to the What`s Hot Now, Fall/Winter 2005 PDF

WHAT’S
TREND REPORT
W
O
N
t
o
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Armanda Texidor, A New View Maternity
Bringing in fresh merchandise between December and March is important,
and attending the upcoming August market is a must!
®
bohemian
This season you will be swept away by the soft and feminine look of bohemian
styling. Tiered peasant skirts, tunics and smocked sundresses in gauzy
fabrics will fill the racks. Everything will glitter in gold and silver, with lots of
decorative embroidery, velvet trim and beads.
lingerie/sleep
You will also see growth in the lingerie/sleep category. New designers have
moved away from the basics and have brought you colored lace bras, satin
camisoles and underwear that is seamless and tag-less. Even the basics
aren’t basic! Full support bras in cool blue and camisoles with clear straps
lead the pack. You can pick up cozy spa robes, as well as sleepwear that is
pretty, feminine, useful and rarely a self-purchase.
Fall 2005
INSIDE
www.charlottebloom.com
tees
The new relaxed tee is a pleasant change. Look for tops to be longer, with
neckline details, gathered shoulders and loosely fitted hemlines.
Expand Your
Horizons
Designer Profile
denim
The denim trend is still strong, with both light and dark washes making a
statement. The vintage washes also incorporate tears, rips and natural
fringes. The traditional trouser can now be found in denim for the “Casual
Friday” working woman.
Family Business
Take Note: Paper
Products Are Hot!
Plan to get to market in August. The fashions are all so
pretty, you’ll have a great time!
HOW TO REACH US
CONTACT: Julia Beck
PHONE:
212.455.1471
EMAIL:
Julia.beck@
americanbaby.com
www.maternalamerica.com
PUBL I S H E D B Y
®
Mom to mom. Woman to woman.TM
T
we are launching our Web site to keep you connected and informed, americanbaby.com/abma.
Here in our second issue, we’re focusing on a more complete retail mix of fashion,
accessories and personal care, plus special offers from our advertisers. We’re here to help
you succeed with unique promotional programs and giveaways. Be sure to fill out the in-store
promotion form on our Web site (and be entered to win a Maclaren stroller and carrier for in-store
giveaway or $100 gift certificate for you) to take advantage of these opportunities.
We applaud your efforts and dedicate ourselves to helping you grow.
The Business of
Breastfeeding
pants
Be aware that the length and shape of pants is changing. Some pants have
turned into skirts with the rebirth of the gaucho look. Cuffs on crop pants or
wide bells are important. Utility pants with drawstrings and ruching are still
popular.
pallette
Colors are rich and vibrant for the upcoming seasons.
Chocolate continues as a base for cool turquoise,
sunflower yellow and hot pink. Green, in all shades, is still
very fresh. Peach and tangerine look beautiful. And coral
red is selling very well.
THIS ISSUE
The American Baby Maternity Alliance has been busy! Thanks to your enthusiastic feedback,
Norma Blatto
Publisher, American Baby
Trend Report
www.duetdesigns.com
EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS
Add Categories, Add Profit
Trine Etoll, Two Generations
T
The days of single-category
retailers are quickly becoming
a thing of the past. Maternity
boutique owners across the
country are discovering a
smart strategy: selling gifts
and accessories for both
mothers and babies.
A maternity boutique
should not only offer
the best in fashion for
a pregnant woman, but
something for every stage
of her life. If your customer
sees a fabulous selection of
gift items when she shops
for maternity clothes, she’ll
return again and again to pick up
the perfect shower or birthday
present. And those gifts serve as
great, free advertising to people
who may never have thought to
come into your store.
www.fortyweeks.com
Vendors are watching as
retailers add more categories
to their stores, and making sure
that they have something to
offer, too. Look for Pregnancy
Survival Kits from Belly Basics
in bright boxes, and Boy? Girl’s
baby onesies in baby blue
or pink Chinese-style
take-out boxes. There is
an outstanding selection
of gifts and layette now
available, from quirky
and funky lines to classic
items.
High-end maternity
boutique owners have
evolved from mom-and-
www.buddingfamily.com
pop shopkeepers to highly
astute entrepreneurs looking
for creative merchandise
options to offer their
customers. These retailers are
adding categories, adding to
the bottom line, and having
more fun than ever! ❉
DESIGNER PROFILE
Emilia Fabricant
French for “gift,” Cadeau is the brainchild of retail executive Emilia Fabricant. Formerly with
Barneys New York, she launched the label in 2002. We recently spoke with Emilia about her
luxurious, fashion forward, comfortable maternity wear.
Q. Your collection reflects an exceptional level of sophistication and
fashion. What sparks your creativity?
A. For me, the inspiration always begins with the unique and beautiful fabrics I find in
Europe. Then the collection seems to evolve from there in a very organic way as most
collections do, with a natural progression in fashion and trends.
www.cadeaumaternity.com
Q. How does your retail presence in L.A. and New York help boutiques
with the line?
A. Having the retail world keeps me in touch with my customer. I receive first-hand reactions, both positive and negative,
and that helps me improve and evolve the collection every season. The customer is my most important asset in design and fit.
Being able to have bi-coastal flagship stores allows me to educate the customer on what Cadeau is all about, therefore increasing the brand’s visibility and credibility. This directly supports the boutiques in
which Cadeau is sold.
