earnshaw's | february 2015

VOLUME 99 NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY 201 5 $10.00

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EARNSHAW’S INFANTS, GIRLS AND BOYS WEAR REVIEW ISSN 0161-2786 (USPS-320-090) The business and fashion magazine of the childrenswear industry is published 10x a year by Symphony Publishing NY, LLC, 36 Cooper Square, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10003. The publishers of this magazine do not assume responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. Periodicals postage is paid in New York, N.Y. and additional mailing offices. Subscription price for one year: U.S. $48; Rates outside U.S. available upon request. Single price copy, $5. Copyright 2011 by Symphony Publishing NY, LLC. Postmaster: Send address changes to Earnshaw’s Infants, Girls and Boys Wear Review, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853-8548. Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos. Any photographs, artwork, manuscripts, editorial samples or merchandise sent for editorial consideration are sent at the sole risk of the sender. Symphony Publishing NY, LLC will assume no responsibility for loss or damage. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Printed in USA.

FEBRUARY 2015

4 Editor’s Note 6 Talking Points 8 Hot Properties 10 16 On Trend 34

Clockwise from left: Mary Jane, metallic hi-top, hi-top.

On cover: dress, leggings,

hair tie, bracelet, sneakers. Photography by

Trevett McCandliss. Styling by Julie Brooke Williams. Hair and makeup by Rita Madison.

FEATURES12 Hot to Trot

14 Shades of Gray

20 Rebel Cry

FASHION24 Space Age

Noelle Heffernan

Audrey Goodson Kingo

Nancy Campbell Trevett McCandliss

Lyndsay McGregor Senior Editor

Tara Anne Dalbow

Lauren Fusilier Assistant Editor

Caroline Diaco

Jennifer Craig

Manager

Tim Jones

Mike Hoff

Sales/Editorial Offices

Circulation Office

CORPORATE

Xen Zapis Lee Zapis Rich Bongorno Debbie Grim

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HELLO, MY NAME is Audrey, and I am a recovering delivery service addict.

If it comes in a cardboard box and gets delivered to your door, you name it, I’ve tried it: FreshDirect for groceries. Birchbox for makeup. NatureBox for snacks. Blue Apron for do-it-yourself gourmet meals. Le Tote for clothing and jewelry. Living in the crowded confines of New York City, where shopping often resembles an urban version of

, delivery services offered the

ultimate convenience—great new products, delivered directly to my door. Or so it seemed.

Fast-forward to the height of my addiction, however, and the convenience quickly began to appear, well, not so convenient. I spent hours sending e-mails in efforts to locate way-laid packages. I developed a complicated rela-tionship with my local USPS worker. I began to spend more time trekking to the post office than I spent with my husband.

I exaggerate (slightly), but I must not be the only one who has discovered that the stress-free promise of online shopping hasn’t quite lived up to its billing: Even Amazon is opening a brick-and-mortar location in Manhattan, in efforts to offer reliable, same-day shipping to the city’s need-it-now shoppers. Many big box shops and department stores, and even grocery chains like Whole Foods, are encour-aging customers to opt for in-store pick-up, rather than delivery. And in the ultimate sign that online retailers have discovered the benefits of brick-and-mortar, more and more tech start-ups like Warby Parker are opening physical locations.

In fact, the famed one-for-one eyeglasses e-tailer has opened 13 stores and showrooms since 2013. Online men’s clothing store Bonobos announced it will open 30 stores in the next two years. Rent the Runway, the site that allows women to rent designer gowns for a fraction of the retail cost, opened four stores in the last year. And Birchbox, my friend of yore, opened a flagship in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood last July.

Retail analysts chalk up the growth in brick-and-mortar locations to several factors: For e-commerce companies, physical stores offer a convenient spot to store inventory, as well as

editor’s note

AUDREY GOODSON [email protected]

Delivery services and online shopping were supposed to make our lives easier—but have they lived up to the hype?

another location for shipping. E-commerce com-panies are also more nimble than their big box counterparts and can sign flexible, short-term leases. Yet even as these nifty start-ups praise the ease of shipping from their new storefronts, I think they may be (purposefully) obscuring the biggest benefit of a brick-and-mortar location: Instant gratification.

There’s no doubt that getting a package in the mail is pretty exciting, but in my book, noth-ing beats the thrill of finding the perfect pair of shoes, right when you need them. Why worry about sizing or comfort when you can try the pair on in person? That’s exactly why so many kids’ retailers have jumped into the footwear category in recent years, according to market research firm NPD Group: Parents rely on the personal-ized sit-and-fit service local retailers provide. (For more on how to capitalize on the category, check out our Shop Class feature on p. 12.)

While it’s undeniable that we Americans love a good bargain—and bargains certainly abound in the low-price world of online shopping—we also love to get what we want, when we want it. And as of yet, there’s still no way to get a feel for fabric quality or color accuracy when shopping online. As the e-commerce crowd has discovered, there will always be a need for brick-and-mortar stores.

What the savviest retailers have realized is that no single retail format will satisfy every shop-per—which is precisely why “omni-channel” has become the phrase du jour for market analysts. The future belongs to retailers who have inte-grated and perfected the shopping experience across all mediums, from online to mobile to good, old-fashioned in-person interludes.

Thankfully, we work in an industry where real-life browsing is a big part of the fun. What better way to celebrate a new grandson or granddaugh-ter than by indulging in the soft, colorful, stylish merchandise at a nearby children’s boutique? Or to pick the perfect stroller by putting several models to the test in person?

After all, if there’s any group of folks who could use a bit of convenience in their lives, it’s defi-nitely parents. Let’s help make it happen.

