Discount western apparel

When the going gets tough, female shoppers head for discount department stores to buy tough, long-lasting jeans.

That, at least, is why several retailers and manufacturers say denim, sparked by a new pallet of colors, is doing notably well in a year of tight apparel sales.

"Denim is phenomenal," says Ellen Berberian, ladies' jean's buyer for Rocky Hill, Conn.-based Ames Department Stores Inc. "Like last year, it's our number one category. Going forward, I believe denim will continue to be strong and grow, and non-denim will be less important."

Robert F. Luehrs, president of Chic jeans maker Henry I. Siegel Co. Inc., says the new variety of styles, fit and colors has "taken the thunder away from other casual pants." As for shoppers' demand for value, he adds, "The nice thing about what's happening, is [that] the recession's continuing but the denim business has remained strong; it's the toughest fabric you can put on your body."

Aside from overall value, the most significant factor driving denim sales this year is color--"the most important variation in denim, regardless of fit," says Liz Levin, senior vice president and general merchandise manager for O'Fallon, Mo.-based Venture Stores, noting that denim sales are running ahead of last year in both units and dollars.

Among the array of greens, reds, purples, blacks and tans that sprinkled denim shelves this year, the hottest was the color of money. "Hunter or dark green is extremely hot; that's by far the winner. Dark, rich colors are driving the business," says Jeff Calafano, divisional merchandise manager, Canton-Mass.-based Hills Department Stores. While basic five-pocket jeans at Hills retail between $14.97 and $22.97, color can add $2 or $3 to that range.

Also important this year are novelty jeans, which cater to the fashion whims of younger consumers with special treatments of lace, embroidery and suede, among others. "What is very good is novelty fashions in western treatments," says Calafano, describing jeans with crocheted or suede fringes retailing at price points ranging from $19.97 to $39.97.

"We call it the anti-basic fashion," says Dennis Slapo, a principal of New York-based manufacturer Daily Jeans, which specializes in novelty jeans sold mostly to the mass market. He adds that tight-fitting stretch models made of Lycra and cotton are his best sellers.

Shorts have also been strong this year, driven by colors as well as by special treatments like lace and embroidery. Berberian says all types of shorts--including short-shorts with inseams of between 2.5 and 3 inches and classic models with inseams of 7.5 inches--have sold well under various labels.

Franklin, Mass.-based Stuarts Department Stores reports a "major run" on short-shorts made of light-weight chambray denim, including some in the "coming-and-going" styles that feature stripes or floral prints on front and back pockets.

As in jeans, sales of shorts are trending toward comfort--despite some success with short-shorts. "There is a move away from the traditional dirty dancing into more relaxed styles," says Venture's Levin.

The denim smorgasbord not only drives retailers' denim sales but other apparel and accessories as well. "Denim continues to broaden its base," says Eric Rothfeld, president of Sun Apparel Inc., which makes jeans under several labels, including Sasson and X-AM.

At Stuarts, denim is often displayed in juniors departments alongside poplin tops or peasant shirts. "It creates more than a denim sale," says Neil Buckley, divisional merchandise manager of ladies apparel and related categories.

Stuarts has been experimenting with different ways to arrange denim among juniors and misses sizes. Some stores display denim separately in each size category, but most combine juniors and misses into one denim area. Either way, denim is displayed on four-ways, flat walls and grids. Price points range from mid-teens to mid-twenties for missy basics, and as high as the low thirties for more fashionable juniors.

The strength of women's denim compared to other apparel categories comes at a time of significant change on the supply side, as the departure of upscale-bound Lee, once a dominant jean in mass merchants, opens the door for a new mix of brands, each vying to become the new leader.

The list of competitors is expanding from within the ranks of the mass market's established denim suppliers. Like Chic, which after Lee is the second-largest selling brand in women's jeans, the new labels are emphasizing fit combined with competitive pricing.

It's a strategy that plays up to the demand for loose-fitting jeans by the fashion-driven juniors set as well as by baby boomers, who also shop for style and comfort. "Loose or relaxed silhouettes are (the baby boomers') choice not only for comfort, but for style as well," says Venture's Levin.

Lee, a unit of the V.F. Corp. is seeking to fill its former niche in the mass market with its Riders line--a goal shared by retailers with narrow jeans offerings. "Hopefully, Riders will absorb Lee," says Ken Nicolai, buyer for New Castle, Pa.-based Fishers Big Wheel, a 65-store chain that traditionally has done 80% of its jeans business with Lee and Chic, and recently filed for protection from its creditors under Chapter 11 of the U. S. Bankruptcy Code. Nicolai says Fishers (which as part of the Chapter 11 proceedings is closing 10 stores) may introduce an unbranded jeans line. But, for now, the company will stick with Rider and Chic. Riders' success as Lee's replacement is a long way from being proven, and some retailers have already expressed doubts.

"Riders are definitely not meeting last year's numbers" racked up by Lee, says Ames' Berberian. "Retailers are going to have to do something to offset the [loss of the] Lee business."

Riders is making efforts to come out with a splash of colors, including what it calls tomato, tobacco, melon and forest, and with new styles such as wide-legged jeans and a zippered fly disguised by a notched button look.

But the line remains basic. "Riders are for people who would rather wear jeans than sweats," a spokeswoman says.

V.F. isn't relying solely on Riders. Its western-style Wrangler division is introducing Wrangler America as its first women's line for the mass market. Initial deliveries are arriving in time for back-to-school, to be followed by a major rollout for the holiday season. Phillip Dunn, senior vice president and general manager of Wrangler America, says Wrangler America will offer a line similar to Riders--basic five-pocket jeans in various stone washes and colors--but in sizes catering to missy shoppers. Riders will handle juniors as well as misses.

Some retailers, such as Hills, have begun expanding their women's inventories of V.F.'s Rustler while also taking on Wrangler America.

Other manufacturers also report strong sales in women's denim. "We certainly have picked up a pretty nice chunk of that market," says Jim Phillips, vice president of sales for Brittania, the mass market division of Levi Strauss & Co.

Brittania, already a strong player in men's jeans, is racking up most of its women's denim sales with its "Britt Baggy" loose-fitting, two-pocket pleated jeans. "It's kind of between fashion and basic. It fills a real void out there," says Phillips. Taking a cue from the Britt Baggy, Brittania followed it with last fall's introduction of its Urban Loose line of loose-fitting women's basic five-pocket jeans.

As retailers head into '94, denim may continue to trend toward new color variations and loose-fitting jeans. Then again, "everything runs in cycles," says Phillips. "We're seeing some slimmer-fitting garments in Europe."

Phillips, who was with parent Levi Strauss & Co. before joining Brittania, has seen a faster fashion cycle develop in the mass market during the past two years. "I find it much closer, at most maybe three months."