New York, NY:New York , NY: As the only intimate apparel show this fall taking place during the intimate apparel market week, The Intimate Apparel Salon, held October 31 and November 1, 2004 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, concluded a notable year. The Intimate Apparel Salon drew 57 of the industry’s leading brands, among them 20 first-time exhibitors, showcasing their holiday and spring lines for 2005. Exhibitors from the US, Canada, France and Brazil added an international flair to the smaller November market place.

The INTIMA America shows are one of the best-attended events of their kind in the United States drawing quality buyers from major retail outlets and boutiques from across North America. This fall some 525 attendees representing department stores, specialty stores, boutiques and catalogs caught a glimpse of today’s hottest designs and trends for the upcoming year and got a head-start in placing their orders.

Industry support has been critical to the success of the INTIMA America events as represented at the most recent show with onsite special attractions that included a trend seminar and the a student design contest. The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Intimate Apparel Design Contest, which was created in conjunction with the Underfashion Club and the Intimate Apparel Department of FIT, was sponsored by some of the industry’s most prominent and influential companies: Barry Ross Intimate Connections, Kellwood Intimates, Lovable World Trading Company and Rago Shapewear. Fashion Design students submitted entries displaying their unique vision of the intimate apparel’s future. The Jury ultimately determining the winners was made up of all buyers participating at the show. Each attendee had the opportunity to cast his or her vote between the range of eleven attractive presentations. The first two winners were determined to be:                         

                        First Prize: Cerissa Caraballo
                        Second Prize: Erica Rosenberg

Overall, the three 2004 INTIMA America events, INTIMA America March, INTIMA America August and The Intimate Apparel Salon Fall, drew several thousand attendees and hundreds of exhibiting brands showcasing products for an expanding market. The INTIMA America Group continues to enjoy support of industry-leading companies as seen by the number of returning exhibitors. Building on the success of the 2004 events, INTIMA America is currently evaluating the best show options for 2005 in cooperation with its industry partners and supporters.

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                                   Exhibitor Quotes

AUBADE-PARIS, Marc Kristel, Vice President of Sales : "We look for last minute holiday business in November. More and more customers are writing closer to the season so the fall show is important to us. We found new accounts here and of course we saw many of our existing customers."  

CHRISTINE VANCOUVER, Christina McLaren, Marketing Director : "The show was very good for us as we were really busy. We wrote a great deal of immediate business as well as spring and summer. Also, we opened approximately 15 new stores. A number of these new accounts wrote immediate orders." 

DANIELLA SIMON, Daniella Simon, CEO : "The show was successful for us. We sold a lot of immediate and holiday goods. We did some substantial spring business too. We opened several new accounts, which is great because it keeps expanding our customer base."

THE FRENCH ROOM, Michael Rabinowitz, President : "We’ve been very busy both days. We opened a number of new accounts, which is always good to see. Our buyers are writing everything from immediates to holiday and spring." 


                                   Attendee Quotes

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, New York, New York, Irene Mak, VP, Technical Design : "We want to see intimate trends. We were looking for resources for private label programs and we did definitely find some potential vendors to work with along those lines." 

APRIL UNLIMITED LINGERIE, Hoboken, New Jersey, April Teitelbaum, Owner : "The show is important to me because I always want to see new styles. I enjoyed viewing a number of new vendors at The Intimate Appareal Salon. I wrote orders to keep my merchandise selection in the store fresh. I also really liked the FIT venue." 

BONNE NUIT, East Hampton, New York, Lorna Dreher, Owner : "We’re really looking for early summer merchandise so this market works for us. We ordered quite a bit of business here." 

GREAT EXPECTATION, Trumbull, Connecticut, Cynthia Miller, Owner : "We needed this show because we are now opening a store. We’re moving forward from on-line to brick and mortar. We carry a number of fine brands, who showed here, so it worked out very well. Also, we did pick up some new vendors, which was helpful."

FASHION FIT LINGERIE, Spring Valley, New York, Judy Fischel, Manager : "We are always looking for new, fashionable styles. We are writing immediates and spring business. We think the new FIT Conference Center is a fine location for the show."

LINDA LINGERIE BOUTIQUE, Staten Island, New York, Linda Vinciguerra, Owner : "We’re shopping for holiday merchandise as well as spring. This show gives me some valuable insight into future fashion trends. It’s a very good show."

ONLY HEARTS, New York, New York, Dana Olson, Retail Director : "I had a major order fall out so I really needed to replace that. This show enabled me to fill that void. And I had the opportunity to see some new lines!"

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Other upcoming INTIMA Group events:
INTIMA Japan, May 9 – 11, 2005 in Tokyo.


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