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Experts predict this year’s must-have traditional and high-tech toys. THE COLD DIDN’T bother the toy industry last year. After a sluggish 2013 which, accord-ing to market research firm NPD Group, saw U.S. toy sales fall by about 1 percent as many categories were hit by increased competition from video games and other electronics, the roughly $22 billion industry got a jolt in sales in 2014 thanks to Disney’s hit animated flick Frozen. “It was one of those magic moments where everything came together perfectly,” says Laurie Schact, president of Adventure Publishing, which produces toy industry magazines including The Toy Book.

As consumers stampeded to snap up a projected $1 billion in Frozen licensed mer-chandise, toy retailers big and small benefited from the increased traffic and even saw nos-talgic adults gravitate toward traditional toys, like arts and crafts, board games and con-struction toys, reveals Kathy Gray, co-owner of Lark Toys in Kellogg, MN. And experts say it’s not ending anytime soon. As the economy slowly sees a recovery, parents will once again be able to invest in high-quality toys that both entertain and creatively challenge their children. Want to join the fun? Here’s what’s making a play for popularity in 2015. —Lyndsay McGregor

Spooner Boards

Talking

Adrienne Appell, the Toy Industry Association’s trend specialist, predicts traditional categories will continue to ring registers this year “as a coun-terbalance to electronics.” Gray reveals her store did well last year with outdoor activity toys

and LunaStix juggling sticks. She doesn’t expect those trends to let up anytime soon. “We listen to what our customers tell us they want: toys that are healthy, last-ing, developmentally useful and, of course, fun,” she notes.

for , agrees. “Give kids a chance to be little hooligans!” he laughs, citing bows and arrows from Zing Toys and the array of open-ended toys from OgoSports (Think frisbee-like disks that can also be used to play catch or toss water balloons.) as good examples of increasingly popular outdoor toys.

“Kids today have never lived in a world with-out smartphones, and technology has only

gizmos should “complement the play experi-ence by adding a little bit of magic,” he adds,

enabled plush toys that can sing songs and read books. Schact thinks wearable technology

the Leapband, which is an activity tracker sim-

smart watch, which not only teaches kids to tell the time but lets them take photos and vid-eos, too,” she says, adding, “It’s about a seam-less integration of play and technology.”

Frozen dolls by Mattel

Leapfrog Leapband

Think the Think again. Experts agree the Disney hit will keep its icy grip on the toy market. “I think we’ll watch it mature and morph into a classic

-ing that independent retailers needn’t be wary of competing with big-box shops. “There’s not a single retailer that’s not going to do well with

. It’s evergreen,” she states, pointing out that classic licenses and will get a boost this year, too, when new flicks for both franchises hit the big screen.

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COOL AND CASUAL aren’t the first words that come to mind at the mention of Florsheim Kids, the sized-down spinoff of the 123-year-old classic shoemaker that launched in Fall ’12. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find any sneakers in the boys’ label’s earlier col-lections—all the more reason why its Fall ‘15 collaboration with street-chic childrenswear maker Appaman is sure to thrill shoppers and retailers alike.

The New York City-based brand first approached Florsheim last year, shortly after a co-branded social media campaign sparked requests from consumers. “A few thought we were doing a collection together,” recalls Appaman Co-Founder Lynn Husum, “and this put a bug in our ear and helped the conversa-tion get started.” It made perfect sense, agrees Mark Kohlenberg, president of Weyco Group’s children’s division, which owns Florsheim. “We share a common consumer looking for qual-ity, style and uniqueness, as well as a similar distribution channel and price point,” he notes. But make no mistake: This capsule collection is not an afterthought. “We wanted to make sure both brands had recognizable identity in the finished product.”

The result: Florsheim has blended a con-

temporary take on three traditional silhou-ettes for boys sizes 10 to 6 with materials and colorways from Appaman’s Fall ’15 collection. To wit, a vulcanized high top done up in black leather with red laces and an embroidered “F” on the tongue is inspired by a varsity letter-man jacket; a dapper saddle shoe is freshened up with red laces and lined with Appaman’s signature monkey print; a navy suede chukka boot on a white bottom pops with contrast stitching and laces.

Wholesaling from $26 to $30 and targeting better grade independents, online retailers and department stores, Husum hopes the venture will introduce new shoppers to both brands. So far, so good, reveals Kohlenberg, who received a “great” response when he debuted the collection at December’s FFANY shoe show. “Boys are now very comfortable with fashion and accessorizing their ward-robes with footwear that helps them make a statement, and buyers are looking for fresh-ness,” he says. So, could this be the start of something long-term? “Hopefully the collec-tion will prove successful and open the door to more,” Husum hints. Interested retailers can contact Mark Kohlenberg at [email protected]. —Lyndsay McGregor

Formal footwear brand Florsheim gets a street-chic makeover from Appaman.

Discovery Kids expands its line of toys for curious tykes.LOOKING FOR WAYS to liven up your licensed offerings without another Elsa or Olaf? Director of Licensing at Discovery Consumer Products JP Stoops has a solution: Get real, with toys that encourage kids to explore the world around them. Capitalizing on what he describes as “character fatigue” in the mar-ketplace, Discovery Consumer Products, the merchandising arm for the Discovery Channel and Discovery Communications, has inked deals with toy makers DGL Group and RMS to expand existing lines and create new col-lections in the craft, magic and science toy categories, focusing on themes like dinosaurs, sharks, space and art.

DGL will develop do-it-yourself science kits, clay and fun-dough, sand sets, and nov-elty items such as gliders, voice changers and pocket volcanoes. RMS will produce crystal

growing and volcano kits, detective sets, spa bath sets, “dig and discover” sets featuring dinosaur bones and historical relics, magic kits and arts and crafts materials. A wide vari-ety of price points will be available from $4.99 for DGL novelties to RMS kids’ items that go up to $29.99. Targeting a range of retailers from mid-tier to specialty, the products are designed for children 5 years old and up.

