THE TRADES
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very six months, the trade show circuit kicks into gear, brands gather to display their wares & stores’ buyers line up to make their orders. This fundamental leg of the industry has become so much more than a simple trade show at this point, where clothes are displayed, hyped & sold wholesale. The degree to which people attempt to out-do their competition and one-up the booth next door is astonishing. Where else in the world can see corporate suits & ganstah rappers rubbing shoulders with laid back surfers & hipster pukes? Celebrities like Pharrell, Travis Barker milled around with uber pop artist Ron English & tattoo Hall-of-famer Tim Hendricks. People watching is unparalleled at the trade shows in Las Vegas. The granddaddy of all the shows, the ever-evolving Magic Market Place, this year transformed into a 10-show Magic Market Week, held in the Las Vegas Convention Center and Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The definative compass needle in fresh style; Agenda, went off simultaneously at the Sands Expo in the Venetian. Both shows fractured off into numerous sub tradeshows each with their own flavor & style.
MAGIC
- FN Platform, WWDMAGIC, MAGIC Men’s, Project Las Vegas, Project MVMNT, the Tents at Project, Pool Trade Show, WSA @ MAGIC, Sourcing at MAGIC and ENK Vegas, held in the Las Vegas Convention Center and Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Shoes and women’s clothing take up most of the space at the Las Vegas Convention Center, while menswear has a home at Mandalay Bay. As for the difference between the many shows, think of Project as the sometimes high-end MAGIC’s edgier cousin: There you’ll see more modern haircuts among the brands that strive to appeal to young urban dwellers. MAGIC Men’s boasts well-known brands, including the O.G. and Ben Davis, while Project MVMNT features streetwear brands such as Sullen, Split and Streetwise Clothing Co.
AGENDA - Agenda, Liberty Fairs, Project and Capsule Trade
shows - Agenda Vegas launched in Sin City at the Sands Expo at The Venetian/Palazzo Hotel. The show took the city by storm with over 9,000 retailers. Definitely leaning well towards the Hipster crowd. Beards, handlebar mustaches and ‘buzz’ cuts, held down with a shit ton of hair product, is the new norm. Everyone has a purpose to hustle and build for the futures of their companies. Every brand rocked their product with pride, attempting to network with any & all possible outlets. Some brands are on their way up, while some brands are just sittin’ pretty at the top of the heap.
“Agenda Las Vegas creates an impressive and effective business experience for both brands and retailers. A very-well curated show,” Agenda attracted music industry’s heavies and up-and-coming talent. Multi-platinum producer and singer Pharrell Williams represented his collection Ice Cream. Award-winning drummer and producer Travis Barker represented his brand, Famous Stars and Straps. The hip-hop world was in full flux, with co-founders of Cash Money Records, Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams. Musical talents such as Big Sean, Bun B, Travi$ Scott, Jim Jones, and many more came to check out the show. Though it was the show’s inaugural Las Vegas appearance, Liberty was a big success and by the numbers, there were 300+ brands, 3,000+ retail buyers, and hundreds of press outlets in attendance. Action sports lifestyle brands that exhibited at Liberty such as Raen Optics, Shwood Eyewear, Hex, Deus Ex Machina, Kr3w, Zanerobe and Vanguard may be considered the top tier price point in most core surf shops. Because of the clientele at Liberty, the surf and skate brands stood on the strength of the product’s quality and cool factor. The surf/skate/biking aspect was more about recreation and lifestyle, as opposed to famous athlete names.
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