding multi-seasonal retail calendar.

American apparel manufacturers have also been struggling ever since outsourcing and international licensing became the industry's new business model in the 90s. Factories have been shuttering their doors and skilled apparel workers have found themselves out of work or lacking in the latest training making them unemployable. There are already several programs in place throughout the US that provide education and resources to displaced apparel workers however, increased funding and outreach is still needed. Those factories that have managed to stay open have had to make major cutbacks to key roles such as pattern makers and increase their minimum order sizes to ensure profits on new lines causing extra work for everyone and making it hard for designers to afford sample runs (for more detailed info. read my article about the process of manufacturing a garment here). Contradictory to what one might think it is the local factories and family run businesses that have weathered the bad economy by carving out a niche for themselves in specific products such as t-shirts or lounge wear.

The American garment factory emerged from the recession with a new model that has adapted to small specialty lines catering to wealthy consumers' niche interests and hobbies. Producing collections on a national scale is definitely possible and some brands have successfully done it but, there have been a limited number of these cases. Recreating the glory days of made in America clothing is going to be a difficult task in this new landscape as factories with complete vertical production capabilities are rare and small in scale. For example, one factory owner I spoke to explained that he used to have 3 or 4 button manufacturers he worked with but, over the years all but one has closed. Now he relies on one button manufacturer for all the lines he produces making it imperative for him to coordinate large orders in advance.

Diversifying is key and big brands that have access to cash flow can help support the growth of the domestic industry and reintegrate production in the US by introducing high-quality American production one line at a time and finding factories with the capabilities suitable to each of their markets (i.e. starting with the athletic line, then the basics line etc.) instead of expecting a factory to come equipped with capabilities for every product. Retailers can also help by stocking orders of made in America clothing so that up and coming designers are encouraged to establish US production and less likely to move operations over seas. And providing high-quality products made to fit could mean big payoffs for their reputation in the eyes of the consumer.