Expectations this fall season for the fashion trade shows has not been all that high given the current state of the economy, number of brands shuttering, and unemployment increasing especially across the fashion industry. So when we entered the halls of ASR September 4-6 at the San Diego Convention Center, we were not expecting to be blown away as we have in years past, when halls were ridiculously packed and people were jonesing for tickets to Spreckles theater to see the latest new snowboard video premieres in the evening. Typical of expectations, it was more subdued. Even the Nixon party planner missed some key cool party listings. Brands like Analog were not there; the Volcom booth and their hotdog stand motif seemed to harbor a plethora of tired-looking unmotivated people—which to their defense may have had more to do with the night before than what was actually inside their secretive box-square booth. The moto-inspired brands had doubled-up and were either both at ASR and the new MMA-inspired show across the street called Virtue, may have sucked some attention away, and clearly Agenda had taken it’s toll by siphoning a good portion of sneaker and action sports-inspired brands to the San Diego Concourse, along with attendees courtesy of 12 stretch limos sponsored by WESC.
Ironically however, ASR stood relatively strong especially if you’re in the swimwear and surfing industries. Behemoth booths from Quiksilver, Roxy, and Billabong were continuously busy, despite the trend towards cooler, smaller trade show booths these days, and the swimwear section featuring brands such as Salinas, Body Glove, Havaianas, Aaron Chang, Reef, Rip Curl, and Flojos were also as popular as usual. What’s a little strange at ASR today is that the surf areas and the moto-inspired areas, which harbor Fox, Famous Stars & Straps, Alpinestars, Tap-Out, and Arnette are the hotbed locations. Who would have figured these two would be show-fellows a few years ago.
The skate areas in some cases were strong but again, lots of brands have moved shows. However Vans, Osiris, Zoo York, Spy, Oakley, Nixon, Hurley, and Electric Visual were exciting and had buyers booking appointments. As was the cool booth from Livity Outernational, the industry trendsetters for creating truly sustainable apparel, accessories, bags, footwear, and must-have fedoras including the debut of their exclusive Panama Fino Style.
According to ASR, 6,000 buyers attended the show which included 700 action-sports-inspired brands and 60 advocacy groups. The advocacy groups and special programs by far made ASR this time around more appealing. For example, the Seventeen and ASR Fashion Runway Show was popular—even though there was speculation as to how it would be given that it was no longer being produced by Foam Magazine, which seemed a more applicable title, and the ASR/SIMA Board Builder Pavilion showcased the most fantastic boards from Hawaii generating a truly unique art installation and auction source for fundraising for the Liquid Nation Ball. Also, the Automatic Magazine Battle of the Shops featuring best shop team riders in street generated significant buzz for attendees interested in seeing some excellent onsite skating action.
In addition, AESC (Action Sports Environmental Coalition) continued their crusade for creating a greener future with the Green Room shop of the future area; and the Sk8ology and SkateDesign Art installation was spellbinding as skate-artists contributed original painted skateboard decks, which in many ways was the proving factor that the skate industry simply breeds creative genius unlike any other.
Fortunately, the GoldBox Mission was still around, but rather hidden and small. Known for showcasing up-and-coming leading edge brands, it still had some of that cool-cache with brands such as In4mation, Jedidiah Clothing, Ergophobia, Brooklyn Surfer, Harajuku Lovers, and the ever-popular Affliction and Sullen (double-dipping over at Virtue also), and the continuously clever and funny designer Jason Entner, creator of the speaker-bag accessory brand Fi-Hi Original Soundtrack, but the mood looked more like what you would find across the street at Virtue (see related story) so it seemed more of an afterthought this time around instead of the centerpiece. One interesting aspect to note in this area was the quiet launch of Steve Madden’s “fix” sneaker line—we’re talking bright colors, BAPE-inspired, could be something to watch in the future given their global distribution connections.
Overall, the Fall ASR Show is the show to attend for action sports-inspired brands, networking, inspirational artwork, and a variety of seminars, but it seemed as though it could have run for 2 days instead of 3. Still, it’s nice to see the industry rally for what it believes in, and move forward in creating imaginative sports-inspired apparel, footwear, and accessories which in many ways, continues to influence youth culture markets around the world.
