FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATLANTA – October 20, 2022 – The October Atlanta Apparel market provided the first opportunity for buyers to source Spring/Summer 2023 fashions and place final orders for Winter and holiday immediates, October 11 – 15, at AmericasMart Atlanta.
“Atlanta Apparel exhibitors brought the Spring/Summer heat to Atlanta this October, and popular lines across contemporary, footwear, and resort categories were in high demand all week long,” said Caron Stover, International Market Centers (IMC) SVP, apparel. “Between the heavily attended fashion show and our successful first-time collaboration with The Atlanta Fabric Show, we closed out the year on a high note and look forward to another great year in 2023.”
Runway Model showcases trending resort wear and accessories at Atlanta Apparel Spring/Summer ’23 Fashion Show
October Market attendees traveled to Atlanta Apparel from 41 states and 3 U.S. territories, along with 6 international countries. More than 27% of the buyers were new to the market, and a high percentage of attendees hailed from the Southeast.
Spring/Summer ‘23 Sourcing
This October, Atlanta Apparel presented 350+ permanent showrooms and 300+ temporary exhibits, and celebrated the first full year of its temporary exhibit expansion to five floors. Buyers at the October edition of Atlanta Apparel focused their market efforts on stocking up for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2023 season, sprinkled in with a bit of holiday immediates and gift items.
Exhibitor Mackenzie Carter, wholesale account manager for Teleties, noted a busy market with many buyers discovering their brand in Atlanta and, “gearing up for the holidays and getting gift purchases in.”
Adolfo Perea, president of Shu Shop added that holiday immediates were popular this October.
“The October market was very strong. We had many last-minute shoppers coming in to get their holiday goods and start buying Spring,” said Perea. “This was our first time bringing our full Spring line to Atlanta, and it did well.”
Retailers Millie Giangrasso and Susan Stewart, co-founders of Nest Boutique in Asheville, NC, began sourcing for Spring with Atlanta Apparel showrooms this October and appreciated finding new lines.
“We found a few new brands in showrooms here that we haven’t had before in our stores and are excited to carry in the Spring,” added Giangrasso and Stewart. “The showrooms in Atlanta really create interpersonal relationships, they carry so many brands that we write with, and they take care of us very well.”
Locally-based retailer, Danean Macklin, Founder of Sandra Quinn Boutique in Norcross, GA, noted that as a small business, Atlanta Apparel allows her to gain access to new and existing wholesalers without having to travel to other cities.
“The convenience of Atlanta Apparel along with all of the resources here saves my business money in travel, lodging and food costs. Additionally, Atlanta continues to add sustainable exhibitors, and that is one of my must-have product categories,” said Macklin.
Spring/Summer ’23 Fashion Show, Market Party and Trend Education
Apparel buyers celebrated the final apparel buying event of the year at the highly-attended Atlanta Apparel Kickoff Party, with giveaways, interactive cocktail stations and lite bites, Wednesday evening.
On Thursday, buyers and brands lined John Portman Blvd. for the standing-room-only October Fashion Show, which previewed upcoming Spring/Summer 2023 trends. The safari-themed show featured 74 different looks, styled by Atlanta Apparel’s in-house stylists and long-time collaborator Mireille Beckwith of @City.Peach, along with complimentary jungle-themed cocktails and snacks.
Additionally, Atlanta Apparel provided buyers and brands with footwear and apparel trend educational seminars, presented by Footwear News and The Daily Front Row, Wednesday and Thursday of market, both of which were well attended.
The Atlanta Fabric Show
A first-time collaboration with The Atlanta Fabric Show extended business opportunities and added production resources for both buyers and exhibitors attending Atlanta Apparel. The Atlanta Fabric Show ran concurrently with Atlanta Apparel for two days, October 12-13.
Susan Power, Show Producer of The Atlanta Fabric Show, reported a successful experience for many notable fabric brands and intends to partners with Atlanta Apparel again in the future.
“What a great market! Partnering with Atlanta Apparel, we were able to meet Southeastern buyers interested in private label, such as Universal Orlando Resort and the Atlanta Ballet, and provide an opportunity for apparel exhibitors to meet with fabric suppliers,” said Power. “We are extremely grateful to IMC’s team for making our first Atlanta Fabric Show such a great experience. Our exhibitors and buyers are looking forward to our 2023 show.”
International Market Center’s (IMC’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. The next Atlanta Apparel Market is January 31 – February 4, 2023, (temporary exhibits February 1 – 3) at AmericasMart Atlanta. For information, visit www.atlanta-apparel.com.
About International Market Centers: International Market Centers (IMC) serves as the center of commerce for the wholesale furniture, gift, home decor and apparel industries. With more than 20 million square feet of premium wholesale showroom space in High Point, N.C., Las Vegas and Atlanta, IMC has more than 60 years of relationships and experience creating scalable business platforms for wholesale commerce. With the launch of Juniper, a fully integrated omnichannel B2B commerce solution and multiline B2B e-commerce marketplace empowering buyers and sellers to better manage and grow their business at markets and year-round, IMC now provides the only omnichannel sales and marketing platform that seamlessly connects physical and digital wholesale commerce. For more information, visit www.imcenters.com.
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Cathy Steel
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