Inside NY Now: Why Wholesale Still Matters for Independent Designers 👜🛍️| Emily Blumenthal & Matthew Mathiasen

In an era dominated by DTC, what role do trade shows still play in building a fashion brand?

In this episode of Handbag Designer 101, we sit down with Matthew Mathiasen, Show Director of NY Now, to unpack why wholesale isn’t just relevant—it’s essential for emerging accessory brands looking for long-term growth, especially now with The “It Bag x NY NOW” new program.

With over 100 years of history, NY Now has evolved from a traditional gift show to a curated marketplace where boutiques and innovative designers connect. Matthew explains how specialty retailers are becoming brand champions, helping independent designers break into new regions, build community, and create consistent cash flow—with fewer strings than big-box retail.

💼 You’ll learn:
 👜 Why boutiques offer better margins, faster payments, and stronger loyalty
 🛒 How NY Now’s “The It Bag” section helps handbag designers showcase their hero products
 📦 How to prep for a trade show like a pro—from booth setup to buyer pitches
 🔁 The hybrid wholesale model: in-person connection + online ordering via Bulletin
 📣 Why knowing your brand story and supply chain readiness is key to wholesale success

Whether you're a first-time exhibitor or scaling up your sales channels, this episode offers the clarity and tactical advice you need to navigate today’s wholesale landscape.

🎧 Listen now and discover how to grow your brand through smarter retail relationships, and apply to be part of “The IT Bag x NY NOW.”

Our Guest: Matthew Mathiasson is the Show Director of NY Now, America’s longest-running gift and lifestyle trade show. With decades of experience in the wholesale space, he champions independent designers and works to create meaningful connections between brands and retail buyers both in-person and online.

Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.

Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and

Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner

TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter:
wearing it.
You know Monday, tuesday,wednesday, thursday, friday,
saturday, sunday, why she wearsit, where she wears it.
What other brands do youusually sit with?

(00:22):
What other brands?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
do you usually sit with?
Hi and welcome to HandbagDesigner 101, the podcast with
your host, emily Blumenthal,handbag industry expert and the
handbag fairy godmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate

(00:50):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, matthew Mathiason ofNew York, now show director, to
Handbag Designer 101, thepodcast, so excited to have you.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
Thank you so much.
I'm happy to be here.
Thanks for inviting me.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Oh, my goodness.
So you are part of the newguard, as far as I'm concerned,
of New York.
Now We'll get into yourbackground, but I would love,
love, love to dive in to wherewe are at right now with trade
shows, because what they wereand what they are now very much
reflects where we're at withretail, because retail,

(01:28):
especially with tariffs, istotally different than what it
was.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
True, true.
You know, in many ways the showis 101 years old.
It is the longest running giftshow, not only in the country,
let alone New York City, one ofthe greatest cities in the world
.
As you know, as you live there,I'm very jealous.
But with that it's gone througha lot of changes, you know, and
not just in since COVID, butsince day one in the 1920s.

(01:53):
I mean, new York now startedoff as a hotel show with a
couple reps that got togetherand they figured they could do
something stronger together.
I still carry that ethosthrough to today's show floor.
It did take a moment where Ileft New York City.
It traveled across the countrythroughout the 30s and 40s and
then came back home Since then.
It's had about, I think, fivedifferent names over the years
and decades.
Many people still refer to itas the International Gift Show.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yeah, because that's what its name was.
For several decades.
It has been New York now, for alittle over two decades at this
point, almost three decades,but with that we still carry
that ethos in which is the youknow, the rep, the experience,
the buyer connection at our showfloor, regardless of the size,
regardless of the location.
Over all these years it'salways coming back to the

(02:39):
connections being made in personand, you know, as part of this
new guard, as you say, with NewYork Now, which is true, we do
have a new team as far as owningand running this show, but not
so new.
They've all veterans in theindustry and we've been on the
show Like yourself.
I've been through a few fashionshowrooms in my days and so we
have a really good team on thebrand these days, really focused

(03:00):
on driving the brand awareness,brand values, connections,
making sure that we bring theright brands for the buyers that
are still shopping and workingin this industry.
You know, as you know, it'sbeen tough for buyers and
retailers out there, especiallythe past five years.
I think now we're going througha whole new renaissance, if you
will.
You know it's tricky out there.
It's definitely tricky, butwith that that's where we've

(03:22):
tried to pivot in New York.
Now we're not a 500,000 squarefoot trade show anymore.
We haven't been since 2018.
I don't know any trade showthat's still that size in the
space of consumer goods andwholesale ordering.
I just haven't seen anothershow of our size and caliber
restage at that size since 2020.
They've all found a new pivot,a new area to flex on, and

(03:46):
that's what we're doing here atNew York now as well.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
You know, I dealing, having dealt with so many
designers and I think so many ofthem are laser focused on
direct to consumer and I think Ithink that's important and I
think that is your gateway ofhaving any proper large retailer
to believe that your brand isworth actually buying inventory.

