SHOW REVIEW: CALA MEN’S SHOW
The Fall edition of the CALA Men’s Show, held February 18-19 at the Embassy Suites in Irvine, CA, had something for everyone, with new and existing brands offering fresh looks. The show cemented itself as the only viable men’s clothing show committed to better men’s stores on the West Coast.
CALA Men’s Show had everything from California lifestyle and sportswear to cool sports shirts, West Coast-inspired T-shirts, and outerwear. A sampling of vendors included 34 Heritage, Bugatchi, Johnnie-O, Patrick Assaraf, Serica/Polifroni, and wax-based fragrances by Fulton & Roark.
Retail attendees included Ascot Shop, Avedon, Carriere, Garys, Sy Devore, J David, and Patrick James. “The CALA Men’s Show is the only men’s trade show we attend,” said Paul Mon Pere, General Merchandise Manager at Patrick James, Fresno, CA. Mon Pere added, “I was able to see a lot of lines in two days. Mattarazi Uomo and Thermostyle showed some great new outerwear items. Eterna shirts and Scott Barber also looked strong.”
“The ease and convenience of the show was a welcome experience,” said Thomas Malvino, CEO of Louis Thomas Fine Men’s Apparel, Corte Madera, CA. who added, “With the distance of Chicago and Dallas being a problem for some retailers and the lack of our vendors attending the Las Vegas shows, CALA has become an important show.”
CALA Men’s is the only show J. David’s Custom Clothiers, Santa Clarita, CA, said they need to attend. “We picked up some new and exciting brands like Danini shirts and leather and canvas bags from Boconi that we ordered at once,” said Jeannie Slitzky, Manager/Buyer of J. David’s Custom Clothiers. She added that Mattarazi had a sleek, clean, 100% wool and weatherproof jacket that she loved and purchased.
The Alpine and Jackson Plaid Summit Shirt Jackets w/ Sherpa Lining from True Grit were turning buyer heads “CALA Men’s Show remains an important part of our sales and marketing campaign and we will continue to be a show sponsor,” said Michael Kofoed, partner of True Grit.
“Attending the CALA show continues to prove to be an immensely productive experience, standing out as one of the most impactful regional tradeshows that Johnnie-O attends on the West Coast,” said Catherine Ashworth, Sales Executive-West, Johnnie-O.
“CALA was the perfect place to showcase Boconi’s latest collections of high-quality leather accessories at attainable price points with healthy markups. The show was a win for Boconi and our new retail partners,” said Carolyn C. Benitez, Sr. Sales & Merchandising exec at Boconi.
“Our agency ended up having the best writing show in years,” said Ken Haruta, show director and brand representative for Marcoliani. “This season, we will increase our sock business by 20%. Our new Invisible Sneaker sock was on every order, thanks to the micro cushion technology that adds comfort and stays in place. All told I was quite pleased with the assortment of brands exhibiting and even happier with the number of retailers who supported the show.”