SHOPPING THE LA FASHION DISTRICT: FIRST TIMER POV

Every shop owners dream includes a trip to the LA Fashion District. July 2020 this dream became a reality for me and it was even cooler than I imagined. There's a certain magic in the air when you see countless designs, trends, materials and overall style in one place. 107 blocks, featuring countless stores, offers a fashion lovers play ground.

1) Know your must see place + their locations 

2) Know the LA Fashion District site front + back: so many tips like shipping, promos, maps, etc

3) Have a plan for bringing back finds - - bringing empty checked bags, arranging for consolidated shipping, buying preorders for later seasons, etc. 

4) Know what you are looking for - somewhat. Be open to new trends obviously, but are you looking for tops, accessories, denim? Do you need a good vendor for something specific? 

We spent two full mornings at the district + covered most of it. I wanted to start my mornings early, which was great for parking and weather. By lunch we were pretty much done and ready to eat. Go easy on yourself - day one I was more timid and still getting down how to go about everything. Day two I felt completely confident.

1) Is it available now? / when can I pick up?

2) Shipping estimates? Coordinating with consolidated shipping?

3)When it is available for preorder?

4) Order minimums? Promotion? 

Don’t be afraid to just buy 1-2 packs - especially when trying anew vendor. When I went to Dallas stopping at a vendor for one style / one pack made me feel so small + awkward. That isn’t the case at all. If you want to try out a brand sizing, see how an items does, don’t feel pressured to buy in large amounts.

Food:

The area didn't have much selection for food. A small food court featuring a few local places and a handful of food trucks were about it. Day one we decided to venture out and go to a local Mexican restaurant - a drive. Then day two we ate at a Mexican food truck w killer nacho fries. We had also brought a few snacks which I would highly recommend - along with your own drinks. 

Bring someone with you!! Not even to help buy - but to be emotional support. Eli came with me and it made a huge difference. He was able to help carry stuff - which made navigating small shops way easier, and he also kept track of where we had been. It's another person to answer questions when you need to present information to the vendors, offer suggestions on pricing - quantities - quality - anything. It was also great for capturing content. I loved sharing the entire experience with the AAC girl gang - it was rad for everyone. 

COVID :

I know many of you are concerned about navigating with COVID - and with other shows being cancelled - LA may be your only option. Each store checked temperatures, enforced hand sanitizer and sometimes would only let one buyer in. Mask were also worn - - by everyone. I felt comfortable shopping and far from most people. No store were full and the district had minimal buyers. Do what you feel comfortale with - online buying is still a great option.

          

Going to the LA Fashion District gave me a revamped excitement about my brand - trying to pieces and vendors - seeing things like never before - growing into my style.