(04:11):
I mean, we know that most sitesnow, like Nordstromcom,
walmartcom, anything throughFederated, they will do drop
ship before they actually buyinventory because it's safer for
them.
I have a lot of designers thatactually prefer that, knowing
that they can then control theinventory and it allows them to

(04:33):
go into production with a wholelot less at risk.
However, there is a huge, Ithink, huge, I think gray area
in this new wave of designersthat they tend to not realize
the power and the value ofboutiques.

(04:53):
And those are your soldiers whowill get your brand out, who
will speak about who you are,who will brag that you are the
one that they should invest inand they want to be the ones who
are responsible theoreticallyfor discovering you and bringing
you to the forefront.
And I think you know,considering this was

(05:17):
historically the gift show andthere are a lot of trade shows
that do exist.
How is New York now trulydifferent from the others,
especially in terms of theseboutiques who are coming, that
are trying to find the new andthe innovative, because we all
know that there's a deficit ofthat right now.

Speaker 1 (05:37):
Absolutely no.
It's a really great point tocall out is the backbone of
America is and always will be,in my opinion, main Street
America.
That's how we started as acountry.
Everybody wanted the Americandream.
That American dream to meincludes Main Street America
with, you know, person-ownedbusinesses, not as much the
corporate-owned lines.
The corporate's great.
Yeah, I'm sure we all shop atall those big names you know to

(05:59):
get our paper towels andprobably picked up 17 other
things along the way of gettingthose paper towels, which is
their whole purpose.
That's why that works in theirinstance.
That being said, it's not forevery brand, and most brands
will actually discover theyactually are going to have a
longer running business linewith more diverse options for
themselves if they spread itacross independent boutiques,

(06:20):
retailers and the specialtystores.
Going all chips in one bag isusually not the best idea and it
can backfire, and I've seen ithappen a lot of times.
Sometimes you hit it rich andthat is great.
And I'll list a lot of brandsthat we have seen on those
shelves that we also then see atevery single you know store
across the country.

(06:41):
They see it on Amazon, they seeit on Walmart.
They then see it at the kioskat the airport when they're
traveling, which is great.
That's awesome for that brand.
I love that.
That being said, you can'tcompete in that marketplace
anymore.
Your product has now gone intothe world, which is great.
You're probably getting a greatpaycheck, but it's no longer
probably what you started yourcompany with and probably

(07:03):
started on.
So, you know, focusing on adiverse opportunity is great for
a show like New York Nowbecause, yes, we are presumably,
and always have been, the giftshow.
With that, though, our buyerswill say the number one reason
they're coming to shop New YorkNow is for gifts.
You look at the secondary andtertiary levels.
Beyond that, though, are theysee jewelry as a gift?

(07:26):
They see a handbag as a gift.
They like everything is a gift.
In that instance, it's not yourtried and true, oh, I think
gift, and I think of tissuepaper, wrapping paper, ribbons,
bows and stickers, which isgreat.
Love that.
Things also like unicorns, butgift at New York now is so much
more, and that's where you'regoing to see that.
Also, what's nice about thebuyer that's coming to New York

(07:47):
now to find these products inall categories from home, gift
and lifestyle, jordanaccessories, handbags they are
also the decision makers oftheir business, which is so huge
.
I think our last survey saysover 60% of our attendee base is
the decision maker of hercompany.
She is the owner, she's theoperator, she's the buyer, she

(08:08):
is finance and accounting all inone.
And with that, when you get topartake in a show like that in
person, you're meeting with thesame person that's issuing the
payment to your in-laws.
The same one's going to callyou and say, hey, we sold out of
those red bags.
Can I get some more, whichyou're not going to get that
level from some of the otherlarger retailers which are in
the room too.

(08:28):
But that's a specialarrangement that you're going to
get at New York Now and manyother trade shows.
But that is a true type thatyou're going to see walking our
aisles.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
But I love what you just said and you know, having
started my own personal rootswith trade shows.
There is also this key point ofpayment.
You get paid up front, it'strue, as opposed to the net
terms.
It's funny my business was soboutique focused for so long

(08:59):
that by the time I startedgetting into bigger retailers
and they were saying net termsand I said, wait, so you mean
you don't pay me as soon as youget it?
And you know, cash in hand isreally what's important and,
especially with all of thesetariffs that are happening, I
know it's allowed a lot ofindependent designers to really

(09:22):
shine and have a lot of greatopportunities, because they're
not making it in China, they aremaking it in other countries.
They might be making them incountries where it's about
sustainability or giving back orsocial responsibility.
Sustainability, as you and Iboth know, is also very, very
tricky because most things arenever truly sustainable.
They have a percentage and weall try to do our best, but you

(09:47):
know to do these call outs intowhat makes your brand special.
The specialty stores are theones who have those human
relationships that can talk tothe customers, and I think
there's another missedopportunity that a lot of
designers don't even think thatyou can go on a boutique tour to
visit your best boutiques, todo in-store events, to have the

(10:11):
boutique owner invite their bestcustomers and then have a wine,
cheese, grapes, shop party, andthen you get your local

(10:33):
influencers, essentially forfree, because they're already
buying your product For free,because they're already buying
your product.
So I think there's something tobe said for realizing that it's
came together to create thisvery unique program called the
it Bag, which you know.

