LA Fashion Summit

Tonight I was a guest at the Fashion Business Incorporated LA Fashion Mixer/Summit, where pros got together on a panel and answered questions about the direction the fashion industry is headed over the next few years. The list of panelists included:

Ann Fong, from Trina Turk
Lonnie Kane, from Karen Kane
Steve Maiman, from Stony Apparel
Rob Greenspan, from Greenspan Consulting
Mark Rabkin, from Buchalter Nemer
Noel Massie, from UPS
Karalynn Sprouse, from MAGIC International

They talked about a wide range of topics, some of which (mostly the logistics bits) were a bit over my head, as LCS Designs isn't quite shipping product yet, but still, it was really good for me to listen to and at least attempt to absorb. A few things stuck out of the discussion though that I thought were really pretty interesting:

- The cost of manufacturing in China is rising (I guess this is a duh thing in the industry, but it's good to know...)
- The Chinese want AMERICAN MADE products (Hooray! LCS Designs wants to manufacture in the US!)
- The next big market in China will probably be high end goods priced below luxury (more good news...)
- Events are a swelling trend in the retail world (knew that, but still good to hear - that's my job!)
- Lead times are getting shorter and shorter (that's absolutely terrifying...)

Favorite quotes:
"Surround yourself with the right people." - Rob Greenspan

"If it ain't broke, fix it anyway." - Steve Maiman

"DON'T BREAK THE LAW." - Steve Maiman again (in reference to forged country of origin documents/shipping underhandedness)

I got a chance to talk to Karalynn Sprouse from MAGIC afterwards and she's a total sweetheart and was able to tell me a little bit more about trade shows and breaking into the industry. Thank you, Karalynn! And thanks to Frances Harder and the FBI for putting this all together!

Added plus, I met two super cute designers named Bruno and Martin. Martin has his own line in LA (eduardoreategui.com), and Bruno is in here making connections for his family's business in Italy. I love fashion...