Naked Zebra shares insight from Las Vegas trade shows in terms of traffic

Las Vegas - As the biggest trade event every year, the Las Vegas shows have transformed and evolved in terms of buyers and business. While the show started out with more business a couple years back, it's still a major event when it comes to new and elite fashion brands. FashionUnited decided to chat via email with emerging brand Naked Zebra on their experience this year in participating in Magic at Las Vegas. Michael Kim, sales manager of the brand, told FashionUnited of the ups and downs this year's show faced in terms of traffic and customer growth.

Tell us a little more about Naked Zebra and its philosophy.

Naked Zebra is committed to designing and producing closet essentials of trendy blouses, dresses, pants, and rompers in a rainbow of colors. Based in Los Angeles, we are one of the few companies that use our own custom-produced fabrics to create our clothing and 10% of all of our online sales go to LoveNumberOne.org, a charity to help children in need. In the past we have also donated to OC Rescue for Homeless Single Moms, Unicef, American Red Cross, St. Judes Children’s Hospital, and more. We are very devoted to helping those in need through our company and look to support local Los Angeles organizations as well.

Is this Naked Zebra's first time participating in Magic?

Not our first! We've been participating the past 8 years and look forward to coming back each year. We consider ourselves veterans at Magic and are excited each year to meet new potential customers. The show always provides great brand exposure for us.

From other buyers and exhibitors, we've heard that the trade show format is less 'busy' than it used to be. Do you think this is true?

Yes, we’ve noticed this the past few years. With consolidated internet wholesale sites and changing technology, customers are traveling less to the trade shows. Its much easier for them to view new styles online and many feel they do not need to come to the trade show.

Do you think that it has anything to do with the fact that retail has also been declining in recent years? How do you help combat this issue?

Definitely! Customers are filling their shopping carts up online and retailers are offering more promotions, hurting the traditional way of retail. We also sell direct to our consumers so we are still able to reach our customers organically.

How was the show been for Naked Zebra personally?

We always enjoy trade shows to get that customer interaction. We used to see hundreds of buyers per day so it has slowed down quite a bit. However, our sales have been strong and we are confident they will remain steady.

Why do you think it's important for emerging brands like your own to engage in the Las Vegas trade shows?

It’s so important for the exposure and getting customers familiar with Naked Zebra. Most importantly, it’s the feedback we receive to help us grow further, and ultimately for sales of course! The tradeshow is a great way for us to connect with customers.

Approximately how many new customers did you get in contact with through this show format?

We were in contact with about 30- 50 new customers this season and believe they will become very active customers with our company. The show format is still a great way for us to connect with new customers.

As for lasting thoughts, were there any trends you saw at the show this season?

It’s funny how fashion always comes full circle, we noticed a lot of vintage trends and 70s style fashion coming back.

Photo Source: Naked Zebra