ATLANTA – August 8, 2023 – ANDMORE’s overlapping August markets — Atlanta Apparel and Formal Markets, July 31 – August 5 at AmericasMart Atlanta — reflected healthy buying across contemporary, children’s, bridal and prom categories, with an increased number of buyers and brands beginning to source and launch early Spring.
“ANDMORE is at the forefront of industry trends and networking connections. The energy of the overlapping formal and apparel markets could be felt across all 14 floors at AmericasMart Atlanta and buyer enthusiasm is showing no signs of slowing,” said Caron Stover, ANDMORE SVP, apparel. “There were reports of larger-than-ever orders being written across contemporary women’s apparel, children’s apparel and bridal and prom categories, with the combined markets offering more sourcing resources, more education and more face-to-face connections.”
Strong attendance from the combined apparel and formal markets drew attendees from 47 states as well as 26 international countries, with strongest attendance from the Southeast and Midwest. ANDMORE also reported 20% of buyers at the August market as first-time attendees.
Atlanta Apparel buyers and brands close out Winter and Holiday seasons; launch early Spring 2024
Buyers source holiday and immediate Fall/Winter at Atlanta Apparel’s first floor temporary exhibits
August Atlanta Apparel showcased a breadth and depth of the newest styles across its 450+ temporary exhibits and 410+ permanent showrooms, with emphasis on popular categories: accessories, children’s, holiday and resort. Buyers previewed highlights of upcoming styles in the signature Atlanta Apparel Kickoff Party’s live model presentation, showcasing 12 looks with popular resort trends such as crochet, halter tops, relaxed sets, bucket hats, shell jewelry, miniskirts and vacation shirts.
Buyers praised the overwhelming ease and product range as well as the market’s signature Southern hospitality. Kelly Terracina, owner of Three Sisters Boutique in Williamsburg, VA, said, “Atlanta is my favorite market for its variety in vendors, styles and age ranges we can dress. We source clothing, accessories, shoes and more for college-aged women through retirement and are so pleased with all the products we found at Atlanta Apparel.”
Lana Johnson, owner of Panache Boutique in Bay City, MI and Bluffton, SC, added, “Atlanta Apparel has everything we need and we don’t really need to go anywhere else. I’m so glad we came and we will definitely come back again.”
Brands also experienced strong order writing, with many buyers beginning to source early Spring while wrapping up the last of their immediate and holiday orders.
First-time exhibitor, Katie Walters, CEO of contemporary women’s brand Francis + Benedict, said, “We’ve only been in two boutiques in Charleston, and this is our first time trying to sell wholesale. We exceeded every expectation and did really, really well. We even had our first $10,000 order, which I never expected to get.”
Long-time showroom tenant, Veronica Burrous, owner of Milk + Honey, said, “We just celebrated 10 years in business here at AmericasMart in April, and we had yet another amazing show this August. We launched Spring for a lot of our brands, which was helpful because we can deliver earlier for them. We had more appointments than we had in August last year, and overall, the market was very good. We always have really busy shows in Atlanta.”
The children’s category, which presents temporary exhibits twice annually, reported notable growth in both showrooms and temporary exhibits with a busy 13th floor across all market days.
Children’s temporary exhibits present the newest Spring/Summer 2024 styles
Veteran children’s exhibitor, Karen Anderson, sales representative for MIA NY, reported writing more orders than ever before in her three years with the brand.
“This market has been astounding. I’ve never I’ve really never seen anything like this one. You can see from my stack of orders, I literally have not stopped writing all day. It’s the best show we have had since I’ve been repping MIA NY,” said Anderson.
Children’s buyer, Virginia Barnes, owner of Milby’s Just Kids in Richmond, VA, added, “We source apparel and accessories strictly in Atlanta because everybody we want to see is here. Milby’s just celebrated 75 years in business, and we have been sourcing in Atlanta for 25 of those years and look forward to coming back in February.”
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. The next edition of Atlanta Apparel runs October 10 – 14. For more information, visit www.Atlanta-Apparel.com.
Social occasion and bridal categories thrive at August market
The new Allure Bridals and Portia and Scarlett showroom at Formal Markets presents standing-room-only fashion show
Formal Markets showcased over 180+ individual collections across AmericasMart Atlanta’s permanent showrooms and temporary exhibits, making it Atlanta’s largest-to-date formal showcase and the biggest social occasion market in the country this August. Brands reported having incredible markets with large-scale orders from national and international buyers.
“Social occasion is an electric category, and the proof is in the number of buyers and brands we welcomed to Atlanta this August,” added ANDMORE’s Stover. “Retailers are hungry for new and trendy products across all price points, and exhibitors continue to exceed expectations with inventory.”
Buyer Jennifer Fox, Marketing Director of The Bridal Collection in Centennial, CO, noted bringing her largest team to-date.
“We get to see all of the brands we want in Atlanta which is why we bring such a large team – to divide and conquer. In doing so, we are placing our largest orders to date this week,” added Fox.
Sydney Howard, buyer at Savvi Formalwear and Savvi Prom in Raleigh, NC, said, “Formal Markets is overwhelming in the best way possible because there’s so much product. There is a new exhibitor or astonishing design around every corner and you just don’t know what surprises to expect on each floor. Even the designers that don’t have higher price points are still bringing a lot to the table, which we really appreciate. We carry an array of different price ranges and Formal Markets has everything we need to fill all of those demands.”
The bridal and formal markets continue to grow through partnerships across prom and bridal brands. Portia and Scarlett, now partnered with Allure Bridals, made its co-located debut at the August Market.
Nikki Deeds, global brand manager of Allure Bridals, said, “Our partnership with Portia and Scarlett has been really well received. Buyers are excited not only to keep the integrity of the brands and the designs of Portia and Scarlett, a brand that’s really made a huge splash in the prom industry, but also to have one location where to buy bridal as well. Allure has been in business for over 25 years and this partnership made sense to launch in Atlanta.”
Deeds added that the business conducted this market has been very strong, with reports of appointments before market began and after hours every day of the show.
Beyond exhibits, the Formal Markets signature fashion show had standing-room-only attendance, with retailers and exhibitors excited to preview and showcase the upcoming trends from top brands across the market. The runway fashion show showcased 83 looks featuring bridal, quinceañera and prom best sellers.
Formal Markets now presents its collection of bridal, prom, quinceañera, mother-of-the-bride, accessories, homecoming and special occasion lines three times annually: March and August in Atlanta and August in Las Vegas. The next edition of Formal Markets runs August 14-16, 2023, in Las at The Expo at World Market Center Las Vegas. For more information, visit https://www.formalmarkets.com
About ANDMORE: 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. www.ANDMORE.com
###
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Amanda Merritt
Cathy Steel