Designers & Agents Scores With Exhibitors and Retailers

Designers & Agents, the three-day trade show held at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in New York, got a thumbs-up from both retailers and exhibitors.

The show, which ended Sunday, featured 213 brands exhibiting fashion-forward sportswear and accessories for spring ’25.

According to Ed Mandelbaum, president of Designers & Agents, 55 percent of the exhibitors were from outside the U.S., and 45 percent were from the U.S. Some 62 percent were ready-to-wear brands, and 38 percent accessories. He said the show was 5 percent bigger than a year ago.

“We have such a big return rate [of exhibitors], said Meryl Mandelbaum, creative director. “We believe in every collection in the show, and we’re casting a wider net.” She noted that in addition to all its European exhibitors, there was a whole area at the show with a different vibe, one that’s young and creative.

Calling the show “user-friendly,” she said there’s always something new to discover. “It’s the community of designers and our retail audience. We see it putting the right collection in front of the right stores. We’re not about scale, scale. We’ve very invested in their success and the show is very curated.”

Abbie Durkin and Diane Jankovsky, owner and buyer, respectively, of Palmer & Purchase, a women’s specialty store with units in Rye, N.Y., Larchmont, N.Y. and Westhampton, N.Y., were shopping for elevated accessories with a twist. Jankovsky said they came to see various handbag brands such as Dragon Diffusion and Serpui. “We always find something new at this show,” she said. They also bought pajamas from Domi at the show.

“We do enjoy this show for all the European brands you can’t see at the other shows. We always find the right things,” said Jankovsky.

Durkin, who founded Palmer & Purchase in 2010, said, “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Owning a small business, that’s what we’re looking to find.” She said she was shopping D&A for Mother’s Day gifts, special items and accessories that everyone doesn’t have.

Serpui, a Brazilian brand showing at D&A, specializes in wicker bags. The company is known for its animals and fun shapes and never repeats styles. It also offers bags with beaded chains, which can be worn as a necklace.

Serpui offers three collections a year — spring, resort and high summer. The brand, founded and designed by Serpui Marie, has been in business 40 years and has been selling internationally for the past 25 years. Sarah Jessica Parker wore a Serpui bag in an episode of “And Just Like That,” and Ashley Park, who plays Mindy in “Emily in Paris,” wore one of the Serpui bags in an episode.

According to Juliana Babin, head of sales, Serpui sells such stores as Neiman Marcus, Revolve, Shopbop, and boutiques and hotel stores such as The One and Only and Ritz Carlton. Most of the collection retails from $350 to $450, with some of the mother-of-pearl bags going higher. They are mostly made in Brazil.

Anna Mitsis, co-owner of Willow, a 1,000-square-foot women’s specialty boutique in Fredericksburg, Va., said, “We love D&A. We have the opportunity to see more of the small designers you might not find at a larger show. It’s efficient.” She and her co-owner, Jenny DuPuy, were loving the blazers they were finding, she said. Among the brands they were purchasing were Nicholson & Nicholson and H + Hannoh Wessel.

“People are still pretty casual, but they dress up the casualness with a blazer. They also wear denim with a blazer and a high heel, or sneakers with a dress,” said DuPuy.

Samantha Sung, a South Korean dress brand, was exhibiting after a seven-year hiatus. “This is not like the other big shows. It’s smaller and more artistic,” said Sung. “So far, it’s good,” she said. She’s been meeting current accounts, as well as new ones.

The brand sells mostly colorfully printed dresses. “I’m known for my prints and matching bags,” said Sung. Dresses wholesale from $389 to $439, while the bags wholesale from $300 to $400. She said she does prints on cotton and hand-prints.

Skin, the New York-based luxury intimate apparel brand, was doing well with its micro Modal collection, and cotton and cashmere blends in sweater, pants, cardigans and shorts. Ninety percent of the line is produced in Peru. Skin sells a lot of boutiques and has a strong local following, said Caroline Taylor, sales executive. They also offer a replenishment program of core basics, and have in-stock colors such as black, white and gray. “The small boutique business is doing so wonderfully. Lingerie is so personal. Customers feel it on their skin and it’s 100 percent organic pima cotton,” she said.

Another brand that was having a successful experience at D&A was Mirto 1956 from Madrid. Everything is produced in-house and locally. It was the brand’s fifth time showing at D&A. “One of our strengths is being able to develop exclusive prints in linen and poplin,” said Paloma Perez, head of international womenswear sales. She said they will use the same print for a top and a dress. At D&A, the brand was seeing both regular customers and opening new accounts. Mostly, it sells high-end multibranded stores its collection, which wholesales from $90 to $400.

“I adore it, it’s such a fabulous show. It’s not only professional, but quite intimate. We have quality time with the buyers , and the light is amazing and it’s the best sunsets,” said Perez.

Among the stores that she worked with are Ex Voto, in Birmingham, Ala., Pearls in San Marino, Calif. and Yildiz Aylyn in New York.

Lilly Pilly, an Australian brand, was showing at D&A for the first time. “I think the quality of the buyers is where we should be. The bigger shows are hit or miss,” said Wendy Dunne, founder and director. The three-year-old brand is new to America. She said the European linen collection has been selling amazingly well, and the Tina top is the number-one seller. The brand has also done well with a linen puffer jacket, which wholesales for $152.

Tracy Reese was at D&A with her collection, Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese. “It’s going really well. We’ve seen a lot of stores that have already purchased and are eager to buy more.” She pointed out a blouse that is reordered over and over again that comes in solids and prints and wholesales for $130. Reese said she has been showing at D&A since she started wholesaling the line. “We’re seeing stores we already sell and opening new ones. Stores are buying us deeper.”

Reese sells such stores as Saks, Anthropologie, Click and Mari Max on St. Simons Island, Ga.

“This is a super friendly show. It’s all hugs and kisses and people you haven’t see since the last show. I’ve got a lot of friends here. It makes standing in a booth for three days bearable. I’m genuinely happy to see people,” said Reese.

Patrick Cupid was given free space to show at D&A and came recommended through the CFDA. “It’s been great,” said Cupid, pointing to a big seller which was his walking dress, which is updated with new colors and also being made in organza.

He said the printed shirts, which are produced in New York, have been strong sellers as well as silk shirts, which are printed and original. “It’s very art-inspired,” he said.