(10:57):
And no, if you're going to havea full booth, you need to have
enough customers and peoplelooking out for you to make it
worth your while, or else yoursuccess rate is not going to be
as high because you won't be adestination and putting yourself

(11:23):
perhaps in an emerging sectionagain.
That works for a lot ofdesigners, but as far as
handbags are concerned, thebuyers only want to see your
best bags.
They don't want to see theproduct that you've created to
fill up the space.
They don't want to see the.
Oh, let me make this just incase.
They want to see what are yourhero bags, what colors are they
in and what's your delivery.
So we came together to createthis very, very special section,

(11:47):
if you will, and I'm so excited, called the it bag, which
essentially we are taking a veryselect, curated group of
designers to have them showtheir essentially top five bags
and therefore it gives them anopportunity and almost like a
sax floor retail environmentthat buyers can walk the show.

(12:10):
They have a reason to come stay, they have a reason to interact
.
It's not going to be so sparse.
There'll be lots of peoplethere.
You won't be alone You'll getthat community vibe.
And you know we used to foryears have our audience fan
favorite display within avariety of trade shows.
I think the last one was at NewYork now and it was wildly

(12:34):
successful because all thedesigners were there.
We had about 50 bags that wereon display and the buyers would
say, oh, can I buy this bag, canI buy that bag?
And I'd say no, they're not forsale.
This is here.
Vote on which one you like.
Totally, totally and it alwayslike gave me that little like
thorn in my side Like this is.

(12:55):
I hate missed opportunities.
I hate when you know there'sthat gap from designer to sale
to what's going to happen next.
So I knew that if the bags werepresented in a collective way,
that buyers will come and say,okay, I get it, I see how these
bags should be merchandised.

(13:16):
I see your top bags.
I want two from you, three fromyou, one from you.
Boom, I'm on my way.

Speaker 1 (13:22):
Exactly, exactly.
We've done the edit for them inmany ways, and what's also nice
is where we've placed thislaunchpad, if you will, is right
on the line with our luxurylifestyle community.
So there's not a competition asfar as other bags in that space
.
It's predominantly luxury,couture level jewelry that

(13:45):
you're going to be.
So nothing better than you know.
a great handbag is a greatnecklace in my opinion, so
exactly you know it's a greatarea on the show floor where
it's going to create this littlesynergy between the two, a lot
of good crossover between theretailers coming through that
area and, to your point, itreally is putting a spotlight on
the key items that the buyershould have in her store.

(14:06):
As we've been chatting aboutmoney and price, and values and
times and commitments, you knowthe buyer's time at this point
of life going on it is solimited.
I'm sure every designer thathas tried to reach out to a
buyer to sell her bag or herproduct has discovered I don't
get any responses.
Well, that's because buyer getsabout 500 emails a day.

(14:28):
Yeah, other brands.
Yeah, they're not reading youremail no, they're not they're
not, it's probably if they'reanything they're like oh, that's
really cute, that's really nice, as they're actively going into
another meeting, because ithappened to ping on their phone
at that exact moment that theywere looking at their phone.
Otherwise, in person is herundivided attention.

Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (14:50):
Yeah, that's really where the trade show comes in,
and being able to be part ofthis, this platform, and being
in the bag, it creates this areaalready, where the buyer knows
we're advertising it.
To go and visit this area tosee handbags.
There's no questioning it.
There's no.
What am I going to find here?
Do I need to look under thisstone?
No, it's here's handbags.
They've been curated, they arethe it bags for you to see, and

(15:13):
that's what's so special to meis that it's done, it's ready to
go.

Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yeah, no, I really couldn't be more excited about
this.
This has been something thathas, since the Handbag Awards,
I've really wanted to do becauseI know that my I know what I'm
best at and that's discoveringtalent and working with
designers and helping them moveto the next level, whether
they're at inception or alreadyon the shelf and looking for,

(15:39):
okay, how can I grow and makebetter what I've already started
?
I just think it's just such anamazing opportunity not to make
this episode edutainment or anadvertorial, but just quietly,
it's my podcast.
I can do whatever I want thereyou go.

Speaker 1 (15:55):
It's your name on the board.

