Discount dog apparel

MIKE DUFF

LAS VEGAS -- MAGIC often goes by in a blur for participants, but a lack of

product focus and general dissatisfaction with the quantity and quality of attendees made the latest installment of the twice yearly show appear a little more fuzzy than the usual convention.

Denim still rule---on the men's and women's sides--but in such a profusion of fabrications, washes and finishes that there were really no clear trends within the segment. Streetwear, after a couple of haphazard shows, seemed to be building on momentum it picked up after turning to denim at winter's MAGIC.

Still, the major trends were almost contradictory. Denim softened. Preppie plaids in updated compositions and even rugby shirts dominated major players such as Phat Farm and Fubu, while warm-up suit variations were strong from other labels, including rapper Snoop Dog's young brand. Ex Jennifer Lopez companion, the former Puff Daddy, now P. Diddy, debuted his new apparel in three booths, including a children's showcase, all under the banner Sean John. The label derives from his given name, Sean John Combs.

It was a bit of a confusing show. For mass market retailers, who wasn't there was as important as who was. Major licensors, such as Sony Pictures and Universal Studios, skipped the show, and many mass market-oriented vendors noted that the consolidation at retail has made their presence at the show less urgent--that and the fact some retail buyers were scarce. Vendors complained of light attendance by such key retailers as Wal-Mart, Target and Sears. Indeed, the badges that were most conspicuous among major retail names were those of off-pricers such as TJX Cos. and Ross Stores.

Even retailers whose businesses aren't strictly deal-oriented were hunting for bargains, encouraged in part by economic slowness. "It has been a tough year out there," said Don Conrood, a buyer for Costco, "so there is some opportunity."

"Business is tough all over," said Bob Allen, a buyer for the Marine Corp. Exchange, who said he too was looking for a fair share of bargains. He added that the show lacked any particularly overpowering introductions. "I haven't found lighting in a bottle yet."

While the diffusion of trends was a factor at the show, Jim Cuthbert, a Wal-Mart Canada buyer, said that individual segments show more direction than larger categories. So identifying trends, while not easy, was possible. "I think there is focus there. A trend is a trend," he said.

Still, retailers did find the traffic noteworthy. "It has been very light," said Patti Fletcher, divisional merchandising manager for boys at Sears.

MAGIC isn't only about introductions, and it should be noted that many key retailers were discussing a variety of issues with their retail partners. With the expansion of many key segments--including casual pants, denim and tops due to innovation in fabrication and styling--merchandising, for example, has become a ever more important topic.

Many vendors are concerned that as apparel assortments expand at different discount stores and mid-tier retailers, clutter on the floor results in a less attractive environment, harder for consumers to shop. This is a major consideration, especially for denim vendors who have watched the proliferation of casual pants, cargo! carpenters, cotton nylon and denim bottoms eating up floor space--particularly as each segment tends to be merchandised with a corresponding array of tops.

Angelo LaGrega, president of the VF Mass Market Jeanswear, said one approach is a better integration of products. "Our approach to bringing new product to the market is to combine critical elements of innovation and what is already working," he said. Partnership between retailers and vendors is increasingly important, he stated, in a category such as denim, where consumer expectations at mass and mid-tier have been raised.

Display techniques have to be revisited to ensure progress isn't impeded by the trappings of past success like seas of rounders where product and pricing become difficult for the consumer to understand.

With five-pocket denim showing strong, VF's core emphasis for spring in Wrangler Hero includes just such silhouettes, as well as work jeans and shorts, and carpenters in twill and denim. Fashion focus is on the company's Mustang, Excursion, Trailblazer and Corsair shorts.

Levi Straus is emphasizing a lightweight offering for spring, but this doesn't mean its insubstantial, said Anna Brockway, director of Red Tag marketing. Designated Flyweight denim, the 12 1/2-oz. fabric is designed to offer a lighter jean for men. In women's, silhouettes stay super low, but with stretch thrown in as a new feature.

In contrast, Williamson-Dickie went in the opposite direction with a double-knee product in a heavier finish--not to be referred to as dirty denim, said the company, but close--dubbed the Vintage Miner jean with a retail price point around $22.99.

Williamson-Dickie is also expanding the footware line it is doing with Georgia Boot to include a range of casual shoes in styles influenced by everything from bowling shoes to desert boots.

Color was an issue, albeit a somewhat unresolved one, at the latest MAGIC.

Yellows, oranges and especially blues were widespread, but they were offered in an array of tones ranging from muted hues to brights. Laura Burrows, a spokeswoman for Sara Lee, noted that additional colors and fabrications update Hanes' women's offerings. On the men's side, the company has been expanding its mid-tier Hanes Classic lines and has taken some of the accents and innovations developed for that label to dress up a new proprietary group for Kmart.

Expanding color range also was important at Russell Athletic, where Jerzees was showing its new Premium Fleece, an 8-oz. product that has rolled out in Wal-Mart, as well as a 100% cotton 6-oz. combed ringspun cotton T-shirt line that is coming out for spring. A two-shirt pack should retail for between $6 and $8.

On the Russell Athletic side, as is the case of many upscale brands, performance fabric got a wider airing. For Russell, a new Power line utilized a dry release fabric. In an even more sports-oriented brand, New Balance offered several variations on performance fabric in its running and other lines under banners including Alta and Drylast.

While some licensors were absent from the show, Warner Bros. attended to reiterate Harry Potter and talk up new movie-oriented product lines that are emerging, including Scooby-Doo and Powerpuff Girls. Some expanded licenses appeared as well; Jeep, for example, showed as an adult outdoors-oriented line at Old Toledo. Fruit of the Loom built on the base of its licensed children's underwear, particularly by adding such new hot licenses as Butt Ugly Martians, which also turned up among Accessories Network's accessories introductions. Haddad feted a new license deal with the NFL, and Saban pushed its Power Rangers Time Force and Wild Force products.

Overall, in kid's fashion brands, such as French Toast, the trend toward translating adult looks to kid sizes continued to prevail.

As noted, on the women's side of the show, denim was the core of juniors and contemporary presentations, with juniors using various kinds of studs and rhinestones as accents. Tops were form-fitting in juniors and designed to reveal more skin in various ways. In contemporary, hip huggers were particularly strong; in denim stylings, the bottoms used a wide variety of fabrics to the same effect.