“We wish to encourage kids and parents to explore and enjoy the world together through our consumer products,” Stoops states, adding that the products’ gender-neutral approach differentiates them from other brands. For more information contact Doris Miller, VP of retail sales business devel-opment at Discovery Consumer Products, at (323) 308-3740 or [email protected]. —Lauren Fusilier

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R E S H F I N D S

Sun SafetyAustralia-born, Minneapolis-based Coolibar dives into the wholesale market for the first time in Spring ’15. Recognized by the Skin Cancer Foundation and the Melanoma International Foundation, the 14-year-old sun protective clothing label guar-antees UPF 50+ ratings for the life of its children’s rash guards, surf suits and shorts. That means the sun protection won’t wash out with wear. Retailing from $28 to $49.50 in sizes 6 months to 10 years, everything is made using rapid-dry chlorine- and saltwater-resistant Suntect fabric and comes in tropical colors like juicy orange, fuchsia, aqua and electric green. Go to www.coolibar.com.

Fresh color and versatile design combine.

Fancy PantsNancy McCormick, owner of the tony New York City-based boutique Florence Fancy, is bringing her store’s eponymous private label to market in Spring ’15. Made in Portugal, the line fuses a European aesthetic with American ease to bow dressy duds spanning layette in sizes 3 to 18 months and girls’ clothing in sizes 2 to 10 years. Wholesaling from $24 to $100, styles range from everyday pieces like pants, skirts, tops and jumpsuits to party dresses. And the girly label lives up to its moniker, using materials like lace, chiffon and tweed in soft shades of cream, petal pink, green and blue, with pops of yellow, red and candy-dot prints. Visit www.florencefancy.com.

Carefree ClothesFIT alum Chelsea Slocombe blends bold colors with soft silhouettes and floral prints for the spring launch of Ashira, her clothing line for girls in sizes 2T to 6. Made from 100 percent cotton, the mix-and-match col-lection comprises one-shoulder dresses, flared skirts, harem pants and jumpers and comes in an easy-to-wear (and pair) palette of white, pink and subtle floral print. Wholesaling from $20 to $30, the machine wash-able pieces also feature thought-ful details like elasticated waist-bands and necklines to allow for easy dressing of fussy little ladies. Visit www.ashiraclothing.com.

Switch it UpLaunching in Spring ’15, Fayvel is Erin Slater’s sartorial take on stick-er collecting. Aimed at “inspiring kids to wear their heart on their feet,” the customizable footwear brand offers boys and girls a blank canvas to express their personalities through embroi-dered patches featuring fairies, pirates, sports, superheroes and more, with Velcro-like hook fas-teners that they can attach to their sneakers and collect, share or trade with friends. Available in purple, blue, pink and green, sizes range from 10 to 2 and wholesale pricing is $22 per pair of shoes and $6 for a four-pack of patches. Check out www.fayvelwear.com.

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Sherbet FizzInspired by her daugh-ters’ love of dressing up, Parsons grad Aracely Santamaria launches Luna Girl, a line of “dressy playwear,” in Spring ’15. Designed to take girls ages 4T to 14 years from school to play to a birthday party, the Norwalk, CT-based collection of dresses, skirts and flowy tops is made mostly from jersey and embellished with mesh, ruffles and rhinestones. Available in sherbet shades of lilac, lemon, peach and mint, wholesale prices range from $12.50 to $26.50. Go to www.lunagirlclothing.com.

Relaxed FitLondon-based boys’ brand ABC123Me lands on U.S. shores in Spring ’15. Founder and mom of two Louisa Rowland struggled to find clothing for her kids that wasn’t heavily branded, so in 2014 she launched a line of relaxed, vintage-feeling hoodies, jackets, trousers and tees that could be dressed up or down. Inspired by California cool and produced in Portugal, the latest collection includes sweat shorts, slim fit track pants and corduroy skate shorts in a mix of primary colors and muted earth tones in sizes 4 to 11 years. Wholesale prices range from $16 to $110. Check out www.abc123me.com.

Inside OutFor parents whose kids have had their fair share of spillages and stains on freshly washed clothes, Two Sliders offers a stylish solution. Launching in Spring ’15, the U.S.-made label presents reversible clothing for girls sizes 3 months to 4T. (A boys’ collection is in the pipe-line.) Dresses, tees, leg-gings and tops feature a “fun” side with tie-dye or feathered patterns, while the reverse is more sedate. Plus, the entire collection is color coordinated, so if a top has to be flipped out, it will still match the out-fit’s leggings, and vice versa. Wholesale prices range from $15 to $28. Check out www.two sliders.com.

Over the MoonWeaving the age-old craft of hand-knitting with updated aesthetics from nostalgic nursery rhymes, Daisy & Blu debuts its first collec-tion of luxury baby and toddler knits in Fall ’15. Sentimental whimsy abounds throughout the line of blankets depicting “Hey, Diddle, Diddle,” pillows shaped like stars, crescent moons and clouds and accessories such as bibs, hats, bath wraps and soft toys featuring cows, pigs and bunnies. Designed to remind consumers of their own childhood and inspire the imaginations of generations to come, wholesale prices range from $15 to $70. Visit www.daisyandblu.com.

RE YOU PREPARED to put your best foot forward in 2015? Last year, children’s footwear sales soared, and with the category projected to maintain its upward climb in 2015, now is the perfect time to shore up your store’s shoe selection and service. In fact, overall sales of boys’, girls’, infants’ and toddlers’ footwear grew an astounding 28 percent from January to November 2014, totaling $7.7 billion, according to the NPD

Group, a market information and advisory services company. For a comparison: Sales of women’s and men’s styles increased by only two percent over the same period.