Speaker 2 (15:56):
It is oh my God.
But let me ask you so, ifsomeone has never done a trade
show before, what should theybring?
How should they prepare?
What are their key things?
That they could say oh my God,I never even thought that these
are the things that I would needto do prepare, get ready.

Speaker 1 (16:16):
Great question.
It can be a long list.
It can be daunting, especiallycoming into a show like New York
Now.
You know it is a highlypackaged show.
You're playing in the samefield as legendary brands on the
show floor that have allconnections in the room.
You are also playing the fieldof emerging designers all in the
same building.

(16:36):
I always like to say New YorkNow is everything from handmade
to high volume in one stop shop.
It's been quite curated sincethe past so it's even easier for
the buyer to do her job.
But with that it's up to you asthe designer to stand out.
You know there's going to beanywhere from 800 to 1,000
brands in that show floor overthree days.
There's also other showshappening in New York City at

(16:58):
the same time.
The buyer has limited time toget around, as we say.
So it's up to you to really beprepared as you come into the
space there.
So initially, you want to knowyour brand, you want to know
yourself.
You want to know your brand,you want to know yourself.
You want to know your brand andwant to know your products.
You never know where you'regoing to have the moment to
pitch that.
Is it in your booth, or are youstaying at one of the
discounted hotel partners thatwe have, where buyers are

(17:19):
staying as well?
So you know, you could be inthe elevator that morning
running to get your coffee andrealize that, oh my goodness,
I'm next to the cutest boutiquein Massachusetts that I've had
on my list forever, yeah, andyou just strike up a
conversation.
You want to be ready for thattoo.
So it's the same preparationbetween that.
So know your five minute pitch,know your 30 second pitch.
Know what sets your brand apart.

(17:41):
You know really define whatthat means.
It can be anything to any brand.
There's not a select rule orrule of thumb on this.
I've heard every pitch in theworld and it's the ones that are
unique.
The one that tells me why Ishould have your product without
shoving it down my throat iswhat stands out.
So I say that step one is knowwho you are, define your
identity, define your pitch anddefine your brand.

(18:03):
Next step there is know youroperating procedures for going
into a trade show, because thatis a whole, nother part.
I know a lot of time we'redealing with creatives.
Myself, I like to split mybrain in half.
I have a creative side and anoperational side.
So it can be a daunting task tolook at move-ins to a trade
show, building out for a tradeshow.
Even just getting to the tradeshow alone with all your

(18:24):
products can be daunting.
So great thing is that we havewebinars at New York now that
will teach you how to do thingslive.
I'm on those webinars with ouroperations team.
You can ask us questions in themoment.
You can also contact us 24-7.
We have all the ways that youcan reach out to us to get your
questions answered.
But read your exhibitor servicemanuals when you do shows, not
just New York Now, but any show.

(18:46):
Read all those tools.
I know they're long Sometimesthey're 80 pages long at some of
these shows, but it's for yourbenefit.
There's nothing worse thanshowing up to a trade show
realizing you can't do anythingthat you thought you were going
to do and you now have a veryexpensive move in procedure.
So that's another step.
There is you know, know yourbrand, but also know what you

(19:06):
need to do to get physicallyinto that show and set yourself
up for success, whether that isknowing the day that you can
arrive, what kind of vehicle youcan arrive in, where you park
that vehicle, where you don'tpark that vehicle because you
might want to drive it homelater and not have it towed.
All those types of things aregoing to really be helpful.
I would say the third thing ofgetting ready for a trade show,
especially if you're emerging,coming out of the block is build

(19:27):
your target lists, build youroutreach lists.
No show is going to give you alist and if they do, question
what they're doing with yourdata.

Speaker 2 (19:36):
Oh my God, that would be.
I would kill for that.
That was one of those thingslike oh my.
God yeah.

Speaker 1 (19:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (19:43):
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Speaker 1 (21:19):
So don't be shocked when the larger shows you work
with and the corporate shows,like a New York Now show they're
not going to give you contactinformation of buyers.
That is not why you sign up fora trade show.
You're not buying a list.
I know sometimes it feels thatway and you're spending a lot of
money so you think that youshould get this list.
You're not going to get thelist, you're just not going to.
Same way that we don't sell thedesigner's information out to
other people.
That just doesn't happen.

(21:39):
So what I say is and it'salways hard, this is the number
one question I get from emergingbrands is well, I don't know
the buyer there, or how do Iknow the buyer there?

Speaker 2 (21:49):
And I go.

