It's been several months since I attended the Premiere Vision NY textile show back in July and I've been meaning to blog about it back in the Fall but have been bombarded with work and exciting surprises that I'll share with you all in a later post.
All I can say about this textile tradeshow is if you're not a big company then don’t go. As my husband and I walked from booth to booth to source fabrics from all over the world, we were greeted, by most, in a friendly manner and had the pleasure of being sarcastically complimented by a gentleman on the choice of fabric I decided to use for one of my ties. This gentleman, a European salesman, commented on one of my fave denim ties as a “peculiar” choice of fabric. Anyhow, I digress...let me proceed with the Boarded Hall experience of the show.
As I mentioned if you're not big then don’t go. There were some great booths with Japanese denim or fabrics that I would have loved to purchase, but the minimum orders were for retailers who are making mass collections and likely have warehouses and factories that are making their clothing. They do not cater to someone making smaller, limited run collections (like Boarded Hall). Having said that, I met some great people working at a fantastic textile manufacturer called UNI Textile Co. in Japan, with whom I’ve developed a working relationship that I know will last a long time. They helped me along the way and were ever so kind for a textile tradeshow virgin such as myself. The end result was that I procured several fabrics that would compose my next collection: From Japan with Love.
The process was very new to me. I first noticed, nestled among the throngs of samples, the fabrics pictured below on the far left and instantly fell in love with the print. They shipped me samples of all the fabrics that I was interested in, and they arrived within a few days (middle picture). After scouring through the fabrics and trying to put together a cohesive spring collection that captured the essence of Boarded Hall, I decided on 4 fabrics (far right). My experience with this one vendor was amazing, and, as I said, resulted in a great working relationship. Although the majority of the expo is not for small-timers as myself, I don't regret the experience, having met individuals/companies that appreciate fashion on all levels!
