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There’s nothing that commands the attention of a
marketer like a big, underserved community. And
that’s exactly why the Dallas Market Center is
turning its attention toward the quinceañera, an
elaborate event to celebrate the 15th
birthday of Hispanic Catholic girls.
Peg Canter, vice president of trade
shows, began examining how to cater to the
quinceañera market in June after reading news
stories that Hispanics were underserved by the
fashion industry, that most of the top 10 Hispanic
markets are in Texas and that the average
quinceañera party costs $8,000 to $10,000.
“I thought, here we are in the middle of
it all and what are we doing about it?” Canter
recalled. “This is a golden opportunity”.
Quinceañera is a marketer’s dream
because it has most of the trappings of a wedding-
from the poufy ball gown to the formally dressed
attendants, silk floral keepsake bouquets, printed
napkins and party favors. More important, few cater
is this year-round market, which is growing along
with the burgeoning 35 million-member Hispanic
community in the United States.
So the DMC has launched an outreach to
Hispanic retailers as well as the bridal vendors who
make
quinceañera-style dresses. It posted a
promotional mailer to 4,000 Hispanic stores
nationwide and has dispatched three staffers to
visit Hispanic retailers in major Texas cities to
invite them to shop at the
World Trade Center.
After the October market, the DMC will expand its
personal visits to stores in other states.
Ironically, the DMC has made efforts
over the past decade to draw Mexicans buyers, but it
has not concentrated on the domestic Hispanic market
until now.
Canter’s ultimate goal is to address all
the needs ----not just
quinceañera needs ---of
Hispanic retailers. So she’s researching things like
how often Hispanic retailer’s change their
inventory, what their biggest seasons are and what
they buy for holiday.
“I found out that a lot of Hispanic
stores don’t just buy
quinceañera but apparel as
well. But they are not comfortable coming to our
market,” Canter said. “They don’t feel their
language is spoken, and nothing is in Spanish. What
we want to do is roll out the welcome mat to Spanish
speaking stores”
To create an inviting atmosphere, Canter
will direct Hispanics to the WTC’s international
buyers’ lounge in suite 176 on the first floor,
which is staffed with translators and provides free
long-distance phone service, Internet access,
concierge services and refreshments.
At the same time, the DMC wants to
educate bridal retailers about how to capitalize on
the
quinceañera business. It has scheduled a
quinceañera seminar for buyers and vendors at
Fashion Center Dallas on the Sunday of market at
8:30 a.m. in the bridal area on the 12th
floor. The DMC also plans to send a mailer promoting
quinceanera products to all its bridal stores next
year.
“It’s always been there as a tradition---- I had one
and my sister had one--- but I don’t think it has
ever been recognized in the market,” said Priscilla
Mora, the seminar speaker. Mora was so frustrated
while searching for all the accoutrements for her
daughter’s
quinceañera that two years ago she
started a quinceanera-themed business to years ago
she started a
quinceañera-themed business to guide
other parents through the process. The company,
which is called PMM Promotions, stages a
twice-yearly show in
San Antonio
for quinceanera and their families that highlights
products and services—from dresses to caterers and
hairstylists—for the affair. She also produces
seminars and a handbook about planning the event,
all promoted through her Web site,
quinceanera-event.com.
Tracing its origin to Aztec Indian traditions,
quinceanera (pronounced keen-say-nyair-a) is like
coming-of-age debutante party that usually has a
religious component. It typically begins with a
special mass at which the celebrant reaffirms her
commitment to her religion. It culminates with a
banquet reception with music and dancing.
The quinceanera wears a full-skirted, embellished
white or pastel gown and gloves. Because she must
look modest during the mass, the gowns often have
removable sleeves or shawl, capelet or jacket that
comes off for the party. The key points of
difference from a bridal look are that quinceanera’
never wear veils or trains.
“They like poufy dresses” Mora said.
“They want to feel like Cinderella and be a
princess, and when you look at them, they do look
like princesses.
The quinceanera wears flat shoes to
enter the mass, but she leaves in high heels that
her father slips onto his kneeling daughter after
she is crowned with a tiara. The custom symbolizes
his acceptance of her maturity.
The Quinceanera traditionally has a
“court” of seven or 14 attendant girls in bridesmaid
dresses and seven or 14 boys in tuxedos. The number
14 represents each year of her life, wit the
celebrant as the 15th.
While most Hispanic Catholic girls want a
quinceanera, according to the members of the Dallas
Hispanic community, some families skip the ceremony
because of its expense while others substitute a car
or trip. Still, the celebration is such a high
priority that parents have even taken out second
mortgages on their homes to foot the bill, Mora
said. More commonly, friends and relatives sponsor
various aspects of the event, such as buying the
gloves or the cake.
The parties are especially common in large Hispanic
markets, such as in the Southwest, California and
Florida, but are held in any region with a Latin
Hispanic population. Mexico and South American are
also big markets for these festivities
Few manufacturers have specifically
addressed quinceanera dresses, with the notable
exception of PC Mary’s in
Houston,
but that’s changing.
Bridal firm Mori Lee in August launched
a collection of 20 quinceanera gowns under the label
Vizcaya, named for an historic estate and museum in
Florida that’s a popular site for quinceanera
portraits.
“My partner Madeline [Gardner] and I
made a trip to Mexico and California to do some
research, and there are many more stores selling
quinceanera dressed than bridal dresses, explained
Mitchell Udell, a principal in the 50-year old firm.
“We don’t know how big it will be for us, we know it
is a huge market.
Gardner, who designed the collection,
went for an elegant look, nothing that quinceanera
dresses are less “bouncy, bright and fun” than prom
dresses.
“We found what the girls were looking
for was something to up the bar a bit,” she said.
“They wanted better quality and more elegant
styling. What’s out there is extremely ornate.”
Made of polyester satin and organza with
touches of beading and embroidery, Vizcaya’s gowns
are offered in white, pink and lilac and wholesale
from $156.00 to $250.00. That fits the budget of
most quinceaneras, who usually pay $400 to $500 for
the dress, Mora said. Mora affluent families go for
higher-end styles. Morty Boiess, Southwestern sales
rep for Mori Lee and a veteran of the bridal
industry, praised the DMC’s decision to focus on
quinceanera.
“It’s an untapped market that nobody is
catering to,” he asserted. “The Hispanic population
in
Texas
is larger than the Anglo population, and they are in
a perfect position geographically and from a
marketing standpoint because nobody else is doing
it.
PC Mary’s stumbled into this market
about 20 years ago when it discovered its dresses
appealed to quinceaneras, so it’s been making
dresses and catalogues for the niche ever since.
“Were making money from it,” said Simon
Chang, vice president of his family’s firm. “It is
growing because the Hispanic population is also
growing.”
PC Mary’s has enjoyed 15 to 20 percent
annual sales gains, he said, and lat year won the
Dallas Fashion Award for bridal. Chang said he
couldn’t beat out the performance of quinceanera
dresses because the same styles are sold for proms
and balls.
“We sell quinceanera dressed primarily
through bridal stores, and the girls look on the
Internet and find us and then they go to the shops,”
explained Lisa Chang, marketing manager. |