Speaker 1 (21:50):
LinkedIn, instagram, social media you know all those
different outlets and resources.
Get Excel, start making aspreadsheet and then what's also
great with chat, gbt and other.
Look up and it's going to go ohwell, 90% of emails at this

(22:13):
company that you just askedabout use a first name, dot,
last name at companycom, orthey'll be like you know, this
company is more like firstinitial, last name.
I know it sounds wild, butliterally take that information,
go to your Excel list, pull upLinkedIn of every company that
you want to be at.
Oh, there's the buyer.
Her name is Lauren Emily, and Iknow that this company is

(22:36):
usually going to be.
You know of an email cadencethat is first name, last name,
whatever.
Write them all into that scriptthere.
Yeah, type them up, trymultiples, try multiples, then
start sending emails.
Reach out on LinkedIn If youdon't get a response there.
Create a newsletter Stayingactive.
I know we said they don't openemails, but this is at least
going to tell you is the emailvalid?

(22:57):
Is it going to bounce back?
It's a lot of trial and error,but building that list over time
is going to help you.
Also at New York Now, whilewe're not going to give you
contact information.
Once you log in and you're allset up with your account, you
have your New York Now onlinepage, powered by Bolton.
With this, on the back end,exhibitors are able to see the

(23:18):
active list of buyers registeredfor the show.
So it's not gonna have theircontact information, but it's
going to give you names,companies and their areas of
buying.
So, again, this is anotherinsight tool that builds your
personal list.
So use those types of tools togive way to your lists and when
you're a show site, again you'rein person.
Your smartphone is a mobile app.
It turns into a scanner.
You can scan every singleperson that you connect with

(23:40):
badge that they wear.
They have to wear a badge.
Then you can download that listand now you have their contact
information.

Speaker 2 (23:46):
Are the badges colored now?
Because I know they have fromshow to show, because back in
the day, like if someone's badgewas yellow they were press, if
it was blue it was a buyer, ifit was green it was an exhibitor
.
And then they have the likerando.
You know black, like meaning,you just showed up and I don't
care about you, yeah.

(24:07):
You're just walking.

Speaker 1 (24:09):
Yes, yes, they are still color codedoded and that
is another thing that isincluded in some of that
pre-show material, so that youknow when you're in your booth,
if you see a green badge walkingto you, green means what money?
So that's what we say.
We have changed those, thosebadge types, so that if you're a
buyer on the show floor or aperson with purchasing power on

(24:30):
the attendee side, that batchtypes can going to be green.
So it's an easy way to know asthey're walking up the aisle.
Look by day two of a trade show, those of us with the best eye
vision will still be seeingdouble Right.
So this is a way for you to getcolor coordinated and be like
ah okay, I see green.
Let me puff up my chest a littlebit and get ready for this.

(24:51):
I know my five-second pitch.
I know what I'm going to sayhere.
Maybe I'm going to hold myproduct and play with one of the
features.
Maybe my bag has a strap thatcomes on and off.
I'm going to be taking it onand off while standing at the
front of the booth.

Speaker 2 (25:04):
And bring extra product.
I mean, within the bag segment.
We are, as we said, said onlyshowing the best of the best,
but make sure you have a bagthat you can wear of your own.
I can I tell you I've had somany designers and I've spoken
about this ad nauseam thatthere's so many designers who've

(25:24):
created products, but yet theystill wear their louis or their
gucci or whatever.
And I'm like girl, what's wrongwith you?
Like no, no, no, no, no, no, no,that's a marketing write-off
too, like no yeah, and alsoassume for the worst.
Assume something will happen toyour product, assume samples

(25:44):
will not show up on time.
Make sure that you haveswatches ready, that you have.
Swatches are your best friend.
Put them in a lovely book andmake sure you know your delivery
dates.
Make sure you know your reorderdelivery dates.
That's like the grayest area.
Make sure you understand yourpricing.
Wholesale is one thing, but alot of buyers ask what are you

(26:08):
selling it at retail?
What are other people sellingit at retail?
Is your retail consistent fromyour site to somebody else's?
How often do you go on sale?
What are your typical discounts?
Like?
All of these things are thingsyou have to know because
someone's going to throw it atyou and you don't want to go.
Um, this is your brand, this isyour chance and you want to

(26:28):
close it.
And the great thing, at leastwith this section, is that we're
allowing you to have the saleso laser focused, because here
are my best selling bags, that'sall.

Speaker 1 (26:40):
That's it, here are my best selling bags.

Speaker 2 (26:43):
It's available in blue, purple, green.
I don't have them here.
Here are the swatches Out ofthose pop colors.
The green usually gets peopleexcited.
Do you sell bags that are green?
How does green do in your store?
It doesn't.
Okay, I've got neutrals too.
How do they do in your store?
That's it, the end, that's all.

Speaker 1 (27:00):
Where do I, where do I submit my credit card?
Yeah that was perfect, that'sexactly it and really well said.
That's exactly what's going tohappen in these conversations.
They want to make sure, at theend of the day, that they are
set up for success with yourproduct.
So the more information youhave, the more demographics that
you know about your buyer, yourcustomer, your girl, as I like

(27:23):
to say, who's buying your bag,wearing it Monday, tuesday,
wednesday, thursday, friday,saturday, sunday, why she wears
it, where she wears it, whatother brands do you usually sit
with?