And the children’s footwear boom isn’t headed for a bust anytime soon, according to many analysts, retailers and manufacturers. “The U.S. economy is improving, there are additional spending dollars in consumers’ pockets and children remain a top priority for most fami-lies, so I definitely see some of those additional expenditures going in that direction,” confirms Chen Grazutis, equity research analyst for retail, apparel and footwear at Bloomberg Intelligence. Rob Faw, national sales manager at See Kai Run, says their stock has been flying off the shelves, admitting that one of the brand’s bigger challenges lies in supplying the voracious demand.

Today, little feet can make a big impact on your business. Here, footwear pros share how to stay in step with your customers’ needs and make the most of the quickly climbing category.

Retailers and manufacturers agree: The timeworn advice is still true, especially for children’s shoes. Tastes, budgets and habits in every com-

munity differ and ultimately dictate what will sell in that area. “The feedback that we get in the store is what we base our [buying] choices on—we really go out and hand-pick things that will work specifically in our boutique and our community,” reports Becca Bramhall, owner of Clothes Pony, a children’s clothing store in Fort Collins, CO. Keen is always a favorite of her outdoorsy Colorado customers, and the laid-back vibe of Fort Collins means brands that transition well between school, play and special occasions are top sellers, too. (Think Morgan & Milo, Lelli Kelly and Livie & Luca.)

Melissa Chunn, the shoe buyer for Connie’s Children’s Shop in St. Clair Shores, MI, identifies her town as more traditional in aesthetic and keeps that in mind when selecting which shoes to stock. That means avoiding extremely trendy styles or shoes with too many bells and whistles and opting for parent-approved brands like Stride Rite.

As Erin Carter, co-owner of Kid Dynamo boutique in Berkeley, CA, notes, items that are bestsellers for reps won’t necessarily be bestsell-ers in her store. “You’ve got to learn your customer and pick what sells for them,” she says. “We’re in the store every day and we know our customer.” The shop is decked out in bright colors and bold patterns, and customers tend to buy shoes that reflect that aesthetic, going for brands like See Kai Run and Plae. Lisa Lombardi, corporate sales representative at brand Livie & Luca, concurs, advising retailers

class

BY LAUREN FUSILIER

With children’s footwear sales on the rise, retail experts reveal how to stay a step ahead of the competition.

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On Trend

blouse

skirt

jacket

hair bands

earmuffs

ballerina flats

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Need a cure for the winter blues? Cozy up to the veritable rainbow of colored furs on the market, from technicolor dream coats to highlighter hair accessories. Inspired by womenswear designers like Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren, who reimagined winter’s warmest material in bold color for Fall ’14, kids’ brands are bearing down on the trend, with cool color blocking, poppy 3-D polka dots and monochromatic colorways that look classically luxe. In lieu of wintry jewel tones, candy colored shades offer a sweet alternative, while fluorescent neons make a glowing state-ment. Either way, these furry finds are sure to keep little ones warm all over. –Tara Anne Dalbow

headband

shrug

fur coat

coat

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On Trend

Traditionally a spring staple, lace lends fall styles some serious decadence. Following the lead of designers at Valentino and Burberry Prorsum, whose autumn heirloom gowns awed in an array of lace, embroidery and beading, children’s designers sew some romance onto tops, skirts and dresses for Fall ’15. It’s no surprise why: From all-over openwork to appliqué, the delicate fabric car-ries significant style weight when combined with a rich color palette, pops of metallic and lady-like silhouettes. –T.A.D.

dress

skirt

dress

jacket

skirt

dress

top

dress

dress

hair bow

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TAKE A LOOK at the latest ads for Hudson Jeans, and you may notice something curious: No models. No exotic locale or swanky studio set-ting. Just a glimpse of jeans.

which featured Spanish supermodel Jon Kortajarena as well as Georgia May Jagger, the daughter of Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger,

Jack. Instead, the new black-and-white images look like vintage travel ads, or documentary-style photojournalism, as men on motorcycles and in muscle cars ride off into the future, arms wide open—a perfect

industry as a whole—which Hudson Jeans CEO Peter Kim will take as a compliment. The catalyst for the company’s new message came two years ago, when Kim found himself lecturing his twin teenage daughters on the evils of false marketing in response to a fast food spot on the radio. As the conversation replayed in his mind, one thought kept return-ing: Aren’t fashion ads just as misleading?

“What I started realizing is the fashion industry is actu-ally the worst of the worst because we attack people at their core. We strip away their self-worth and self-confidence. We tell people that you’re not skinny enough, you’re not pretty

enough and you’re not cool enough. We take them down to the absolute

Now, Hudson Jeans is traveling a new, more positive route—one that Kim hopes will inspire other brands to follow suit. In addition to the

-ing its commitment to avoid unnecessary photoshopping, as well as #HudsonSpotlight, a series of blog posts featuring Hudson fans who

It’s a message he hopes will particularly resonate with the

Q&A

BY AUDREY GOODSON KINGO

Q&A

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brands’ latest customers: kids. Thanks to a partnership with Five Star Premium, the kids’ denim licensee for True Religion and Lee, Hudson re-launched its kids’ line in Fall ’13. Kim describes the collection as

“a mini version of our adult style,” filled with what he believes make up the core foundation of a good wardrobe, from black ponte-knit leggings to classic dark denim jeans. For more daring boys and girls, the brand’s basics are enlivened with pops of on-trend patterns, from floral to tie-dye to punk plaid. “I think we’re one of the top kids’ brands with pretty much all of our retailers,” Kim reveals.

