Retailers at Coterie Search for What Will Make Shoppers Spend
Knowing consumers have an abundance of choices for shopping, are less inclined to dress up, and may be increasingly wary of rising prices, retailers attending this week’s Coterie show were canvasing the aisles for newness.
Accessories, especially jewelry, were high on many buyers’ lists, as well as sweaters and other knitwear. Comfort remains key for many of their clients, including those who still aren’t out-and-about, as much as they were before the pandemic shutdown. There were plenty of options with 980-plus brands offered — of which 27 percent were new to the show, organizers said. The three-day event closed Sept. 24 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
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A few buyers were on the hunt for sportswear brands that are not widely available in their respective areas and ones that they were not aware of. A couple of retailers said they had not scheduled appointments in advance, preferring to discover resources, as their customer might in their boutiques.
Despite having opened her store Odilon in Herentals, Belgium more than two years ago, when many consumers were hampered by “very high” prices for food and other necessities due to the war in Ukraine, Virginie Verpoorten said her business has still been good, thanks largely to repeat clients. On the lookout for new labels, especially ones that offer colorful items, and footwear, that retail for $200 or less, she said “otherwise, it is difficult” to sell styles above that.
Planning to check out Oceanus Swimwear, Aranaz, Elliott Lauren, Agua Bendita and Camila CTG, she said she was was unfamiliar with those brands. Everyday items like sweaters and other types of knitwear are popular in her store. Verpoorten was also planning for the seasonal-spiked interest in special occasion styles for weddings. More than anything, shoppers want comfortable and colorful styles that they feel that “they can’t leave behind in the store,” Verpoorten said.
Ellen Levy, the co-owner of the 169-year-old store Levy’s, a fifth-generation family-run operation in Nashville, was searching for new resources for on-trend items like midi-length skirts and wider-leg pants. Iris Setlakwe and Sand Copenhagen were two brands she planned to review with her coworker Robin Rose. Business is good, due to Nashville’s ongoing residential and commercial boom. (Last year more than 24,000 people moved to the city — or about 66 per day, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.) Located in a suburban area, Levy’s traffic is mostly from locals and newcomers versus tourists, Levy said.
With three Montce Swimwear stores in Florida, and a bikini line with the same name, Alexandra Grief was trying to find eye-catching jewelry like dainty, high-end earrings, “super chunky silver pieces,” layering necklaces and body jewelry, as well as barrel-leg jeans. While post-COVID-19 sales were “surprisingly” strong, business this year is still doing OK, due partially to having retail and wholesale revenue streams. “People like our brand, because we are a destination shop for swimwear. But we have a bunch of other things. You might come in for a bikini, and decide to hold off due to the price, but then you will shop for a few other things,” she said. “They come in for our fit specifically. Denim is becoming a big category for us randomly.”
Montce is testing different things and has added children’s swimwear and more accessories. Although business is up slightly, Grief said, “We’re a small business and we don’t have any investors. There is always a time in the year when we are heavily investing into fabrics and inventory that require some loans to get through. And then the end of the year takes us through to the better side of things.…We’re finding our niche between beauty, jewelry, denim and some ready-to-wear.”
Having not been to Coterie in recent years, Courtney Bird, buyer for Indigo Salon, Spa and Boutique in Canton, Mich., was looking for new sportswear brands to introduce to the Midwest. With no planned appointments, she wanted to find those resources by walking the aisles. Knowing that most people shop at Indigo after getting a spa service, she said “grab-and-go” sweaters and accessories were high on her checklist.
Great tops, jackets, earrings, bracelets, purses and “any other little add-on that they can’t find in other places” are popular, Bird said. On average, people spend about $150 for fashion pick-me-ups that they choose quickly and “can know that they will hopefully be the only one wearing it around town,” she said.
“We’re somewhat always evolving and struggling. Election years are always challenging. People always pause around this time,” Bird said.
Yuka Hasegawa was on the lookout for “quite high-end and unique” hats and jewelry for the Yuka NY pop-up stores that she sets up in Japan and for her private clients. Yuka NY’s shoppers typically spend more than $500, but business is slower than a year ago due to people not dressing up anymore, staying home, and having increased their screen time as opposed to in-person activities. She said, “It’s the same thing in New York, too. Where was New York Fashion Week? [implying how many opted to catch it digitally.]”
Having studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and done pop-ups for 20 years, Hasegawa hopes people’s interest in fashion will be revived. Japan’s weak yen is also impacting sales for foreign-made products, she said. Van Palma was one of the vendors on her list to see. Adverse to basic options, Hasegawa said, “Everyone in Japan is so picky. We used to be a fashion country, because many [well-known] designers like Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto came from Japan. I hope we can keep going [in that direction.]”
Having started Natalie Grace online and transitioned to a storefront in Hahira, Ga., Katheryn Patrick has found that offering items that “make people look good and feel good immediately” makes them spend. Good American and Hudson were two denim brands she planned to order from at Coterie. “In the town that we live in, they’re about a year behind the trends, so barrel-leg has not caught on with our clientele so much. But they are somewhat embracing wide-leg and cargo styles,” she said. “We cater more to people, who are 35 and up.”
Average purchases at Natalie Grace range between $50 and $100 depending on which salesperson is working, since teenage staffers don’t always upsell, whereas Patrick uses her eye to offer head-to-toe styling options based on a shopper’s body type, Patrick said.
Shopping for her two-month-old store Motherbear in Teaneck, N.J., Yoninah Segal was in search of modest women’s fashion. Scotch & Soda, Mignon Doo and Ado were a few resources that she planned to check out. Purchases are largely being driven by holidays and the change in seasons, she said.
Retailers checking out the Italian brand Pho at Coterie fell into two camps — those who want easy daytime pieces and others who want special occasion items for the holidays, according to Michela Papucci. Some customers might only order $500 worth of products and others will spend upwards of $20,000, she said.
Busy with retailers — including many repeat customers — Monday morning at Coterie, Perfectwhitetee’s cofounder Jen Menchaca said part of the appeal was due to offering immediate orders. That option has led to “a healthy reorder business,” since bestsellers can easily be restocked and that gives retailers “a little more comfort” with their orders, knowing they can replenish goods as needed, she said. In addition to tank tops, American-made T-shirts that wholesale for $28 and an inside-out sweatshirt at $44 were popular for the Los Angeles-based brand.
Perfectwhitetee planned to open 20 to 25 new accounts, Menchaca said. With sales reps nationwide, who have great relationships with the boutiques and knowledge of what sells where, she said, “We’re very comfortable telling people what will work for them. We won’t push our product on anybody. We like to start sometimes with a smaller assortment, and let the customer sell out. We want you to sell out. For those bestsellers, we do have a replenishment program,” she said.
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