Speaker 2 (27:34):
Oh, that first question.
I remember when I was goinginto Bendals and that was a
question, what other brands doyou hang with?
And I responded cheekily like Ihang with all the brands.
And please, please, berealistic as to who your actual
competition is.
Your real competition is neverever Louis or Gucci.

(27:55):
It is never ever ever that.
Who within that emergingindependent designer space falls
in line with your aesthetic,with your materials, with your
price point, with your press,with your target?
Oh, she typically would buyBrandon Blackwood, but you know,
I know that her box aesthetic,she would find that she would

(28:17):
enjoy my product too.

Speaker 1 (28:19):
Totally.
It's so, so good to know thosethings.
You know, we were at a showrecently and I was looking at
this one company's huge piecesof mushroom leather and I
remember years ago this was justsomething being spoken about in
a textbook.
And now here I am, holding it inmy hands and it's yeah, it's
amazing.
It's such good quality, like.
It's coming out in alldifferent colors, shapes, sizes,

(28:40):
textures.
If you make a bag out of that,for example, that actually puts
you in a playing level ofleather bags.
It puts you at a playing levelof sustainable bags, clean
ingredients, reusable.
You know you have many arenasthere, so always look at that
for other brands that you couldsit with in stores.
You can sit with Because, forexample, at New York now,
another way that we encouragebuyers to shop knowing that one.

(29:03):
This is how the modern consumeris shopping.
This is what Gen Z, gen Alphais actually spending.
Their money is based off brandvalues.
So, yes, it's cute, yes, I likeit, yes, it fits right.
However, does it match my valueas a person?
You know some people only wantto support and wear female
founded goods, which is amazing.

(29:24):
It's actually the number onebrand value shopped at our show
is female founded.

Speaker 2 (29:28):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (29:29):
Yes, One is handmade.
Handmade products make up overa third of the offerings at New
York now, across the floor, allsections is a huge component of
our show, no matter how much youknow.
You might want to walk our showand say, oh well, that's a huge
line.
That's a huge line, yes, but ifyou go into the actual data and
details, handmade products is ahuge focal point at New York

(29:53):
now.
So if you make a handmadeproduct, lean into that, Check
that box on your directory pagebecause you can put these all as
filters on your pages.
And it's female founded, it'sblack owned, it's Latinx owned,
you know it's clean ingredients,it's sustained like there's.
There's 16 brand values that wehave identified.
You can choose all 16 if theyidentify with your company.

(30:15):
Please don't go greenwashingthe world there, oh.

Speaker 2 (30:17):
God.

Speaker 1 (30:18):
Yeah, yeah, but but that's another way to that sets
you apart and allows you to, youknow, get in front of that
buyer, because that buyer mightonly be shopping for, you know,
handmade female founded goods,and she's going to have double
filters on her page and she'sthat's what.
She's going to have doublefilters on her page and she's
that's what she's looking for,because that her consumer buys.
She might not be looking forany of that.
She might be looking for thecolor green, which, in that case

(30:38):
, good thing you had yourswatches, as Emily said exactly
yeah, no, I think, and alsomaking sure.

Speaker 2 (30:48):
Now, I know this sounds crazy.
What kind of paperwork shouldthey bring?

Speaker 1 (30:55):
It's not crazy.
It's actually a great, greatquestion and very interesting
topic as well, given, I think,our overall society's confusion,
if you will, between will we,won't we?
Where are we?
What are we doing?
Am I all plugged in on a phoneand an iPad and that's, I've
gone full digital or do I stillwant to read a book paper to

(31:18):
paper, front to back cover.
I think we are in between allgenerations in our current
society, blending between whatwe want as a you know, as a
carbon copy form, as well aswhat I'm willing to save as a
file in my folder on my desktop.
So it's a good question.
I will say both at this currentstage.

(31:38):
So it's always good to have apaper line sheet, a paper, you
know, list of your products withpricing in the image.
It does not have to be fancy,you can make this in PowerPoint
if you will them out at FedExKinko's.
It does not need to be fancy,it needs to be informative at
the end of the sheet that haspricing, images, specs, so that

(32:01):
when you have that connection,if she's not ready to buy today
which don't be shocked if she'snot ready to buy today, she's
got a lot of things to look atand a lot of books to run
through but if you can book hersomething that goes into her
purse, that when she gets backat that hotel later in that
night and she opens that purseand pulls out all these lovely
new things that she found today,you now physically have

(32:22):
something in her hand.
So that is the benefit of paper, paper and paper, line sheets
and items like that.
Paper order forms a little bitdifferent.
I think we are officially, asan overall community and world,
finally shifting away from theyellow, pink, white carbon copy.

