Brisk Crowds and Bustling Sales for S.L.A.T.E.
MAGIC’s S.L.A.T.E. show, which ran Aug. 22–24 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Convention Center, proved an uneven match for the down economy. The collection of action-sports and streetwear labels—known for showcasing the latest surf, skate and street styles—had a steady stream of buyers, according to exhibitors.
“We’ve been busy, busy, busy,” said Jeff Marshall, marketing manager for Vernon, Calif.–based surf line Ocean Current, on the second day of the show. “At one point, we were showing the line outside the booth because we were so busy.”
The brand’s updated plaid boardshorts and unlined fleeces, which wholesale for $11 to $12, were the biggest sellers, according to Marshall. Buyers were more controlled and concise in their ordering than in years past, but business was busier than last year, and the market is slowly turning around, Marshall said. John Schild, retail sales manager for New York–based Glamour Kills Clothing, said the show had been “great” and that business had been increasing each quarter over the past two years for the company, which specializes in graphic tees, hoodies and fleeces. Cut-off fashion tanks were doing well this season, but graphic T-shirts were “still the company’s bread and butter,” Schild said.John Heelan of Costa Mesa, Calif.–based Hurley and Pat Artukovich of Huntington Beach, Calif.–based Quiksilver also reported strong shows with lots of orders being placed.Artukovich said it was Quiksilver’s first time showing at MAGIC in five years and that some of the most popular merchandise included an apparel collaboration with the NFL featuring the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders, the New York Giants and the New York Jets.“That’s been a huge success,” he said. Kevin Murray—chief executive officer of Made for Good, a holding company for humanitarian surf/skate clothing lines Jedidiah Clothing, United Artists Network and Music Cares—said traffic had been solid and sales reps had been responding really well to the lines.“Everybody is appreciating the manufacturing model and the bigger story, so it’s a much easier sell,” Murray said.Each line is designed with a selected nonprofit in mind, and a portion of sales is donated to organizations such as Nika Water, which sells bottled water to help build water wells in Africa.“International distributors love the idea,” said Made for Good’s co-founder and chief brand officer, Krista Treide. The lines had been picked up in South America, Europe, Canada and Asia, according to Treide.Chris DeMoulin, MAGIC International president and executive vice president of Advanstar Fashion Group, said S.L.A.T.E. has had “a huge expansion” into action-sports apparel, with skate and surf as “the driving energy” behind the show.This year, S.L.A.T.E. partnered with Maloof Skateboarding to kick off the Maloof Best Line Challenge skateboarding competition in a custom-built 4,000-square-foot street course as part of RIDE Unltd., a section of the show devoted to skateboarding. Skaters such as Ronnie Creager, Morgan Smith and Kurtis Colamonico took part in the challenge, which culminated in a finals competition on the second day of the show.
