Author: Ryley Bane

MAGIC Takes Heat from Main Hall Brands with Re-Vamp Likely; Capsule to Launch Another Show in Vegas During Magic as the Trade Show Wars March On

Fashion trade show industry undergoes heavy changes as large brands re-evaluate and smaller shows continue to attract growing niche brands and buyers.

Trade Show News: Compass Gives Upscale Sneaker Footwear Brands a New Show; MAGIC to Launch ECOllection; Bread & Butter BarcelonaAttracting More Core American StreetFashion Brands

Given that sneaker culture and footwear in general is such a vital part of fashion particularly when it comes to street and contemporary fashion, it’s amazing to us that the old-school trade show, WSA, hasn’t gotten a facelift in years. Now, however, it’s got competition: Compass is the new directional trade show for high-end sneakers and top tier footwear created by BPMW, the founders of another very cool, intimate trade show in NYC called Capsule.

Los Angeles Turns Into the New Hotspot for Sourcing, Textiles, Denim, Fashion Trade Shows in 2009

Los Angeles has become the new hotspot for textiles and manufacturing and not just because American Apparel is here and has done an amazing job of illustrating the benefits of vertically integrated manufacturing, or that several top denim sources and manufacturers still reign supreme in the garment district, but word-up is that Urban Expositions out of Atlanta, which does the massive show in Miami called Material World, plans to start a Material World in LA in 2009.

Cell Phones X Youth Culture = The Most Important Electronic Device, So What Phone Features Are Most Important Why? Label Networks’ Data Reveals the Answers Indicating Where Things Are Headed Next

In North America, cell phones are taking over more of the roles that only a computer once offered -especially with the introduction of the iPhone and other similar portable devices that offer texting, calls, photo capabilities, music and entertainment downloading, video recording, and music listening capabilities.

Jockey Hat-The New Lid In Town

Move over fedoras, fitted caps, and crocheted “get crafty” hats, a refreshing change of headwear is soon to hit the market: jockey hats. Created in various materials and designs such as paisley, plaids, even Hawaiian flowers, the street version of the real thing is sure to make a hit on the heads of youth culture this summer and fall.

Collaboration Update: Amber B x Element, Wonderwall x Original Fake, Levi’s x Damien Hirst, and Keihl’s x Brad Pitt

Collaborations continue in street fashion, beauty products, limited-edition drops, T-shirts, architecture, and more. Here’s the latest round-up.

Fashion Messenger-How T-shirt Statements, The Love Movement, Big Foils, and the Revival of”Frankie Says” Motifs Tell a New Story in the Meaning of Apparel

How an anti-BBC campaign from the %u201880’s UK punk scene strikes a second-coming with a new generation, bringing new meaning to backstory fashion.

Trade Show Season Prep Part 2: Making the Most of Your Booth Space to Attract Buyers, Media, Fashion Business Leaders

It’s amazing what you can achieve within an 8′ by 10′ space which is often the minimum size of a trade show booth. Make the most it of it with proper signage of your brand’s logo, a carefully displayed rack of your collection -often on at least two sides of the booth area, a portfolio with any media you’ve been in from magazines or online magazines, and leave-behind material for either buyers glancing in your direction or media that may pass by.

Direct-to-Consumer Continues to Be the Hot Ticket in New-School Retail as Gap Buys-up Athleta

Athleta, one of the more popular women’s activewear lines in North America, was purchased for $150 million in cash by The Gap.

Youth Olympic Games Narrow Prospect Cities to Moscow Singapore Olympics Try to Get Relevant, Connect with Urban Culture; Launch of the YOG Winter Games (without Snowboarding)

While I may be the only one who’s reading the International Olympic Committee Reports these days about the launch of the Youth Olympic Games, there’s some fresh news to note that again makes the Olympic Committee sound incredibly antiquated. As we’ve noted in the stories below as we continue to track what’s going on with the development of the Youth Olympic Game movement (YOG), new revelations by the old-boys network has come to light in a recent report.