Fashion drives the hair accessory business, and the big fashion news for 1996 is new finishes. Mattes, transparents, pearlescent colors and metallic finishes will be the looks for the coming year, manufacturers say.
Drug store sales of hair accessories totaled $210.4 million last year, about 32 percent of the total sales across the three outlets, according to Information Resources Inc. Of that, barrettes generate 10 percent of sales, ponytailers total nearly 13 percent, pins and clips account for nearly 8 percent and headbands grab 6 percent of sales.
For the moment, claw clips continue in popularity. “Claw clips are very strong and will be through the end of this year,” said Sam Hafif, president of Impulse Items. “By the end of January, I think we’ll see a decline in claw clips with a movement toward barrettes.”
Manufacturers agree that the Summer Olympics did wonders for the popularity of barrettes. “Contour barrettes are very popular, since the Olympics gave a big push to the products,” said Beth Haslam, marketing director for Goody. Said Sue Mackey, director of marketing for Wilhold: “The baby doll looks are popular with gymnasts. We, have given bob pins a new twist with color, shape and finishes. These functional items of the past are now fashionable.”
Once function, now fashion
“I was thinking about how the gymnastic competition would affect the popularity of barrettes,” said a buyer at one Canadian chain, “but I haven’t seen it yet.” The buyer said she brought in a fall line with matte, suede and corduroy finishes. “I’m working with department store vendors to bring more fashion to my department. I almost think of basics and fashion as two separate categories.”
Indeed, this retailer displays fashion hair accessories on a spinner rack in the cosmetic section and basics in the hair care aisle. “For a long time, in-line sections have been dominated with basic offerings,” said Steve Schoenfeld, vice president of sales at Karina, which supplies department stores as well as mass. “Recently, chains, such as CVS, have been putting fashion products in their in-line pegged sections.”
Impulse Items, which concentrates on the fashion side of the hair accessory business with products retailing from 99 cents to $12, is another vendor working to bring fashion to the mass trade. Based on the fact that the company also supplies department stores, it is confident forecasting the trends for the next season in mass. “We see the trends in department stores six months before they come to mass,” Hafif said. Right now he sees tortoise, metal mesh in gold and silver, gun metal and copper finishes in barrettes. Animal prints, status labels and techno finishes (with holograms, sport looks or shiny fabrics) are also trends to watch.
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