And while it’s an accomplishment he is happy to note, it’s not because the brand is racking up more sales. “Our product is not the jeans; our core product is our message and what we believe in,” he affirms. “We look at the jeans as our delivery system. This is how we’re communicating our message to the world. So we want to make sure we’re constantly relevant and people understand what it represents when you buy this product.”

The brand’s bold new direction isn’t the first time Kim has forged a new trail. He founded Hudson Jeans in 2002 when premium denim was just beginning to make its mark on the fashion industry. A sign of its enormous growth in the span of just a decade, the company was sold to Joe’s Jeans in 2013 for $97.6 million. Much of the that success, Kim notes, can be chalked up to lessons learned at his first gig in the fashion industry, leading his parents’ apparel company out of $10 million in debt.

A senior in college on spring break in 1994, Kim received a pretty jarring wake-up call from his father: “The company is in dire straits and everyone needs to help out.” The business, specializing in women’s polyester blouses, had flourished in the 1980s, during the heyday of the power suit. But the shift to more relaxed workwear in the early ’90s had decimated sales. Kim’s parents, immigrants who had painstakingly built their business after fleeing North Korea in the 1960s, now risked losing everything. “My parents were just run down emotionally, spiritually and physically. They were lost,” Kim recalls.

So at the age of 23, he stepped up to lead the company, but the transi-tion was far from smooth. His parents’ Korean employees were wary of Kim, who had been born and raised in Los Angeles. “Everyone was probably looking at me like I was a snot-nosed little brat, who didn’t know what the hell he’s doing,” he says with a laugh. And Kim himself resented the new responsibility: “I played the ‘poor Peter’ card,” he

admits. “I felt sorry for myself. I kept thinking I could find something else that didn’t have all this drama and nonsense.”

His big revelation occurred while driving down the freeway after a particularly bad day at the office. “It was almost like divine intervention, like something picked me up, slapped me around and said, ‘Let’s get a grip here.” He couldn’t stop thinking of people like his parents and their friends in the Korean community, who came to the U.S. with so little but carved such a last-ing legacy into the landscape, embodying what he calls the “true American dream.”

“I realized this whole country is built off people who have nothing, and in a very short period of time has become one of the most powerful and greatest countries in the world. As I started understanding the bigger picture, I realized, what am I really afraid of ? I have nothing to lose,” he continues. “I came into the office the next day, and a magical thing happened, because everything was exactly the same, but in my eyes it looked totally different. Everything became an amazing opportunity, a game of figuring out how we can solve our issues. It really changed the path of how I look at business and the business world.”

At the age of 23 you helped dig your parent’s company out of $10 million in debt. What lessons did you take from that experience?The most important lesson I picked up was the significance of perspective. You can look at things from a negative perspective, or you can go into situations with a creative, open mind regarding what’s possible. Do you look at the impossible and say, ‘How do we make this possible?’ It’s common for people to lose the game before they even begin because they say, ‘This is something we cannot do.’ Well, why can’t we do this? We’ve sent people to the moon. We’re just trying to make clothes here.

I think a lot of leaders find that kind of optimism tough given the challenges of our current market. I think a lot of people are driven by fear, and fear is driven by the unknown. I call it the dark room. If you’re sitting in a black room and you hear a noise in the corner, it could be a mouse or it could be a monster, and the fact that you don’t know is what creates anxiety. The minute you can shed light on the situation, people get comfortable.

Another important lesson I learned is the value of transparency and honest communication. Our company owed a lot of people a ton of money, and our controller refused to talk to anyone. He said, ‘What

What are you listening to right now? You hear a lot of people say, “I listen to everything but country.” Well, I actually love country music as well. It’s horrible, but I’ll admit I actu-ally listen to One Direction and enjoy it. If you look at my playlist, I’ve got John Legend, Clean Bandit, Katy Perry, Elvin Bishop, The Script, Chris Isaak, Passenger, Bruno Mars, Bob Dylan, La Roux, Pavlo and Simple Minds.

What are you reading right now? Winning the Story Wars by Jonah Sachs, which is an incredible book. And Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, which I begin reading every year around this time to prepare for the LA Marathon. I use it for inspiration as I train.

What are your favorite movies? Fight Club, V for Vendetta and Dead Poets Society. When Robin Williams died last year, I’m usually not too affected by that kind of stuff, but it really hit home because a lot of his movies had a big influence in my life.

What’s your favorite way to spend a free afternoon? I love to surf, but my favorite weekend activity is spending time with my daughters.

Who in fashion inspires you? To be honest, there’s just not much in fashion I think is really inspiring. Companies that inspire me are ones like Red Bull, GoPro, Apple, Nike and Virgin. How those companies have marketed their brand, based on the core of who they are and what they represent, is pretty amazing. The ones that really inspire me are the ones that believe in something greater than selling as much product as possible. We all have to start becoming socially responsible companies.

P E T E R K I MUP CLOSE WITH

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am I going to do? Tell them we have no money?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, tell them exactly that.’ We ended up parting ways, and the first thing I did was sit down with our biggest creditors and say, ‘I know we owe you a lot of money, but we can’t pay you because we have no money. But we have a plan to get out of this, and I’m asking for your support.’ A lot of times people would actually say, ‘Thank you for being honest and open.’ I realized all they wanted was a little bit of respect. That’s something I apply to business to this day. I believe in complete transparency. Just be honest and make sure you’re communicating the best you possibly can with your employees, vendors, retailers and customers.