Q. What makes an ideal Cadeau retail partner? Where have
you seen the greatest success? Trunk shows? Merchandising?
A. The best retail partner is someone who believes in the collection and values having it in their store.
Q. What does the future hold for Cadeau?
A. We’re launching a regular, ready-to-wear line, Cadeau Black Label, for Fall
Hottip
Many people thought I was crazy for
going into business with my mother.
But when I saw that my friends were
having a hard time finding fun, trendy
maternity clothing in the Detroit
area and decided to open a maternity shop, my mother was more than
excited to help. I knew that, with
her retail experience and her great
sense of style, she would be the perfect partner for this venture. Over the
past year in business, we’ve learned
a lot about what it takes to work with
a family member and still like her at
the end of the day.
www.americanbaby.com/abma
to fill out the American Baby
in-store promotion form
When You’re Your Mother’s Boss!
Emily Cohen, Bella Belli
How to maintain a successful,
family business relationship:
1. Have different responsibilities.
My mother handles the advertising,
graphics and errands and I handle
almost everything else. This balance keeps our working relationship
peaceful.
2. Have set schedules. This relationship works much better when
each partner knows when the other
is working.
3. Learn to keep business as business and personal as personal (much
easier said than done). Learn to not
Paper Products Are Hot!
www.loralindesign.com
Lisa Sommer, Pulp Factory
T
There has been an infusion of fresh, hip paper and
novelty products in the baby/maternity category.
Capitalize on this trend by adding a selection of thank
you notes, invitations, announcements and pregnancy
journals to your boutique.
Designs are more fun than ever with embellishments,
glitter and adorable illustrations. Always include gender-specific as well as
gender-neutral choices and consider allowing your customers to personalize their
invitations, thank-yous and announcements. Companies that offer fabulous paper
items for mom and baby include Robyn Miller Design, Booked, and Pulp Factory
with its new Pregnant Girl’s Life and New Mom’s Life journals.
Besides apparel, paper products are among
the most dynamic categories in the maternity
market today. A customer’s paper needs follow
her throughout her 10-month experience, first
with pregnancy calendars, shower invitations and
thank you notes, and then baby announcements
and new mom books. Your customer will be
looking for these items during her pregnancy, so
offer her the opportunity to buy from you first
www.pulpfactory.com
while you increase your average sale! ❉
Visit our site at
2005. About 15% of our retail sales are to non-maternity customers. Stores love
the look and customers want to keep wearing the quality and design. ❉
FAMILY BUSINESS
TAKE NOTE:
talk business all the time when outside of work. Make sure to schedule
time together that has nothing to do
with the store.
It’s always a learning process
when working with family, but for us
-- so far so good!! ❉
SPECIAL OFFERS FOR YOUR STORE
Preggie Pops and Preggie Pop Drops
The original morning sickness remedy. A highimpact way to drive in a first trimester customer,
our intro package includes a 10% credit towards
promotional inventory, brochures and a listing on
our active website. Call 818.704.422 for more
information or to order.
NutraBella launches Bellybar
A delicious nutritional snack bar for
women before, during and after
pregnancy, all-natural Bellybar flavors include Mellow Oat,
Berry Nutty Cravings and Baby Needs Chocolate. Mention ABMA
for free shipping on your first full case order: 800.95.BELLY.
www.NutraBella.com.
The REAL DEAL on BreastfeedingTM
Straight Talk Video Guide By Moms, For Moms.
Shows modern moms how to make breastfeeding
work. Get from “Ouch!” to “Aha!” with comprehensive
lactation consultation, doctor Q & A, mom-to-mom
advice and easy to understand demos. Special
offer: buy 10, get 1 free with order code ABMA.
THE BUSINESS OF
BREASTFEEDING
Good for Baby, Good for
the Bottom Line
Katie Fogarty and Meghan O’Hara
Real Deal Videos
B
Breastfeeding is big business. The
numbers tell the story: nearly
75 percent of new moms try
breastfeeding. That’s a renewable
market of millions needing nursing
bras, nursing wear and a slew of
breastfeeding accessories.
Maternity retailers are heeding the
call, stocking chic, stylish nursing bras
and hip, highend nursing
wear. Adding
nursing wear
and accessories
helps retailers
preserve their
c u s t o m e r
base after the www.realdealvideos.com
pregnancy
months and prevents shoppers from
migrating to baby gear stores for highmargin nursing accessories.
Nursing may be natural, but it’s not
always easy. Retailers eager to cultivate
this customer base should consider
offering products or services that
nurture the breastfeeding experience.
Think “outside of the shopping bag”
and offer services such as lactation
consultations, breastfeeding support
groups and pump sales/rentals. Give
women reasons to return to your store
again and again. Remember, foot
traffic equals sales.
Offer moms access to must-have
tools for breastfeeding success and
an extended nursing relationship.
Resources as different as the au
courant video guide, The Real Deal on
BreastfeedingTM can happily co-exist
with the classic book, The Nursing
Mother’s Companion in a breastfeeding
showcase. Also, products that
represent recurring purchases such as
breast pads bring mom back time after
time. Finally, pampering products
such as nursing salves tell customers
that you understand moms sometimes
need babying, too. ❉