California Apparel News

The excitement over trucker hats has died down, but the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo, held January 17–19, delivered new excitement with new brands, innovative products and strong business upon its move to San Diego this season.

The January show typically has 15 percent less exhibition space than its September counterpart, according to ASR Show Director Kevin Flanagan. Still, the recent show hosted more than 70 new exhibitors. Approximately 300 manufacturers representing more than 500 brands in the surf, skate, swimwear, youth lifestyle and footwear industries participated in the event.

The January show, formerly held at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif., has permanently relocated to the San Diego Convention Center, where ASR also hosts its September show. ASR will still hold its March 9–10 edition, for the Fall and Back-to-School buying seasons, in Huntington Beach, Calif.

“The retailers are more excited to come to San Diego because it’s a family spot, it’s a family destination,” Flanagan said. “But as far as the exhibitors go, the exhibitors are committed to the show regardless.”

Michelle Kosmerl-Devine, juniors national sales manager for Irvine, Calif.–based O’Neill, said the new location was “much better.”

“More of our buyers travel to San Diego,” she explained. “We stay booked from beginning to end here. A lot of people come, and they stay, and we get a lot more business done—a lot more. Now it will always be here, so it’s a lot better for us.”

Other exhibitors and retailers agreed, noting they liked the vibe of the show in the new location, the convention hall and the greater number of hotels in San Diego. However, some said it was more difficult to draw on core specialty boutiques from Southern California areas such as Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Orange County that were more likely to go to the event in Long Beach because of its close proximity.

Flanagan said organizers anticipate attendance for the recent show will prove to be up from last January’s turnout.

“At the end of the day, the numbers are important, but it’s really [about] what’s happening: Is business being done? Are people seeing a return on their investment? Is it worthwhile for the retailer to come to this show? And everybody I’ve been talking to is really excited about it,” Flanagan said.

All in all, many exhibitors said they were pleased with the show—regardless of whether traffic was down since the relocation.

“It seems like Long Beach was a lot busier for some unknown reason, but we’re not complaining,” said Frank Delgadillo, founder of Irvine, Calif.–based Ambiguous Clothing. “We’re getting a lot of business done here.”

Ambiguous is on a growth track, with plans to open three retail stores in 2004, including one in Tokyo and one in Osaka, Japan.

“We feel confident going into ’04,” Delgadillo said. “We’re definitely expecting to project an increase in sales.”

New players, new directions

While the usual big players were in attendance at ASR—including Billabong, Hurley International, Rusty, O’Neill, and Volcom— the approximately 70 new exhibitors also proved to be a big draw for retailers.

Flanagan attributes the growth in new exhibitors to the upturn in the economy, the renewed consumer interest in the action-sports market and the accurate timing of the show. He added that the focus, however, really is on the brands. Many lines are making their first appearance or reintroduction to ASR, including Modern Amusement, Z-Brand and Hot Tuna, as well as highly anticipated new lines such as Mada and Hurley Swim.

“A lot of retailers are talking about these new brands that have a chance to really go far and make it and kind of put a new spin on specialty retail,” Flanagan said.

Mada, a new men’s lifestyle brand, created a buzz at the show in part because its founders, Vince De La Pena and Shaine Lavoie, are the original founders of Ezekiel.

“Although it’s a new brand, you’re getting maturity and experience behind it, and I think that, especially in California, they really want a new brand to put their arms around,” De La Pena said. “Our whole motto is putting the ’special’ back into specialty. I think that [retailers are] just looking for a little different identity.”

Jason Runes, a designer for Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp.’s Seven2 brand, also noted a demand for innovation in the men’s market.

“If they can get a basic, why should we do it?” Runes asked. “They already have the basics— they already have it from all the other vendors. We need to come up with something to give them a reason to pick us up.”

In addition, established brand Redsand, which was recently purchased by Perry Ellis, is revamping its line to become a youth lifestyle brand to capture business in the exploding youth market.

The trade show, which has long been known for its party atmosphere, contained its usual elements of entertainment with bands, skate demos and fun, including autograph signings by industry icons such as skateboarder Tony Hawk. But exhibitors also seemed to be doing strong business for Summer.

Nicole Meyers, women’s swim and apparel buyer for the Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, Fla., was on the hunt for Summer trends.

“I’m not looking for one thing specifically,” she said. “I’m just looking at Summer and figuring out my buy plan. This is my second go around looking at everybody’s Summer and figuring out what key items from what vendors I’m going to carry and really focus in on.”

Growth in juniors

Meyers said she attends all three ASR shows, as well as MAGIC International, Surf Expo and the Miami Swim Show. She said she really uses the ASR January show to target the juniors market.

“The media has helped build this appetite for action sports in the juniors market,” said Flanagan of ASR. “Everything from the movie ’Blue Crush’ to girls actually participating in the sports and surfing.”

Richard Bohannan of PTI Distribution in Falkenberg, Sweden, attended the show to shop for men’s lines and build his company’s juniors business.

“We have skate, streetwear and snowwear, so now we’re trying to find the complementary suppliers on the girls’ side,” he said. “Our sales are 80 percent men and 20 percent women, so that’s why we are trying to increase the women’s side.”

Many companies, including motocross apparel brand Alpinestars, have jumped on the trend. Alpinestars launched a logo-driven juniors line in 2003 to create a lifestyle line for women who have been supporting the motocross sport.

Girls now want fashion, said Michael Sharp, president of Costa Mesa, Calif.–based surf line Lucy Love. “We feel that the surf shop is the new boutique of this generation.”

Retailer Makenna Burney, who will be opening her new surf boutique, Lilikoi, in mid-April or early May in Newport Beach, Calif., is also looking to fill that fashion niche that crosses over into surf.

At ASR, Meyers from Ron Jon searched for fashion-forward lines such as Lucy Love and Billabong that have roots in surf but can bridge multiple categories.

She added that she is also thinking “outside the box” a bit and is already carrying a few motocross or extreme sport lines for Spring, such as Alpinestars and Skin Industries, as well as skate items from Element.

Summer is the season

A few ASR exhibitors previewed Fall collections, but most showed Summer items, giving retailers the opportunity to fill in their Summer buys.

For buyers like Amy Spencer of Cayucos Surf Co. in Cayucos, Calif., Summer is the key season. “We’re right on the beach, and that’s the time of the year where we’re doing the most business,” she said.

Sharp of Lucy Love called the January ASR event “a Summer show,” although he noted many manufacturers only produce two seasons: Spring and Fall.

“Summer is the biggest season for all surf shops,” he said. “For me, this is the big show, even though Spring is huge, Summer for me is the biggest season.”

A wide variety of retailers were present, including San Francisco–based Macy’s West, Anaheim, Calif.–based Pacific Sunwear of California Inc., Seattle-based The Bon Marcheacute; and Huntington Beach, Calif.–based Huntington Surf and Sport.

“We’re seeing everyone from Bloomingdale’s to core specialty accounts, so it’s a good mix,” Ambiguous Clothing’s Delgadillo said.

Retailers were more optimistic than they had been in recent seasons, when the sluggish economy had kept buyers cautious.

“Everyone’s really pumped up,” O’Neill’s Kosmerl- Devine said. “Their Holiday business was good, so they’re ready to look at some new product.”

That was the case at Jack’s Surf Shop in Huntington Beach, Calif., according to women’s buyer Kelly Cunningham.

“We were really busy—our store was completely sold out,” she said. “We were so bare by the time that New Year’s came, it was good to get our Spring shipment.”

“This year should be good,” she said. “Everyone is out spending money. Our economy is going up, so it’s looking good.”