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JANUARY 2011 AETA INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR Kent Hopper of Hopper Expositions incorporated, which puts on trade shows around the country for people in many walks of life, made a noteworthy statement early in the directory of vendors given out to AETA membership at the seventh edition of AETA International. "Our primary mission will never change - create the finest trade show for both the Retail Buyer and the Exhibitor." Somewhat surprisingly, the next statement was "Are we there yet? No." You could have fooled this writer, as the event held in cooperation with AETA (the American Equestrian Trade Association) was very well organized. The rest of Hopper's statement read "But we are continuing our mission, staying on a proven course and totally focusing our efforts on making AETA International a valuable experience for you - the Buyer." Buyers from across North America could navigate the large Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania (near the town of King of Prussia, for which the trade fair was known prior to 2008) and find more than enough to choose from. Over 250 exhibitors had a space inside the structure, with some including multiple lines of product under more than one name (but likely under the umbrella of one distributor). There were booths devoted strictly to socks, to gloves, to breeches, to saddlepads, even to chocolate! And all of this was either horse-related or likely appealing to horsepeople.
Many of those who rented space were in the same location at the Expo Center as during the August 2010 AETA event. JPC Equestrian Inc, which distributes lines such as TuffRider and Equine Couture (the latter of which now includes the Debbie Stephens Signature Series of apparel) was in almost the same location. The only difference was that JPC needed additional space on the outside wall of their booth due to adding new lines of product. Laura Filbert, Sales and Marketing Manager for JPC, led this writer to the Henri De Rivel Saddle collection on the exterior wall. Juan Carlos Martiarena, or "Cabo" as he is known, manufactures the De Rivel products. Cabo explained that De Rivel Saddles are very resonably priced (their highest-priced models, the 'Luxembourg' and 'classic' saddles retail for $1,295.00). Filbert also introduced me to Lin Kingsrod, the founder and designer for Kingsland, which is a brand out of Norway. According to Filbert Kingsland presents four seasonal collections a year, as well as two NOS collections (never out of stock) with the Classic Collection and the Breeches Concept. The JPC booth (or booths) was an example of a large area with several 'lines' displayed within. JPC representatives were busy talking to Buyers and this writer is thankful to have been able to spend so much time with several of their employees under the circumstances. In contrast the German-based Kentucky Riding and Fashion Wear booth was a one-woman operation. Katrin Curtis, who was raised in Germany but is now General Manager of Premier Equestrian Products in Grand Rapids, Michigan, ran the Kentucky booth by herself. Blessed with the same enviable location in the Expo Center as in August (straight down from the main entrance to the exhibition) and the same attractive display, Curtis had a steady stream of appointments with Buyers. "It is wise to make an appointment ahead of time," said Curtis, who has been GM of P.E.P. since 2006. Though we missed out on speaking with her during the August AETA event we did learn about some of the Kentucky product line this time. "There are real Swarovski crystals in these breeches," said Curtis of one specific pair.
Many of the vendors at AETA were from north of the border. SSG Gloves of Aurora, Ontario Canada had one of the most unique displays in that it was many tables full of nothing but gloves (and by many I mean seven or eight). SSG's slogan is 'Gloves designed with the Horseman in mind." Though SSG makes gloves designed for both women and men it is the latter who might enjoy the following. Ed James, the President of SSG Gloves explained that he encountered a male rider in Florida (someone on the "A" Circuit) who unexpectedly needed new gloves and had to settle for size 9 men's gloves because no other size could be found in the area. James, who ran the booth along with son Stuart and daughter-in-law Cathy, feels that more retailers should carry Men's gloves as there is definitely a market for them (here here says this writer). Though the SSG web site (www.ssgridinggloves.com) states that they do not sell directly to the public, a click on any glove-style icon along the left-hand side of their home page reveals not only information about that particular glove but which retailers purchased it so that you the consumer can visit that retailer and perhaps purchase a pair for yourself. Though SSG is Canadian-based James mentioned that they have "a big operation in the Buffalo (NY) area." AETA International handed out a list of the "New Exhibitors" and "International Exhibitors." One name that should have been on both lists is Asmar Equestrian. From the opposite side of Canada (Vancouver, BC), Asmar Equestrian was found on the "New" list but surprisingly was omitted from the international list. "We are new to this industry but not to the fashion industry," said Shannon Kulyk of Asmar before leading this writer to Founder and CEO Noel Asmar. "We are up for an award in the United Kingdom," said Asmar, referring to the All Weather Rider jacket which is up for the most innovative product of 2011 at BETA-UK (the World's largest Equestrian Trade Show). The All Weather Rider coat not only keeps riders and saddles dry but contains hidden zippers which transform the appearance (and uses) of the coat. Asmar added that "Horse hair does not stick" to it. Asmar broke into the non-riding apparel industry a decade ago with performance uniform apparel for spa, hotel and lifestyle and only recently unveiled her Equestrian line. This writer could not help but notice that much of the Asmar product was either orange or black. "I think orange is a really great global color," said Asmar. Though most of the product on display in the Asmar booth was either warm-up apparel or jackets, the Asmar web site (www.asmarequestrian.com) indicates they will have breeches in the mix sometime soon.
