WWDMAGIC Las Vegas has successful turnout for women's brands

WWDMAGIC just held its latest trade event at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Expanding this year with two new events including Accessories the Show and the WWD Content Studio, as well as focusing on growing its portfolio reach, the show was able to bring out a great turn of fashion professionals. The show took place from February 21-23 at Las Vegas. Kelly Hellman, Show Director of PROJECT WOMEN'S, WWDMAGIC & FAME chatted with FashionUnited about the experiences at this year's event.

How was the turnout for this year's event?

WWDMAGIC was a great success; booths and aisles were busy. The attendees appreciated our new show aesthetics, décor, DJ’s and trend displays. Plus, a super long Starbucks line is also a good sign of a busy show.

In what ways would you say WWDMAGIC is a crucial show for fashion industry professionals?

It is the largest women’s fashion event on the west coast and really the entire United States besides our sister show Coterie NY (almost identical in size) which targets brands and buyers that sell a higher price point of goods. WWDMAGIC gathers all of the industry heads (from brands and retailers) and creates the most noteworthy connect event for the mid-tier priced women’s commerce business. Buyers can shop all their favorite brands in one location rather than going to multiple showrooms or markets nationwide, ultimately saving costs.

What were some of the unique aspects of this WWDMAGIC show?

Within the WWDMAGIC show floor, you can shop trend/fast-fashion, accessories, footwear, children’s and service companies. Retailers can shop brands as established as Free People to small emerging brands that have yet to be discovered. We also offer informational seminars to educate the industry and cover key hot topics in our business. Brands also have the opportunity to source new manufacturers, trim companies and several various resources to produce their products at our neighboring show Sourcing at MAGIC while WWDMAGIC is happening.

Any interesting new fashion trends seen on the show floor?

Denim is big, LITERALLY. No longer are your jeans tight or tapered, or your denim jackets fitted. The larger the better. Oversized boyfriend denim jackets were everywhere and jeans were all straight (no more skinnies). New WWDMAGIC brand EVIDNT showed culottes and bell style denim, along with straight leg frays and flares. Denim brand Pistola debuted oversized denim coats and lose fitting overalls.

Do you think Vegas is an ideal city for WWDMAGIC to take place?

Yes and each show the industry proves just that. Brands and Retailers enjoy coming to Vegas twice a year to connect with the industry and do business. MAGIC started in Palm Springs as a non-profit which proved to not be the best location for the show, while Vegas has been nothing but a huge draw. We are able to offer our attendees great hotel rates making it more affordable than most destinations nationwide.

How has the fashion environment in Vegas evolved over the past couple of years?

I remember when I started with MAGIC 11 years ago, all of our shows fit in the 3 halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Now we take all of that plus the space at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for Project, Project Women’s, Collective, The Tents, MR, Curve and Stitch. It is pretty incredible. We are over a million square feet. Hence why we break the MAGIC marketplace into smaller shows to create an easy and distinct shopping experience for buyers.

How does WWDMAGIC continue to engage with professionals in the industry?

We make sure to not just do our 2 major Las Vegas shows each year, but now we are also hosting connect events in major cities throughout the year to bring the industry together. Whether that be a brand/retail dinner in Dallas, a complimentary food truck during LA Market week or a NYC cocktail event, it is important we do our job to keep our attendees constantly in touch and doing business. We also now have shopthefloor.com which allows our buyers to shop our brands all year long and not just at the shows.

What can we expect for future shows for WWDMAGIC?

WWDMAGIC is evolving more than ever. We will continue to upgrade the show floor experience by being innovative, inspiring and relevant. Fashion is always evolving and it is our job to do the same. We will continue to create more affordable opportunities for emerging brands and new educational seminars for the attendees. This show will not only be a strong platform to do business, but a must-attend event to make connections, seek new trends, educate yourself and ultimately, feel moved by the lifestyle.

Photos: WWDMAGIC