VOW Bridal & Formal Atlanta: Business Booms Back
Atlanta – VOW Bridal & Formal closed its first 2022 Atlanta edition with strongest-ever exhibitor participation and pre-Covid buyer attendance, welcoming retailers across all bridal and social occasion categories, April 12 – 14 at AmericasMart Atlanta.
“Social events are back and VOW Bridal & Formal experienced one of its best-ever markets as a result,” said Caron Stover, IMC senior vice president, Apparel Leasing. “People are eager to celebrate and retailers need to restock to address pent-up consumer demand. From weddings to homecomings, pageants and everything in between, Atlanta is a primary destination for the bridal and social occasion industries.”
The April edition of VOW Bridal & Formal, which ran concurrently with Atlanta Apparel’s April market, welcomed attendees from 47 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico, as well as 11 countries. The April 2022 edition of VOW recorded year-over-year growth in two particular retailer categories: prom with 60% growth and bridal nearly 30%.
Exhibitor Julie DuRocher, design director of Jovani Fashion, said, “People are tired of being in the house. They’re ready to attend proms and go to weddings; they want to wear pretty things again.”
VOW Bridal & Formal runs alongside Atlanta Apparel, expanding offerings across categories
VOW Bridal & Formal Atlanta provided attendees access to over 50 brands in showrooms and an additional 25+ temporary exhibitors, with orders written up to the minute the three-day market closed.
Exhibitor Sunny Rawal, owner of Primavera Couture which showcases eveningwear, had an especially busy April market and benefitted from cross-market synergies between VOW and Atlanta Apparel.
“Market has been really great, and our buyers have been flowing in and out consistently throughout the whole market. I am very pleased,” said Rawal. “I signed a handful of new accounts, and I even opened a few with apparel stores who wanted to sell special occasion and came to buy our line.”
Exhibitor Bill Stryker, southeastern sales representative of Casablanca Bridal, also noted an incredible April market that connected him with new business.
“About 10% of our business this market was new, and about a half dozen of those accounts are brand new and haven’t opened their stores yet,” said Stryker. “The best part of coming to Atlanta is meeting those new buyers, especially those who are ready to jump to bridal from ready-to-wear. When buyers in Atlanta find us, they usually end up writing orders.”
Retailer Mallory Seale of Twenty Twelve Formal Wear in Homewood, AL, easily navigated the market as a first time buyer and was able to discover brands new to her.
“We felt so comfortable in a rather nerve-wracking environment as first time buyers,” said Seale. “Colors was the first line we picked up and we also wrote with ALYCE Paris. We are super excited to work with both of them in the future, and we can’t wait to come back to Atlanta for VOW in August.”
Long-time market attendee, retailer DJ Marinelli of The Exquisite Bride in Murrysville, PA, comes to Atlanta to find the newest, up-and-coming bridal designers for his boutique.
“I love coming to Atlanta to find the new designers. They just want opportunity and are hungry for business,” said Marinelli. “I even met my number one brand in Atlanta.”
Hallmark VOW Bridal & Formal trend events return
VOW Bridal & Formal buyers eager to source for the next season filled the fashion theater on Wednesday evening for the first-ever VOW Live Model Presentation showcasing trends.
VOW Bridal & Formal models demonstrate movement and look of upcoming trends at the Live Model Presentation
“Our Live Model Presentation enabled retailers to socialize and reconnect while previewing trends in bridal, mother-of-the-bride, flower girl and men’s formal,” said Morgan Ramage, Atlanta Apparel’s fashion and events director. “We are excited to continue education on trends in a way that allows our attendees a chance to network while learning, especially as the social occasion industry makes its incredible comeback.”
VOW Bridal & Formal now presents its collection of bridal, prom, quinceañera, mother-of-the-bride, accessories, homecoming and special occasion lines three times annually: April and August in Atlanta and with a new West Coast edition debuting in August in Las Vegas. VOW Bridal & Formal Atlanta runs August 1 – 6 at AmericasMart Atlanta concurrently with World of Prom & Social occasion, and VOW Bridal & Formal Las Vegas runs August 15 – 17 at the Expo at World Market Center Las Vegas. Market information is available at https://www.atlanta-apparel.com/Markets/VOW-Bridal-and-Formal.
About International Market Centers: International Market Centers (IMC) serves as the center of commerce for the wholesale furniture, gift, home decor and apparel industries. With more than 20 million square feet of premium wholesale showroom space in High Point, N.C., Las Vegas and Atlanta, IMC has more than 60 years of relationships and experience creating scalable business platforms for wholesale commerce. With the launch of Juniper, a fully integrated omnichannel B2B commerce solution and multiline B2B e-commerce marketplace empowering buyers and sellers to better manage and grow their business at markets and year-round, IMC now provides the only omnichannel sales and marketing platform that seamlessly connects physical and digital wholesale commerce. For more information, visit www.imcenters.com.
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Amanda Merritt
Cathy Steel
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