Speaker 2 (32:40):
Pull the copy.
Pull the copy.
Pull the copy pull the copy.

Speaker 1 (32:42):
Pull the copy, pull the copy.
I mean we have officiallyreally seen the true adoption
going into digital ordering, orat least just you know.
We'll write it up on my iPadhere.
I'll send you an email of theitems that you put on your order
today, so you have that as yourcopy.

Speaker 2 (32:56):
Is there a program that people use for order forms?

Speaker 1 (33:00):
Yeah, I've seen everything honestly, so you know
.
There's the large onlinemarketplaces that you can join.
They do cost money, though, soI don't always advise this for
an emerging designer.
That would be like new ordersyour jours.
Don't start there as anemerging designer.

Speaker 2 (33:16):
You're going to spend a lot of money for something
that you don't need.

Speaker 1 (33:19):
Now something similar Brand Boom.
Brand Boom is a much lower costproduct, if not even has free
options.
If you don't need too manystages of it, check out Brand
Boom if you want to go thatroute of being able to have
something digital to send out,that is, floors.
You can take it to any show anduse it as you know.
If you show up at a storeyourself and just have a great
connection, you can set it upthat way.
You don't need anything likethat.

(33:39):
Another way, though, is is thatNew York now, with your booth
package, you receive your NewYork now online page, which is
on bulletin.
Bulletin is an online wholesalemarketplace, so it's different
from a new order or Azure in thesense that it's visual.
You can see it.
The buyer can log in herself,see your page, check herself out

(34:02):
without even speaking to you.
So that's another tool.
When you set up your profilepage, list your products on that
page as well.
So if you're bringing thosefive it bags to the show, put
those five it bags on yourprofile page.
Put them in every color too.
So maybe you actually have 15products up there because you
want to show each color way.
That way, if she's filteringchanging, you can then add

(34:24):
product tags to these productsas well Additional ways of
filtering and searching on thewebsite.
So if a buyer's on the websiteit's three o'clock in the
morning, she can't sleep shetypes in green bag and you've
tagged your green bag on yourprofile page as green bag, green
bag.
Think of it as you knowhashtags yes, it works like that
.
It works kind of like thatwithin this matrix.

(34:46):
So that's one step tool to usethere within the show, like in
New York.
Now that's going to come aspart of the marketing On
Bulletin.

Speaker 2 (34:52):
can buyers place orders or this is just your
profile?
They can place orders.

Speaker 1 (34:56):
They can place an order.

Speaker 2 (34:57):
Does that go through Brand Boom or they do it just
those.
Does that go through Brand Boomor they do?

Speaker 1 (35:01):
it.
Just those are separateentities.
Brand Boom is just anotherexample of a platform that an
emerging brand might want tolook at to create line sheets,
to have something up there.
What's nice about your New YorkOnline page is it's also
integrated with Shopify.
So I know we've spoken earlierwith a lot of brands that have
gone immediately intodirect-to-consumer with their
products, which is great becauseyou get immediate interest.

(35:21):
That margin is super delicious.
You are now front-loading yourentire production on your own.
You do not have any other moneycoming in to front-load your
production and to sell to retailand direct consumer, as we both
know, means the product alreadyexists.
If you buy it, I now have toship it to you immediately.
Right now, If you bankroll andblend your back end with

(35:42):
wholesale orders and sellingdirect to consumer, you're going
to get some money to offsetyour production now that you
don't have to front load becauseyou're getting it up front.
So between those things, youreally can blend it.
But if you have products thatare held domestically in the US
and can ship from US or Canadianwarehouses, and that warehouse

(36:04):
might be your apartment because,let's face it, that's where
most good start is your livingroom floor you just have you
know.
Your family deals with theamount of boxes in the other
room.
You're like this is fine, thisis our child's college fund here
.
We're going to sell these boxesuntil we grow big enough.
Either way, you can thentransact on Bulletin.
Either way, you can thentransact on Bulletin.
So we have a whole one sheet onit.
So happy to walk into that oneby one, with brands as well.

Speaker 2 (36:26):
Do designers keep their product exclusively on
Bulletin and use that as theirdigital platform for trade shows
?

Speaker 1 (36:33):
page.
So you actually tell thebulletin team and tell us that
you want that page removed inthe future, because you can have
a bulletin page right now.
You do not need to come throughNew York now.
It is a live marketplace.
You can sign up for your pageand it's free.
It's free to post your productson there, so any brand should

(36:54):
just do it for that purposealone is it's not going to cost
you any money to just load yourproducts up there and they'd be
exposed to another database.
The only time that it's nowgoing to cost something and I
use quotations there because itstill is not costing anything it
comes out of the order.
It's a commission.
So if you are not part of NewYork now but you have a profile
page up on Bulletin but you makean order with a buyer and

(37:17):
you're not signed up for theshow yet, it's going to take a
certain percentage of commissionout of that order once it ships
.
But Bulletin acts as yourbanking system in that instance.
They invoice, they do payment.
All you have to do is pack theorder and ship it out Within 14
days of it arriving.
You will then be paid directlyinto your bank account that you

(37:38):
set up with the profile, oh myGod amazing.
I know it's amazing.
Now, the benefit of doing NewYork Now with the bulletin is
the second that you sign up forthe show and contract your booth
space, your commission ratesreduce.