Premium denim is a pretty big shift from women’s blouses. How did you get into the category?My first time doing denim was in 2000, when I started a company called Jane’s Army with a friend. When he said, ‘We’re going to retail these things for $200,’ I thought, ‘You’re crazy. Get out.’ (Keep in mind that I came from a moderate private label business where blouses retailed for $19.99 and $24.99. After that I got into the streetwear business with a company called DrunknMunky, where T-shirts and hats were $24.99.)

Finally, I figured I’ve got nothing to lose. But at our first show we did $50,000 in orders on our first day. On top of that, it was done with a few hundred pieces. In my past, to get a $50,000 order, I would have to sell 5,000 units. It helped that we were right at the forefront of when premium denim really started to take off as a category. At the time, the only brands in the space were 7 for All Mankind, Paper Denim & Cloth, Earl Jean and Frankie B.

Unfortunately, we had a really good start and sold to all the key players, but when we switched to mass production, our infrastructure wasn’t set up properly. When the product came in, it was poor quality and the specs were off. It was a disaster, so we ended up closing down. But that’s where I really found a passion for denim.

What do you love most about denim?To me, coming from an immigrant family, but also being born and raised in America, denim is the ultimate symbol of America. I’m a big nonconformist, and when I looked at denim—and especially the new emergence of premium denim—I thought it was the ultimate symbol of my middle finger to society. Denim is traditionally known as blue collar and low class. If you were wearing jeans, you were either a gang-ster or a manual laborer. But in today’s world, that exact same thing is now called premium and it’s become high fashion. It seemed like the perfect vehicle to communicate my message and my beliefs. So I re-launched into premium denim, starting fresh with a new concept but with the same core message. I found a different designer, re-set up the infrastructure, and founded Hudson in 2002.

I bet that’s also where you picked up an appreciation for making high-quality product.Quality is not even a question at Hudson. We want to be the go-to denim brand for top-quality product. It’s part of our company culture and DNA. A lot of people talk about quality in terms of processes and procedures: You have to have the right staff. You have to have >38

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fringe boots.

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ballet flat, slip-on, Mary Jane.

Opposite page: metallic jumpsuit and blazer,

necklace, headband,

ankle boots.


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dress, leggings, sunglasses, necklace, hi-tops.

Opposite page: jeans and jacket, button-down,

brooch, kaleidoscope glasses; jeans and jacket, T-shirt,

tutu, headband, boots.


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shrug, cardigan,

tank, leggings, sneakers.


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dress and coat,

leggings, headpiece and bracelet.

Opposite page: hi-top, glitter hi-top, T-shirt and

sweatpants, hoodie.

Fashion editor: Tara Anne Dalbow;

hair and makeup: Rita Madison.


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BEHIND

a lot since Julia came on board and helped revive the line eight years ago. Now it’s sold at the likes of Nordstrom, Von Maur, Bloomingdale’s and Lord & Taylor, as well as through its own e-commerce site that launched last December, and the offering has expanded beyond fancy dresses to include everyday duds like leggings and tees in sizes newborn to 16 years. “My love for vintage textiles and inspiration mixed with Julia’s eye for modernity made a perfect combination,” Fran notes.

To wit, in Fall ’15 Fran was inspired by the cloth-ing featured in American Renaissance painter John Singer Sargent’s work as well as Arthur Rackham’s illustrated fairy tales of the early 1900s. “I am always looking at the old to create the new,” she says. Luxe lace, fun pleather and sweatshirt fabrics abound, bolstered by such brand mainstays as quilted knits and brushed gabardine, in a moody palette of black, white, gray, blush and mauve.

“For so many years childrenswear was static and companies were going back and forth copying one another, but there has been a huge change over the past few years and childrenswear is now viewed as ‘fashion,’” Fran offers. Retailing from $48 to $118, she says she works hard to maintain a mid-level price point. “I always try to remember that no mat-ter how expensive an outfit is, if a 6-year-old puts it on it will probably get dirty—and I don’t want mom to feel stressed out about that,” she says.

ANT TO KNOW what life is like at a company with two generations working side by side? Just ask mother-daughter duo Fran and Julia Arazi of New York

City-based girlswear label Pippa & Julie. For them, business and family life are closely intertwined. Fran, the founder and matriarch, debuted the label in 1987, naming it after Julia and the title charac-ter of a beloved Robert Browning poem, “Pippa Passes.” And while Julia first decided to pursue a career in theater, studying drama at Tufts, it wasn’t long before she realized the apple had not fallen too far from the tree and joined the team in 2007. “Looking back, I should have realized it would hap-pen eventually,” Julia laughs, but she’s quick to note that in any family business, “it’s really important to know that you’ve chosen to be there.”

While Fran is still the president and CEO, as well as the sole designer of the line, Julia has quickly made a name for herself as the company’s creative director and chief merchant. “Having someone of a second generation in a business brings a go-forward energy and sense of security to the staff,” Fran says. What started as a tightly edited collection of special occasion dresses carried at specialty boutiques across the country has grown

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to start with four styles when bringing in a new brand and branch out from there, after gathering feedback from customers.

Finding the perfect fit in children’s shoes can often be a major source of anxiety for custom-ers. If they are first-time parents, they may not know children’s sizing or how shoes ought to fit. If well-trained employees can hop to the rescue and assist customers in finding the right shoe for their little one, it often results in more than a sale—it may lead to lifetime loyalty on the part of that customer. “A lot of first-time parents don’t yet know what is best for a growing foot,” says Carter. “They look to us to give them the right information.”

Bramhall emphasizes customer service at Clothes Pony, too. “When we get new staff,” she states, “we educate them—it is so important to be able to put a shoe on a child’s foot, get the right fit, gauge if there are any problems and watch them walk to see if it works.” And since finding the right fit can impact health factors like foot development, knowledge is especially crucial. “Good customer service ensures they get the fit, the help and personal attention they need, especially if they require a special service or size,” agrees Chunn. “Customers will call ahead to ask for it before coming in,” she adds.

