Robust Sourcing Across Holiday and Immediate Categories
ATLANTA, GA – August 6, 2024 – The August edition of Atlanta Apparel closed with reports of solid business and strong Holiday and immediate order writing across young contemporary and contemporary categories throughout the four-day market, July 30 – August 2, 2024, at AmericasMart Atlanta.
“August is one of the most important markets – it allows retailers to close out their end-of-year orders, restock current needs, and prepare for upcoming Holiday and Resort needs,” said Caron Stover, ANDMORESM SVP, apparel.
The anticipation of this market was palpable, with both social occasion and general apparel exhibitors hosting a rush of pre-market appointments. The August Atlanta Apparel market, which overlapped with Formal Markets’ semi-annual showcase in Atlanta, welcomed attendees from 28 international countries and 47 states, with 75% of overall market attendees visiting from the Southeast. Nearly 20% of Atlanta Apparel attendees were first-time buyers to the market.
Atlanta Apparel presented nearly 3,300 brands across showrooms and temporary exhibits on 11 separate floors in Building 3. Both showrooms and temporary exhibits noted the importance of a reliable Southeastern-based market.
“Atlanta is the show that helps us maintain our Southeastern clients – one of our largest clientele. We come back and see both new and returning clients at every single market, and they always know they can find us here, as well,” said Doe & Rae sales representative Linsey Ta-Luong. “The August market was a good one for us, especially since we sold our largest order of the market in the first hour on opening day.”
Tina McMillen, owner of contemporary loungewear brand and showroom, PJ Harlow, added, “Southern women built the PJ Harlow brand. It was here in Atlanta where we exploded. This August market has been really good for the brand, and we can see the excitement in buyers shopping and looking for new products again.”
Apparel buyer, Brooke Thomas, owner of Ginger Bee Boutique in Aiken, SC, posted on Instagram about her successful trip to Atlanta Apparel, adding new Fall and Holiday trends and noting in the comments that she will be back in October to continue sourcing for the next season.
Alongside apparel and formal, Atlanta Apparel presented its semi-annual showcase of Children’s this August, with 270+ brands across permanent showrooms and temporary exhibits across Floor 13 of Building 3.
Children’s buyer, Jordan Califf, owner of Toads & Teacups Children’s Shop in Valdosta, GA, said, “We scheduled our time really well this market, didn’t have to rush to shop, and were able to see all our vendors for Spring and Easter apparel. We come to market twice-per-year to source Children’s, and it is the only market we come to source. We are looking forward to coming back in February and seeing what’s new for the next season,” said Califf.
As an added benefit to buyers this August, ANDMORE’s Formal Markets crossed over with Atlanta Apparel from July 30 to August 2, presenting an additional 200+ collections in temporary exhibits on Floor 5 and in permanent showrooms on Floors 10, 12, and 14. This provided four days of cross-sourcing opportunities for attendees.
In addition to exhibits, daily market activations and events were well attended, increasing the positive energy flowing across Building 3 and introducing buyers to experience new brands, celebrate sourcing and enjoy their overall market experience.
McMillen added, “The embroidering event in our showroom, partnered with Atlanta Apparel, was fantastic. It brought so many people to the showroom who showed a genuine excitement with the market and our product, not to mention, it was a blast.”
The next Atlanta Apparel market, featuring the season break and trend education for Spring/Summer 2025, runs Tuesday, October 15 – Friday, October 18, at AmericasMart Atlanta. Permanent showrooms and temporary exhibits are open every day from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., except on Friday, when temporary exhibits close at 2 p.m.. Market information and registration is at atlanta-apparel.com/.
ANDMORE’s five Atlanta Apparel markets feature the latest looks in contemporary, young contemporary, women’s modern, shoes, fashion accessories and more, plus specialty categories such as children’s and plus-size at AmericasMart Atlanta. Atlanta Apparel is owned and operated by ANDMORE, formerly International Market Centers. For more information, visit Atlanta-Apparel.com.
About ANDMORESM: ANDMORE formerly International Market Centers, is an Omnichannel Wholesale Marketmaker that fuels opportunities for wholesale buyers and sellers to connect, grow and prosper through physical markets, design centers and digital channels. The company owns and operates more than 20 million square feet of premium event and showroom space, hosting live events in Atlanta, High Point, N.C., Las Vegas and New York City. By pairing face-to-face events with always-on digital tools, ANDMORE provides truly omnichannel business platforms for its global wholesale customer base. ANDMORE.com
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Media Contacts Apparel Markets:
Amanda Merritt, 404.884.5061 or amerritt@andmore.com
Cathy Steel, 203.340.9251 or cathysteel@cathysteelassociates.com