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Trends/Analysis - Retail - WWD.com http://www.wwd.com/retail-news/trends-analysis/retailers-see-myriad-opportunities-for-fal... Page 1 of 6 2/25/2013 WWD.com/retail-news/trends-analysis/retailers-see-myriad-opportunities-for-fall-6766513 February 19, 2013 Las Vegas Preview: Retailers See Myriad Opportunities for Fall By JEAN E. PALMIERI and RACHEL BROWN MRKET Photo By Courtesy Photo From new silhouettes in outerwear and a bevy of English fabrics to graphic prints and leather accents, the opportunities are bountiful for retailers seeking to grow their business this coming fall season. Although holiday sales may have fizzled at the end, particularly for larger retailers, merchants are hopeful that 2013 will be a solid year as updated fashions lure customers to stores to update their wardrobes. Men’s wear in particular has benefitted from dramatic changes in silhouette and an explosion of color that has made many guys’ wardrobes look obsolete, a trend that retailers expect to spark additional sales this year. As a result, retailers heading to the Las Vegas trade shows will be scouring the aisles for tempting items and emerging new vendors to sustain the momentum. “Men’s had a really good fourth quarter, better than the company trend,” said David Zant, executive vice president and general merchandise manager of men’s for Belk. “And our business is strong out of the gate in February in sportswear, as well as on the clothing and furnishings side.” RELATED STORY: Ones to Watch in Las Vegas >> Zant said the suit separates business is “explosive,” and is “a real focus for us. We’ve been building it over the past two to three years and we don’t know how big big can be.”
Trends/Analysis - Retail - WWD.com http://www.wwd.com/retail-news/trends-analysis/retailers-see-myriad-opportunities-for-fal... Page 2 of 6 2/25/2013 At the same time, dress shirts and neckwear have also enjoyed a significant uptick in sales. In sportswear, anything with color is selling strongly already for spring, including colored denim. Camouflage prints are selling in the young men’s area and shorts are “off to a good start,” particularly traditional flat-front styles in bright colors and cargoes in solids and camo prints. “We’re very encouraged by what we’re selling,” he said. The one downside for the second year in a row, however, has been cold-weather apparel and accessories. “It’s below trend,” he said. “We’re just not getting the cold weather in the South.” At the Vegas shows, Zant said the team from Belk will be shopping to “validate the trends we’re seeing now and to look for newness and new vendors.” Macy’s is also benefitting from the fashion surge in men’s wear. “Today’s man is more comfortable with newness,” said Durand Guion, vice president and men’s fashion director for the department store. “He understands it and he’s going for it. And the vendor community is feeling the momentum as well, and is providing more newness in color, pattern and fit.” Guion said the variety of choices now available in the market appeal to both the traditional customer as well as the millennial shopper, 13- to 30-year-olds who spend an estimated $65 billion annually on the types of goods sold at Macy’s. And at the trade shows in Vegas, Macy’s will be shopping for trends “that will resonate best” with those customers. Funktional at ENKVegas. Photo By George Chinsee Among the biggest opportunities, he believes, are camo prints. “I don’t think we’ve even scratched the surface,” he said. “There are so many different colors, scales, patterns — it’s the ideal guy’s print and pattern. It’s strong now, but we think it’s going to go wild.” And it appeals to men of all ages. “You don’t have to be a kid to wear a faded camo on a short,” Guion said. “But the millennial can wear it in a parka, backpack, sneakers.” In addition, non-denim fabrics continue to gain fans, Guion said. “It just keep growing and more guys are comfortable with it.” Slimmer silhouettes and a deeper color palette are also drivers in the bottoms category, he added, pointing to slim cargoes with pockets that are not oversize. And in terms of color, wine, oxblood and cherry are the “colors of the season,” and are being used in everything from pants and wovens to knits and neckwear. “There’s not a lot of that in his closet,” Guion said. “It’s rich and dressy. We’re also loving the deeper mustards and golds. They Rainforest at Project. Photo By Courtesy Photo
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