TRADESHOWING

Twice a year, the fashion industry converges in Las Vegas and New York to link designers, big and small, with retailers from across the globe. Larger shows like Project and Magic curate thousands of brands and designers, while smaller, niche shows help promote smaller independents. As a tiny operation, we are still waiting for the right time to show, but as for now, we walked a few shows to visit some brands and see what's on the horizon for Spring and Fall.


We first hit up United, a tradeshow geared towards the street scene and smaller, independent brands. We stopped by the Reason booth, and kicked it with Phil and John Reason again, super chill doods who are always down to chop it up with us. Most of the cats at United seem to be the typical streetwear hustlers, who wanted to get down with buyers. Maybe I am a bit jaded, but most of the lines looked like the same, loud stuff ad nauseum. That's not to say there weren't some winners, with Green Apple Tree and Homeroom offering some dope cut-and-sew items that showcased both quality and original design.


The second show we hit was LAT40, a Japanese tradeshow aimed at penetrating some Japanese labels into the American market and vice versa. Held in a penthouse loft, LAT40 was definitely on point, stressing a minimalist, super clean aesthetic and showcasing some very unique lines, predominantly Japanese designers with a mixture of a few high-end American lines.


We met with our Japanese distributor, Mizuho, who is working on getting Vane into Japan. She introduced us to Combo, this super chill ass Japanese cat who owns a boutique in Japan called Nubian, who will be the first distributor of Vane in Japan. Everyone at the show was mad respectful, bowing politely when they presented a business card with two hands, watching from a fixed point as we perused the various lines. Maybe it was just a matter of cultural difference, but the Japanese show just had a much calmer atmosphere, where it was less hustlers and more artisans proud of the craft.

I think the biggest thing we took away from the tradeshows was that although the American market might be suffering, internationally it gave us a different perspective on the game. It reaffirmed our belief in the direction of the line, of where we see the fashion and street markets converging. Despite working in a creative field, no person or industry is immune to the recent global economy woes, and fashion is no exception. We have been in a mild crisis mode, but seeing firsthand the Japanese market was like a breath of fresh air. Until then, I feel like we had gotten a glimpse of the small-time hustle and we had mistaken it for the whole game. Now that we understand things in perspective, although the work ahead looms much larger, it helps us forget about the small trips we make along the way. The end game is much bigger, and ultimately more important.