Beyond the ability to properly fit shoes, retailers must also be well-acquainted with the particulars of their product. Angela Edgeworth, co-founder of children’s brand Pediped, which focuses on healthy foot development, states, “Our top retailers are the ones who provide a strong level of customer service, understand what features and benefits each shoe has and have earned the trust of their customers.” Many brands offer special treatments or designs, promoting proper growth, durability and boasting advanced technologies—and they look for retail partners who are able to prop-erly promote their products. Ryan Ringholz, founder of Plae, says, “The best retailers are the shop owners and sales people on the floor who are able to speak to what the brand does and what we’re about.”

The kicks you offer need to stand out. When it comes to selection, stick to charming, out-of-the-ordinary styles that play into the overall store aesthetic. Janet Finegold, co-owner of KidBiz, a high-end boutique in Dallas that stocks fashion-forward styles for girls, says

part of the store’s draw is “having that shoe that the department store just won’t have.” Similarly, Bramhall describes the Fort Collins style as relaxed and informal, so she goes for comfortable shoes that incorporate quirky design details not found in mass-market styles, carrying brands like See Kai Run and Plae. In Berkeley, Carter reports that bright blue hues that reflect the store’s vibrant, colorful atmosphere are what walk off the floor for both boys and girls.

For the more traditional crowd, neutral colors like black and brown will always reign supreme, but that doesn’t mean the design must be plain. Mark Kohlenberg, president at Umi, promises to dress up neutrals for girls in Fall ’15 with chocolate in snake and pebbled leathers, and in a deep, rich saddle-tan leather for boys. Edgeworth reports that Pediped has also seen “a strong demand for classic school-type shoes and boots” that the brand will jazz up with metallics and rich colors.

Allotting a specific spot for footwear on the sales floor helps customers easily locate the department and can significantly improve the shopping experience. Bramhall notes that keeping shoes and apparel separate simply allows for easier shopping. “We get lots of compliments on our controlled-chaotic look in the rest of the store, but it doesn’t work as well in the shoe department,” she reveals. “You have to be able to see the shoes clearly, so the area needs to be clean and organized.” Carter agrees, recommending the area remain orderly and clutter-free to help keep customers from feeling overwhelmed. In the same vein, organizing merchandise in the department into different sections also assists customers in their search for the perfect shoe. Separating shoes by gender helps keep customers from having to search through all of the offerings.

Chunn also recommends separating the sections by style—sandals grouped together, boots, sneakers and so on—to help those looking for a specific kind of shoe. Another option splits sections by age groups. Carter says this keeps bigger kids from feeling like they’re shopping in the babies’ section. “I also put size availability on stickers on the display shoe so parents can immediately tell if their child’s size is available,” she notes. In a smaller store where back-end space is limited, this helps avoid confusion about what’s in stock.

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setting up your shoe department: Most manufacturers offer display options such as shelves, table set-ups and signs with their logo. “The ideal in-store display is one that shows the breadth of our line along with strong branding,” asserts Edgeworth at Pediped. Umi offers retail-ers the opportunity to work with experienced sales reps for advice and guidance. And See Kai Run even distributes a pocket-guide pamphlet to educate consumers on the brand’s story and philosophy.

While many stores tend to focus on girls’ footwear, it was actually boys’ footwear sales that skyrocketed in 2014. The NPD Group reports that boys’ shoes sales increased by $3.2 billion—amounting to a 24 percent growth in the segment. Kohlenberg confirms the growth over the last year at Umi, attributing it to the fact that “so much of the boys’ business has been surrendered to athletic brands in the past, but men’s shoes have become more fashionable of late and that’s crept down into boys.” Faw at See Kai Run has also observed a growing appetite for variety in the segment. Accordingly, the brand is gearing up to offer more sophis-ticated and “handsome” styles that will provide an heirloom quality to the line. Livie & Luca has also responded to the growth by expanding its offering, Lombardi adds.

And as more and more kids stray from traditional blue and pink, carrying unisex styles is becoming an option. Plae’s Ringholz touts the brand’s unisex offerings as “a great opportunity for retailers to reach both boys and girls while saving space, as they can cross-merchandise

the products.” This comes in especially handy in an environment like KidBiz in Dallas, where Finegold reports that boys’ sales just don’t compete with girls’. No matter what, Carter at Kid Dynamo suggests carrying brands that “do both genders well,” and keeping styles in both genders well stocked.

Keeping a finger on the beating pulse of fashion is not always easy, but having an idea of what’s new and fresh is never a bad idea. Carter rec-ommends paying attention to adult styles, which are often shrunken down to kids’, as well as home décor magazines, which can help provide cues of what color trends will be dominant. Finegold also keeps a close eye on adult fashion, stating, “Truly the best guide I’ve had for predict-ing trends in kids’ comes from knowing what I’m selling in women’s.”

Carter reports that fashionable chukka boots and sneakers are big in Berkeley right now, and she expects them to remain popular in 2015. Classic Mary Janes and ballet flats are also tops on her list of what’s hot—especially ones with muted sparkles and metallic materials for Fall ’15, like styles by See Kai Run, Pediped, Plae and Livie & Luca. Meanwhile, Finegold plans to carry more booties in 2015. “I think the bootie is fresh and we haven’t maximized it in kids’ yet,” she states.

