California Apparel News

Overheard in the aisles, Agenda is like the new ASR. The newest edition at the Long Beach Convention Center on January 5-6 showed the breadth of categories that were merchandised roughly by skate, streetwear and surf brands in the cavernous cement floored space.

With more space to stretch its limbs, Chris Overholser of Vans said that it was the first time the brand was able to fit all of its many divisions in one huge booth at Agenda instead of separate booths for clothing and shoes. Here’s a look at some of the newest Fall 2012 products that were on display, many of which showed a more grown-up and graduated look. Well, as grown up as it gets for these active dudes.

VP of Marketing, Jesse Faen talked a little bit more about VSTR, the new line of “travel essentials” backed by Quiksilver and founded by Kelly Slater. “Everyone involved has a passion and love for sure, but we’re not trying to be a surf brand,” Faen said of its collaborators that include avant garde surfers and artists like Derek Hynd. “We’re not sponsoring people. We’re enabling them. They’re not just representing our clothing as models. They’re giving back to the culture of it,” Faen said.

In commemoration of O’Neill celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2012, it launched The Jack O’Neill collection of surf clothes for grown-up men. The new line will feature better fabrications and a more dressed-up feel, for example a new version of elastic waistband post-surf pants that look like chinos instead of sweatpants.

On the women’s side, O’Neill showed a special collaboration of activewear with Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin under its 365 activewear line.

Vans’ iPhone case that resembled the classic sneaker sole immediately sold out after they shipped to stores for the holiday season and were in such high demand that the cases showed up on eBay.

The DIY customization theme was big for Vans. It's women's campaign "Create Your Mark" encourages girls to draw on their jeans, cut up their shirts and paint and dye their bags. Vans plans to release a video tutorials to help get the creative juices flowing.

Though Reef is synonymous with its sandals, the booth conspicuously did not have any sandals. Its Fall 2012 shoe line was a “step up from hanging footwear” with heartier construction and design details.

Jimmy Arrighi, a former co-owner of RVCA has already signed some impressive skaters—Ed Templeton, Leo Romero and Cairo Foster— for his new brand Eswic. “Billabong bought RVCA and in my opinion it’s not RVCA,” Arrighi said. He plans to sell the new brand to core skateshop, utility, industrial boutique shops. Ed Templeton’s art and photographs adorn the premium tees and the slim fit denim is modeled after the signature Romero fit, “it was the #1 selling denim forever” at RVCA.

Insight branched out into home accessories that fit the brand's sometimes WTF-ness. A candle, that's we think, is a femur bone.

Workwear clothes are still hanging on. At hatmaker Brixton, their clothing line had lots of sturdy jackets, we imagine for guys who like to drive trucks and other heavy machinery, or just look like they do.

The one-year-old boutique Port in Long Beach, founded by ex-Podium Distribution alums Juston Tucker and Jim Leatherman was expanding its branded line of bags, tees and jeans to wider wholesale distribution. Gin (and empty beer cans... it was after 3pm after all) not included.

Amongst the bigger name brands there were still lots of offbeat home grown brands with personality. Captain Fin, which makes the pretty and artsy versions of surfboard fins was selling its graphic T-shirt line with its signature anchor logo.

Guys might finally be getting plaid and stripes fatigue. More brands were offering prints, especially classic vintage Aloha prints in subdued colors. Here, at …Lost.

Surf brand Wellen was highlighting its artist collaboration T-shirts.

Kevin Flanagan and Mark Wystrach of The People’s Movement shoe brand show off their vertical prowess in a sandwich with Randy Brewer, buyer of Convert in Berkeley in the middle. The People’s Movement sneakers are made with organic cotton. It’s “Clean Act” collection uses plastic bags polluting the island of Bali and repurposes them into reusable totes and fabric panels on its shoes.

QSW continued its collaboration with San Francisco artist Serena Mitnik-Miller with more items featuring the surfer/artist’s signature watercolor work.

Men’s line Chambers by designer Devin Carlson (who also designs the contemporary line Fremont) and longtime friend Jake Denny was all about convertability. