Where fashion is exposed

New categories, new exhibitors and even a touch of international flavour . . . it's all happening at the upcoming autumn/winter 2005 FASHION EXPOSED trade fair, as Belinda Smart discovers.

This year's Melbourne edition of leading fashion trade expo FASHION EXPOSED promises to be the biggest yet.
Event organiser Australian Exhibitions and Conferences (AEC) expects more than 10,000 buyers from all sectors to attend, resulting in millions of dollars worth of business.
They will have access to a total of 530 exhibitors across both FASHION EXPOSED and high fashion sub-section preview, an increase of more than 30 per cent on last year's event.
preview alone will showcase more than 80 designers this year, an increase of around 15 per cent on last year, which has seen AEC expand the section's floor space by 3,500 square metres. preview will also feature an international designer initiative for the first time.
However the most significant change to hit FASHION EXPOSED is the addition of three new categories; boutique childrenswear, eveningwear and bridalwear (dubbed Night & White) and denim, as a result of "huge demand" in those areas, claims AEC managing director Marie Kinsella.
"The childrenswear category as a whole has expanded with boutique childrenswear coming through as a particularly strong growth area," she explains.
The Night & White category has been introduced to showcase Australia's growing expertise in evening and bridalwear, while the designated denim section promises to be boon for visitors, she adds.
"Many of the denim brands will find it advantageous to participate in the denim section as it is easier if the buyers can locate all the denim labels in one place."
The full FASHION EXPOSED category list now includes womenswear, "Night & White", denim, boutique childrenswear, childrenswear, infantwear, menswear, intimate apparel and sleepwear, swimwear, urban, street and surfwear, accessories and footwear, not to mention Manchester, furnishings and homewares.

Debut players
FASHION EXPOSED's inaugural denim section will feature a broad range of labels including new player Melbourne-based authentic men's jeans specialist Imperial Brand Clothing.
Founder and director Cameron Votan claims the brand's attendance is part of his strategy to "establish Imperial Brand Clothing as a credible Australian jeans brand."
He also wants to broaden Australasian distribution for the brand - currently available through selected Brisbane boutiques - as well as penetrating the Asian and UK market.
"The jeans are available in relaxed and fitted styles and we put a strong emphasis on the idea of jeans that you wear in yourself. They are made from raw denim, manufactured in Japan with shuttle looms that hark back to the golden age of authentic denim," he explains.

Imperial Brand jeans - which retail for around $300 - are the company's core product, though it also sells a range of authentic print tees and Australian accessories including crocodile skin belts
Another new player in the denim category is Sydney-based women's jeans label Hipster Jeans, which has been wholesaling for around a year to boutiques throughout New South Wales.
Managing director Michelle Davies hopes to broaden the label's distribution into Victoria and Queensland through publicity gained at FASHION EXPOSED.
The label is targeted at women between 16 and 25, with jeans retailing at between $50 and $60 alongside a broad range of casual womenswear.
"I feel very confident that we can FASHION EXPOSED's rapidly growing urban, street and surfwear section welcomes Melbourne-based brand Bells Beach for the first time, while in childrenswear New Zealand label Y Mama Y makes a debut appearance, along with Queensland-based kidswear manufacturer Lou Cheevers, who has been designing and manufacturing her eponymous label for around two years.
Cheevers - who supplies around 80 boutiques Australia-wide - hopes to broaden the market for her boutique kids accessories.
She realised the popularity of the brand after placing an advertising campaign in consumer kidswear magazine Studio Bambini in March this year.
"Since then I've received around four calls a week from retailers wanting to get hold of my product," she explains.
Her range includes children's bloomers, wraps, bibs, blankets and hats with swimwear to be introduced for the first time this summer.
"I tend to concentrate on kid's accessories rather than clothing as the latter is very specialised. I leave the big players like Fred Bare to do that," she explains.
As well as new accounts, Cheevers will be on the look out for agents for Victoria and NSW.
"I'm hoping to write new business or at the very least add a few names to my database," she says.
Another new face at FASHION EXPOSED is Sydney-based womenswear label Firefly. Creative director Wendy Morton claims the expo is the best way to gain maximum exposure for the brand, adding, "I really want Firefly to become a well-recognised label."
Morton describes Firefly - which currently retails through around 80 boutiques across Australia - as "boho chic" and targeted at "sophisticated women of all ages."
"The label has a strong Indian influence, featuring silks and embroidered garments that represent a fusion of east and west," she explains.
Firefly also supplies accessories, including bags, wedge shoes and Indian slippers.
Renowned Perth-based designer Megan Salmon will show her recently launched accessories label dd by megan salmon accessories [sic] for the first time in preview.
"I'm hoping to use the accessories as a way of tapping into new markets such as gift shops, rather than solely supplying fashion boutiques," she explains, adding, "Accessories are less fickle and seasonal than fashion apparel."
dd by megan salmon accessories features around 30 styles, including shoulder wraps, shrugs, decorative aprons and scarves.
"I've used a lot of silk for the scarves but the main thrust of the collection is in knitted wool felt fabric that has an intricate, lacy finish," Salmon explains.
New Zealand based wholesaler Federated Pacific carries four women's clothing brands: Curve (targeted at the 18 to 35-year-old market), Juo (targeted at the 35-plus market), Shouq for 45-plus women and evening and occasionwear label Juo Glamour.
The company was acquired in August by entrepreneurs Kim and Warwick Owen, from former owners Clem and Jenny Wetzell, who have taken on a management consultancy role for the business.
Federated Pacific's new owners will concentrate on the company's winter range of eveningwear at FASHION EXPOSED, with Juo Glamour participating in Night & White, alongside Shouq.
Juo Glamour comprises three separate lines; partywear for 18-30 year old women, formalwear - incorporating evening wear and bridal partywear - and occasionwear, which director Kim Owen describes as "by far the fastest growing segment."
"Winter 04/05 has seen women in New Zealand quick to buy the range, due to its versatility," she claims.
According to Owen, the range has been put together for women who are "looking for something elegant, timeless, unique and yet very reasonably priced, for special occasions such as an evening at the theatre, opera, business dinners and formal evenings."
Juo Glamour's winter range emphasises dressed up glamour reminiscent of the opulence seen in the 1940's, featuring rose prints, devoré and brocade in a colour palette including plum, scarlet and platinum, she says.
"We are keen to support Fashion Exposed, and are looking forward to developing further long term relationships with our customers in the Australian market" she explains.