Even if you’re loathe to follow trends, it’s never a bad idea to keep an eye out for undiscovered styles or brands. As Bramhall says of Clothes Pony, “We look for charming designs that are unlike what’s in mass

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standards and reports. And you have to visit your factories a certain amount of times. I think those are all great things and a necessity for maintaining a process of quality, but to me quality is more of a cultural thing. That’s where quality starts. And it’s not just the quality of your products. If you have a culture of quality, then everything you do is going to be of quality, from how you answer your phones to the respect you have for each other in the workplace. If you have that built into the culture of the company, then the quality of the product just becomes natural. I think it’s very rare for a company to live by a culture of quality and produce a crappy product.

I’m sure Hudson has carried that emphasis on quality to your kids’ offerings, too.Exactly. We actually tried to create a kids’ line in house several years ago, and we realized we just couldn’t do that category properly. We did it for about a year and a half, and we realized we just couldn’t execute it the right way, so we shut it down for several years. More recently, I was introduced to Five Star Premium and we ended up connecting on multiple levels, so we decided to give the kids’ line another shot. And the collection has been an incredible success. It’s in its second year, and it’s been very well received. Our product and pricing strategy has been right on point with the market.

A lot of the kids’ collection includes takedowns of Hudson’s bestselling adult styles, but obviously you can’t sell kids’ denim for $200. How did you find the right price, at around $39 to $69 a pair?We worked very closely with Five Star and did a lot of market research. It was probably one of the biggest sticking points when we first started the line. If you go too low, you dilute the brand. You go too high, and no one is going to buy it. You want to find a happy medium that’s a lot more palatable to parents, because kids grow so fast. As adults, there’s massive value in jeans. A pair of jeans could last 10 years. But a lot of kids won’t be wearing the jeans six months later. We want to make sure people can grow with the product.

How would you describe your partnership with Five Star?It’s been a great partnership. They absolutely believe in our mis-sion—which I believe will really connect with kids. Even though our message at this point is really catered toward adults, it’s actually more important that children understand what we’re talking about. If we can influence them at a much younger age, that’s obviously more powerful.

What message would you like Hudson Jeans to convey?We really stand for individuality, and for passion and dreams and for people that are questioning all of societies’ norms, rules and traditions. As a little kid, you’re taught to believe that anything is possible. And at some point that starts shifting, and it’s all about your grades. If you want to be an astronaut, then you should get your head out of the clouds, live in the real word and start studying hard. But I’m not an incredibly talented person. I’m not incredibly smart. I went through a process of feeling like I was inferior and inadequate, and I realized it was because I didn’t fit into this perfect box society had created.

Finally, I started to do what I thought was right for myself. I started

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going down my own path, and that’s where I found self-confidence and self-worth, as well as my meaning in life. If I can do this as an average, ordinary guy—if I can reach this level of success—then pretty much anybody can. But you have to stop being influenced by other people telling you what to do with your life. That’s why we speak a lot about being proud of who you are and what you look like. That’s become a really strong theme in our company. Ultimately, that’s a long way to say we believe creative rebels with a cause are the most powerful force in the world. I want people to feel like they’re a bad-ass when they’re wearing Hudson Jeans, because they are living an incredible life on their own terms.

That’s a pretty unconventional idea in the world of fashion. Was it the inspiration behind your new marketing campaign?It’s exactly what happened. There’s so much marketing out there, and most of it uses what I call the inadequacy approach. Let’s create mas-sive amounts of anxiety, and then let’s create something that’s going to help alleviate that anxiety. A lot of people don’t even understand what they’re doing to little girls and women, and to guys, as well. There are massively negative consequences to creating these unattainable images of what people are supposed to look like. It’s so damaging. And I realized we were absolutely participating in this, and had to stop. We have to send out a different message. Why can’t we go down

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the pulse

OR BROOKLYNITE JAYDEN Pyram, New York City is one giant runway. Whether he’s outside snap-

you can count on him to be the best-dressed kid around. “I dress up for the ladies,” he giggles when describ-

ing the motivation for his rock star meets hip hop -

ing prints with the finesse of a seasoned fashion editor and rocking kicks that would make even the most dedicated sneakerhead envious.

Fittingly, a sense of style runs in his blood. His father, Eddie Pyram, is the owner of up-and-coming designer hub and showroom The

Jasmin Rodreguez is the voice behind fashion

à la the Puerto Rican pin-ups and actresses of the

includes a camo print button-down, an American flag hoodie, skinny jeans, a pair of Converse sneakers and Marc Jacobs’ aviators. “He always loves my sneakers and wants to wear the same pair when we go somewhere,” says Pyram.

This isn’t the first time Jayden has been lauded

contest that landed him a spot on the magazine’s cover. “I was so surprised,” says Jayden, adding that it was the first thing he had ever won. And more recently, he appeared in an A$AP Mob music video.

Though Jayden enjoys being behind and in front of the lens, his real passion lies in more earthly pursuits. With big dreams of becoming a paleontologist someday, he can often be spotted watching Animal Planet and learning about dino-saurs. He adds, “My favorite color to wear is green because it’s nature’s color.”

FRalph LaurenChildrenswear

Timberland

H&M

MadPax

PacificRim

A peek behind the lens of 8-year-old photographer and style star Jayden Pyram.

Converse by John Varvatos

MarcJacobs

JonaMichelle

New York Buzz Dannenfelser

(212)695-5151

Los Angeles Teresa Stephen (213)623-8155

Dallas Greg Morgan

(214)643-0100

Philadelphia Martin Arnold

(609)471-6189

Seattle Carrie Martin

(253)851-1418

Atlanta Paul Daubney (404)577-6840

Chicago Robert Centen & Associates

(312)464-0999

Miami Miriam Devesa (305)261-5374

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New York City Mar. 1st – 3rd

KIDS SHOWBally’s Las Vegas Feb. 16th – 18th