In total contrast FITS riding apparel started with Breeches and then worked their way into clothing for the rest of the body. "FITS was introduced at the K.O.P. (King of Prussia trade show; the pre-cursur to AETA) in August of '05 and shipped product in November of '05," said Sheryl Rudolph, who founded FITS that year. "When I started riding as kid there was no 'stretch' (to most riding breeches)." Rudolph had been working in technical aspects of non-riding apparel when she set out to create breeches that provided superior comfort (and more 'stretch'). The Oregon-based company - officially known as 'Fun in the Saddle, Incorporated' - is world-renowned for their 'PerforMAX leather technology' (which Rudolph trademarked). When the product launched the distictive patches on the backside of their breeches gave them a look unlike any other riding breeches at the time. A visit to the FITS web site (www.fitsriding.com) shows that a dozen professionals are now official FITS riders, including Angelea Kelly Walkup of HorsegirlTV fame. It was Kelly Walkup's piece on FITS several years ago that introduced this writer to the product line. "We've grown every year since we started, very dramatically," added Rudolph. Though FITS appeals across the board to riders of all ages it was refreshing to see an over-50 model photographed in one of several FITS displays. Much like FITS was new to trade shows only five and half years ago, O'Shaughnessey Apparel made their AETA debut this weekend. The story behind O'Shaughnessey was one of the better ones we heard at AETA. Sara Shockney Griot was a mainstream apparel designer in Los Angeles who eventually moved to the Pacific Northwest. Her daughter took a fancy to riding (which her mother Sara had done in her youth as well). Griot was displeased with the choices of riding clothes her daughter had to choose from. Hence Griot decided to form her own company that would make the kind of shirts and coats which both mother and daughter would approve of. Though her maiden name is Shockney her ancestors in Ireland were known as O'Shaughnessey's, so technically the brand has the family name. Griot, who was assisted by her sister Suzanne Shockney inside their AETA booth, said the goal was to create a high-end product unlike what she saw already on the market. "It is not about reinventing the wheel. It is about adding details that make the jacket stand out," said Griot. A unique aspect of the O'Shaughnessey business cards is that each one has an extreme close-up of one of their items. "Solid Kilkenny hunt shirt in heliotrope with black/white check contrast" was the inscription over what turned out to be the sleeve of one of the O'Shaughnessey show shirts on the card I received. The most appealing aspect of the O'Shaughnessey line in this writer's eyes was the hunt coat linings. If you visit their web site (www.oshaughnesseyapparel.com) and click on 'show schedule' you will see a very beautiful red lining applauded by one of their customers.
Another vendor new to AETA was Dubarry of Ireland. Dubarry is a good example of a vendor with a product not necessarily exclusively for the equestrian community. "We started with Marine Footwear," said Mary Buchner of Dubarry, "So we know a little about waterproof and wet weather wear." Dubarry evolved from waterproof footwear to coats, skirts and even a ruffled shirt or two. Nevertheless Dubarry is best known for their fashionable waterproof boots. "The Galway - with one 'L' - has been manufactured for the last ten years," said Buchner, who proceeded to stand in a oversized bucket of water to prove her point about one of their most popular items. "The similar marine boot was so popular we made a country version of it." Though their US distribution center is not far from the Expo (in Nottingham, PA) Dubarry has eleven other distributors in as many countries worldwide. A glance at their 2010 winter collection shows that though most of their apparel is for women there are jackets and boots for men. As someone in another booth said "That Dubarry is everywhere (referring to the Galway model)." Buchner, who is originally from Oregon (and a former Oregon State IHSA rider) recommended I visit the Stable Cloth booth. To this writer's surprise it turns out Stable Cloth was previously known as Saltare when launched in 2005 and even had a representative at 2007 IHSA Nationals in West Springfield, Massachusetts. "We changed the name a few years ago," says founder/owner Erin Hornung, "But our colors remain the same." Those colors are a distinctive pink and blue, which can be found in nearly all of their apparel. "We cover everything from Dressage to Hunter Seat to Fox Hunting which is our newer discipline," says Hornung. Stable Cloth specializes in custom coats and shirts, though the breakdown is "50 percent custom/50 percent readywear" according to Hornung. A visit to their web site (www.StableCloth.com) indicates that one can design their own coat and shirt though their 'design studio' and that Stable Cloth welcomes 'custom designs for men, women and children.' The most telling quote on the Stable Cloth site can be found when clicking on their 'private collection' icon: "At Stable Cloth, we don't mass produce hundreds of the same garment, so you need not worry someone else will steal your look."
