If you lived through the 80’s, you are probably familiar with the term “preppy”, which usually referred to an Izod-shirt wearing crew of crisply attired, self-centered young men and women with a more conservative approach to dressing. Instead of sporting some of the faddish contemporary wholesale apparel like leg warmers, Chinese jackets and Sassoon jeans, the preppy crowd always looked “prepared” for success in pressed chinos and pastel-colored oxford shirts. Think Buffy and Biff in their Volvo convertible and you will get the picture.
A lot has changed since the 80’s. Instead of munching on Pop Rocks and listening bands like Culture Club and the Knack, today’s preps are more tuned into political and social issues. They’re just as competitive in academic and social circles too. And while they represent the lion’s share of spending on junior fashion apparel, they are less flamboyant than their peers. This group is extremely brand-conscious, hence their obsession with the recognizable moose and birds stitched onto their favorite clothing, but they stick to these labels because they are more widely acceptable as the “right” ones.
Unlike the “preppies” of previous generations, preps are not superficial; they are simply more conservative with their choice of colors and patterns. You will rarely see a prep wear black in their everyday clothing. They tend to choose contemporary apparel in shades of navy, pea green, maroon, cream and grey. Partly inspired by the luxury generation, preps are motivated by the appearance of wealth. Try buying a teenage prep a top from a department store that looks exactly like their favorite brand-name clothing and you will find yourself in line to return it a few days later.
Wholesale fashion apparel buyers know that to attract a wealthy “prep” audience, they must look for well-fitting brand name clothing in stripes and solids. Despite any claims they make to the contrary, preps care very much about their reputation, and any deviance from the junior clothing apparel labels approved by their crowd will make them feel like an outsider.
Tags: Contemporary Apparel, Contemporary Wholesale Apparel, Junior Fashion Apparel, Wholesale Fashion Apparel
What kind of event can attract an audience as diverse as the Duchess of York and Beyonce at a moments’ notice? If you’re guessing a fashion show, then you are correct, but this wasn’t just any fashion show. It was Naomi Campbell’s fundraiser to raise money for Haiti relief efforts. It was also a heartfelt tribute to fashion icon Alexander McQueen, who was found dead in his London apartment just the day before.
Supermodels like Helena Christensen, Karen Elson and Campbell herself proudly walked the runway in McQueen-designed contemporary wholesale clothing. Victoria Beckham described Alexander McQueen as a “master of fashion” in a recent interview, saying he made everything he touched beautiful.
Then in a post-show interview with CNN, Naomi Campbell said, “the public came out to this show, but it is not normally the public who attends a fashion show.”
She expressed her appreciation for all the amazing designers, who took time out from preparing their fall 2010 collections to select the right contemporary apparel for the show. Campbell herself has a special interest in the suffering women and babies in Haiti, which is why she chose to donate all the proceeds from this event to Care.org.
As a woman with a Jamaican heritage, Ms. Campbell is acutely aware of the desolation that Haitians must be facing, saying “I feel like my people are there.” She said [this event] is “something I’m doing to care for me” but it will only work with everyone’s collaboration and time. This is definitely the Naomi Campbell they don’t talk about in the supermarket tabloids.
As a part of New York’s Fashion Week, Fashion for Haiti was a huge success as both a fundraiser and a fashion show. With so many important designers descending on one event with such short notice, it was interesting to see what kind of fashion apparel wholesale they chose to display. But it is at spontaneous events like these that the best wholesale clothing apparel buyers get their inspiration for a season.
Tags: Contemporary Apparel, Contemporary Wholesale Clothing, Fashion Apparel Wholesale, Wholesale Clothing Apparel
The concept of “urban tribal” in the fashion world differs dramatically from its meaning in the modern vernacular. According to one urban dictionary, the term refers to the self-absorption of “city people”, who are more interested in getting ahead than they are in being polite, compassionate citizens, thus their ensuing relapse into primitive behaviors. But before you shun any fashion designer touted for their “urban tribal-inspired” collections, take a look at the latest contemporary wholesale clothing by Cynthia Rowley.
Wholesale fashion apparel buyers will be lining up for Rowley’s color-blocked jackets and motocross-inspired puffer coats, neck puffers and gloves, which are clearly a continuation of the urban tribal aesthetic seen last year in collections by Balenciaga. Models at Cynthia Rowley’s recent Gotham Hall show were trumped up with brightly colored hair weaves, as they sashayed down the catwalks in mini-dresses that were reminiscent of an intergalactic storm. Adding to the tribal beat were the Caribbean Island sounds of the modern dance band Preacher and the Knife, an ideal backdrop for Rowley’s parade of marled lace and silk tops with rainbow-colored fringe.
In a nod to her high-end customer’s demand for less glitz, Rowley got creative with feathers in this collection, with entries including a feather-covered cocktail dress and a feather-trimmed hood on one of her puffer jackets.
As wholesale juniors clothing buyers will certainly attest, Cynthia Rowley lets her personality come through in her pop-culture inspired collections. Look for her contemporary apparel to play an important role in fall fashions later this year.
Tags: Contemporary Wholesale Clothing, Wholesale Fashion Apparel, Wholesale Juniors Clothing
Hidden among the socialites, celebrities and fashion editors sitting in the front rows of Fashion Week runways is a pint-sized teenage girl wearing a large hat who has made a name for herself as a fashion blogger.
Not only is thirteen-year old Tavi Gevinson the muse behind Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s “Rodarte” for Target label, she also has graced the cover of several fashion magazines and even has her own column in Pop magazine. A fearless future fashion mogul in her own right, Tavi Gevinson is already known among the fashion elite for her quirky hats, and she takes in the top fashion shows from the same row as the most powerful fashion editors in the world. But a thirteen year-old girl becoming the new “darling” of the contemporary apparel fashion industry should come as no surprise when you consider how our Internet crazed culture has catapulted so many bloggers to international fame. Fashion bloggers have even provided inspiration for the designer collections of Marc Jacobs.
If the fashion clothing wholesale industry has ever had its own respected advocate, it is Tavi Gevinson. The young author of the popular Style Rookie blog has quite a following, and people have fallen in love with her unique style, wit and charm.
The future looks bright for this tiny thirteen year old girl. After all, how many people do you know who took a week off of school to be chaperoned to each and every venue of New York’s Fashion Week. Given what she has accomplished at such a young age, Tavi Gevinson is sure to play an important role in the future of wholesale juniors clothing.
Tags: Contemporary Apparel, Fashion Clothing Wholesale, Wholesale Juniors Clothing