Apr 22, 2024

Apparel, Formal Markets launch autumn/winter 2024

ANDMORE presented overlapping season-break markets — Atlanta Apparel and Formal Markets — showcasing the top autumn/winter 2024 styles across contemporary apparel, accessories, bridal, homecoming and more with intentional buying reported across the markets, which ran April 9-12 at AmericasMart Atlanta (Formal Markets April 9-11).

“ANDMORE’s Apparel and Formal Markets once again have effectively connected sellers with focused buyers across key apparel categories, as well as bridal, homecoming and quinceañera,” said Caron Stover, senior vice president of apparel at ANDMORE. “In true ANDMORE fashion, we continue to bring together dedicated retailers and exhibitors and to solidify the Southeast as the go-to sourcing destination for all things apparel and formalwear.”

The concurrent apparel and formal markets attracted visitors from 42 states and 10 countries, with the Southeast and Midwest drawing the highest attendance rates. Notably, 20% of buyers at the April markets were new to Atlanta.

ANDMORE cites strong order-writing

April Atlanta Apparel showcased the latest cool-weather styles, summer immediates and accessories across its more than 350 temporary exhibits and 475 permanent showrooms. Top categories sourced at the April buying event included: accessories, denim, contemporary and young contemporary apparel and shoes.

“Our market experience this week has been great. Fleet Plummer has been in business for 75 years and I have been a buyer for five of those years, and we always come to every Atlanta show,” said Shawna Hart of Fleet Plummer in Greensboro, North Carolina. “We have had so much success finding new lines which was exciting.”

According to ANDMORE, brands reported robust order writing spanning across diverse geographic regions, as hundreds of buyers traveled to Atlanta to engage with notable exhibitors, fostering ongoing relationships.

“We are really impressed with the caliber of customers that we have here in Atlanta. They are relationship driven, appointment driven and they buy with gusto,” said Michael Singer, co-owner of Brad Hughes Showroom.

In addition to sourcing, the Atlanta Apparel kickoff party buzzed in the Building 3 atrium with an Autumn/Winter 2024 trend vignette to provide buying inspiration as buyers and brands celebrated sourcing the new season in Atlanta.

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 June 4 – 7, 2024. For more information, visit www.Atlanta-Apparel.com.

Homecoming, Quinceañera & Bridal

Formal Markets models showcase top bridal, homecoming and prom styles.

Formal Markets showcased over 250 individual collections across AmericasMart Atlanta’s permanent showrooms and temporary exhibits, bringing thousands of social occasion buyers together to source at the semi-annual presentation.

“Atlanta is my go-to location for sourcing. Everything from the exhibitor displays to the convenience of having all the brands I need to see under one roof allows me to get my work done better and faster,” said buyer David Ramcharan, CEO of Alexander Couture Bridal.

Buyer Erica Eickhoff, owner of Styles by Erica in Yankton and Vermillion, SD, noted sourcing across both general apparel and formal categories, with growth in her most newly launched category, formalwear.

“We launched formalwear in the store in December 2023, and the return has been amazing. We came to Atlanta this April to source both formalwear and womenswear, and I was blown away by the homecoming resources available,” Eickhoff said. “This market was a 10-out-of-10 experience and we will be back as we dive into more formalwear.”

According to ANDMORE, brands reported connecting to a strong and dedicated Southeastern buyer population, writing orders with both new accounts and connecting with existing accounts.

Beyond exhibits, Formal Markets launched its new semi-annual fashion event, the Revolving Runway, showcasing 40 looks across bridal, mother-of-the-bride, flower girl and men’s. Market education, including the full-day, pre-market Mon Cheri Academy presentation, also had full attendance, with buyers noting the importance of curated market events.