Encore performers
Sydney-based accessories wholesaler Buckle has an 83-year long history as a men's accessories specialist. This year's attendance at FASHION EXPOSED marks a change of direction for the company, as it will showcase women's accessories label Ecclisse by Buckle for the first time.
Launched a year ago, Ecclisse by Buckle will use FASHION EXPOSED to promote its women's accessories offering and will doubtless also use the event to promote two recently opened wholesale showrooms -- one each in Melbourne and Sydney -- established to enhance Ecclisse by Buckle's service to its broad suite of clients.
Melbourne-based womenswear label Geoff Bade has shown previously at preview and intends to garner new accounts through this September's event, claims sales representative Joanna Parkinson.
"While we don't tend to write business on the day it's a good way to showcase the product and attract potential buyers. We'll be showing the range the week immediately following FASHION EXPOSED so we can get people interested beforehand," she explains.
Sydney-based intimate apparel importer IM Imports showed at Sydney FASHION EXPOSED preview this year and hopes to repeat the "positive exposure" gained, claims media director Despina Michael.
"We're not aiming to write any business at the actual event, but it will be a case of meeting and greeting potential buyers and getting some potential leads," she claims.
"We've been around for 21 years, but it's always positive to get our name out there a bit more," she adds.
IM Imports wholesales around 28 lingerie brands to selected boutiques across Australia.
Three of these - French labels Aubade and Lise Charmel and Italian label Malizia - will be showcased at FASHION EXPOSED.
Queensland-based men's and women's casual and outerwear label Jacaru Australia hopes to find overseas distributors through the expo - primarily for South America and Canada, claims general manager Kevin Cummings.
He also hopes to "We tend to write a fair number of orders and Jacaru distributes its range - which includes iconic leather cowboy hats, oilskins, vests and polo shirts -- to more than 1000 outlets across Australia.
"We have a broad distribution base but it's still important to keep our name out there," explains Cummings.

Street, urban and surf
According to AEC's Marie Kinsella, FASHION EXPOSED's ever-popular street and urban and surfwear section continues to expand, with the number of exhibitors totalling around 38, up from 26 at the Sydney event this year.
"Street and urban and surfwear continues to be increasingly popular, particularly among mainstream retailers. It's really coming of age," she claims.
Labels include Sydney based labels Vovo International and Ultimate Apparel and Melbourne brands Icon Clothing and Jimmi Dexta.
Jimmi Dexta was founded 18 months ago and retails to around 400 outlets in Australia and leading New Zealand independents and majors and, claims director Carl Greco, has "something different to offer" consumers.
"I think a lot of urban and streetwear labels try to copy each other but we put our own handwriting on the product. For example the garments feature unique screen prints generated in house by our designer," he explains.
"We're really hoping to fly the flag in terms of getting our name out there to a broader audience," he adds.

Big hitters
Two of Melbourne's biggest branded apparel players, Austin Group and Pacific Brands and will make their regular mark on FASHION EXPOSED, featuring a broad range of branded apparel products
Pacific Brands aims to lure buyers to visit all of its wide range of stalls through the use of an innovative promotional strategy.
Visitors will be given a passport in order to collect stamps from each Pacific Brands stall they visit; the more stamps they collect the greater their chances of winning a holiday to the Whitsunday Islands.
The full array of Pacific Brand product will be on display with designated stalls for each of the labels. These include: Boydex, King Gee, Holeproof, Kayser, Bonds, Berlei, Jockey, Stubbies and Love Kylie, all of which will be featured in a group parade on Sunday September 4.
Pacific Brands will also hold an invite-only breakfast on September 5 with the aim of wooing business from high-end retailers and department stores.

International flair
FASHION EXPOSED is rapidly growing a reputation as Australia's largest all-encompassing business event for the fashion industry, while also attracting increasing numbers of visitors from Asia, Europe and Scandinavia.
Countries that have registered their attendance at FASHION EXPOSED include the USA, Vanuatu, the UK, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, South Africa, Philippines, Pakistan, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Nepal, Japan, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Egypt and China.
AEC's Marie Kinsella claims FASHION EXPOSED's inaugural designer initiative titled "Italian Design at preview" will further broaden the event's international scope.
This year's featured designer is Italian Renato Balestra, who will work in partnership with emerging designers from the fashion school at Melbourne's RMIT University to produce garments for FASHION EXPOSED's high fashion event preview.
Kinsella aims to broaden the scope of the initiative in years to come, by linking preview with a different country every year.
"The purpose of the designer initiative is to bring inspiration from other countries to FASHION EXPOSED," she claims.
"It's part of a strategy to put Australian fashion on the global map and to gain invaluable influences on Australian fashion from overseas," she adds.