Speaker 2 (37:50):
Oh, wow.

Speaker 1 (37:51):
Yes, so for any order that you place running up into
the show as well as the timeafter the show, for one month.
So let's say our next show isin August, these discount after
the show for one month.
So let's say our next show isin August.
These discounted rates wouldrun through the end of August
for any orders that you place onthere.
Now, of course, if you alreadyhave a buyer and she's already
your buyer, you just have togive us that list and put it in
there, and it's pre-approvedwith our team.

(38:11):
It's very easy to do Any ofthose orders that you've brought
in on your own.
There's no commission.
So you just have to let us knowso they don't take any
commission out of that.
So you can run all your orderson there if you wanted to, and
it can act as your wholesalebackend for you.
You just have to let the teamknow your existing buyers, and
then there's no commission onthose.
Other perk, though, is on showsite, any orders placed,

(38:33):
regardless if you know them ornot.
This could be a brand new buyer.
You connected with her at theit Bag launch pad area, had
great connections.
She's like I'm writing these up, it's happening, I need to buy
these bags.
They're too perfect for whatI'm doing in my store.
It's going to matter to mycustomer.
They write that order with you.
Live Zero commission Againduring the three show days, no

(38:53):
matter who you wrote the orderto new or returning, zero
commission on those orders.
So it's another good benefitthere for that live in-person.
We do that to design thatin-person connection.
Yep, yep.

Speaker 2 (39:05):
And then to have the return on investment for doing
the show to begin with.
Exactly oh my God, matthew.
We could like go on and on andon.
I so this is like so sexy to me.
I so enjoy this.

Speaker 1 (39:17):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (39:21):
Yeah, I feel like we're gonna need to do one more
before the show, just to getpeople jazzed up.
So I'm having you back, matthew.
How can we find you and learnmore about New York now, whether
it's exhibiting, whether it'swalking the show or even wanting
, or buyers that are listening?

Speaker 1 (39:35):
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, I'm very, very easy tofind.
Most of my friends, family andcolleagues say that you're going
to hear me before you see me.
We share that personalityAbsolutely.
So you know, if you, if you'rein LA I'm based out in LA I get
to fly to New York City for theshow a couple of times a year,
so I get the benefits of bothcoasts.

(39:55):
But you know I'm always inaround events in L in LA.
So if you ever see me in person, always say hi, never shy away
from me.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
And Kama.
That's why we have a YouTubechannel, so everyone can see
Matthew and his slick newhaircut too.

Speaker 1 (40:07):
It's very fabulous.
Yes, thank you.
Thank you.
Yes, they did me right thistime.

Speaker 2 (40:12):
No, looks very smart.
It's very nice.

Speaker 1 (40:22):
Outside of seeing me on YouTube podcasts like this
one, or in-person events.
I'm online.
I am online.
Feel free to always add me onLinkedIn.
My name is pretty unique.
I'm pretty much the only onemaybe less than five Matthew
Matthiassons that currentlyexist in digital.
Oh boy I know there just onlyrecently became a couple of
years ago another one onFacebook which I know I'm dating
myself with Facebook.
However, I was shocked.
I was like, oh, oh, there'sanother one.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
okay, well, I'm here first uh, winning, I so get that
.
I still get that online though.

Speaker 1 (40:47):
My email is on our contact us page at ny nowcom uh
website for the show.
Uh, it's very easy.
Just you know those lovelylittle five letterscom and uh,
that's going to get you accessto all different information
portals on the website there.
Additionally, contact us pagethat has my contact information.
It has our entire sales team,operational team contact

(41:07):
information and the marketingteam, so we're all very
accessible.
Additionally, though, uh, addme on linkedin.

Speaker 2 (41:13):
I'm always, I'm always down to what is the new
york now?
Uh, instagram, it's at nyunderscore now, correct.

Speaker 1 (41:19):
Correct, exactly so.
Instagram is at NY underscorenow, and that's it.
Oh, my goodness, I know Okay.

Speaker 2 (41:26):
Matthew, this has been an absolute delight.
I can't wait we're definitelygoing to have a follow-up to
talk more about it Bag andgetting everybody excited.
So once we get everybody onboard, then we want people to
then come and watch and walk theshow and come find our
designers.
So thank you so much for partone as far as I'm concerned.

Speaker 1 (41:44):
Yes, I love it.
Thanks for having me.
It was great part one.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.