While most of the displays were traditional-looking, with product either hung up on racks to browse through or placed on shelves for simple viewing, the Kerrits booth was very different. Kerrits build a small runway reminiscent of a fashion show. Then they put a countertop all the way around the runway where Buyers could sit on one side while Kerrits representatives could reach down and pull out the same items the models were seen wearing on the other. A fashion show would last slightly longer than 30 minutes, with three models coming out, a Kerrits representative explaining the virtues of each item, and that same representative producing the items to be examined up close. Some Buyers placed their orders right then and there. Then the models would re-appear in completely different items and the process would repeat. "The same color can be found in each layer," said Kerri Kent, the Founder and President of Kerrits, as she explained the virtues of Kerrits' "layering strategy" to the audience. One item that was like no other I saw at AETA was the Kerrit Knickers. They had a full seat on the back but were not tight like breeches. The Knickers are meant to be worn over breeches to protect them from the elements. However the Knickers only come down perhaps five inches past one's knee, meaning much of a riders' tall boots or half-chaps would be exposed if the Knicker was not tucked in (which it can be). A visit to the Kerrits web site (www.kerrits.com) indicates the company has been "Evolving Performance Equestrian Apparel since 1990." If one clicks on 'about us' then 'team members' there is a link called 'company history' which explains how Kerrits started out making women's bathing suits and evolved into riding apparel. Kerrits runway concept may not be original (the Horze booth had one last year and again this year) but a few seasons back they were the first vendor to construct a two-level booth (with an upstairs and downstairs) at the Expo center. I had hoped to talk to the gentlemen in the Circle Y of Yoakum/Tucker saddles/high horse saddles booth, as their display was the most eye-catching of all western-style vendors we saw. However it was 6:00PM when I aproached them and it was time for everyone to leave the Expo for the day. Each of the three companies has its own web site (www.circley.com; www.tuckersaddles.com and www.highhorsesaddles.com) and we recommend looking at their products. This writer also had the opportunity to re-visit several of the vendors written about in August. The Horze booth was again one of the biggest, with two new lines including B//Vertigo. This time I got to see the fashion show, which was traditional. Male and female models, both adults and children, walked the runway one at time to songs such as 'the only girl in the world' by Rihanna and dance oldies like "better off alone" by DJ Jurgen & Alice Deejay. At the end, everyone got on stage together...the Arista Equestrian booth did not have the same 'eye-popping' display this time, but don't blame managing director Frann MacLean. The Eastern United States had been hit by a series of snowstorms the week before AETA and half of the items shipped from British Columbia (where Arista is based) to Philadelphia had not arrived by Sunday. MacLean's Horse Manuwear line was MIA as a result...Roberto Rivas will be happy to know that whenever I mentioned that I wrote about his La Mundial custom boots after the August AETA visit all the women at the January AETA sighed and said "Roberto!" Both Roberto and his La Mundial boots are beloved everywhere and once again he had a steady stream of visitors to the La Mundial booth looking to be measured.
Though an AETA event can be stressful (too many people placing orders and not enough people to write them; too few people interested in a product, etc.) they are essential in the horse industry. Legendary names like Ariat, Tailored Sportsman, Vogel and Stubben routinely have a presence there. The Horse Radio Network was on hand, with Glen the Geek conducting interviews round the clock. I asked Rudolph (whose FITS booth was a stone's throw from the Horse Radio Network operation) what she enjoys most about these AETA international gatherings. This writer was mildly surprised her answer related to repeat business. "We love the opportunity to meet with so many of our great customers face to face in such a short span of time. They always have great input for us and we love to share the newest from FITS with them," said Rudolph. Though there was a feel that this AETA event was much bigger than the August gathering, I counted 259 vendors in the directory which was only about three more than last time. Still there were clearly more people present, and more booths seemed occupied. Many in attendance said that business is improving, so perhaps now is the time for young entrepreneurs to plan ahead and try to market their great idea at the next AETA International event August 13-15, 2011. Who knows? Like Sheryl Rudolph your ideas and concepts could play well in this environment and you too could have a business that grows dramatically every year. (Our thanks to Ginger Estepp of Hopper Expositions, inc. for granting us permission to cover the event. For more information on the American Equestrian Trade Association, please visit their web site at www.aeta.us/ - Editor.) ---Steve Maxwell
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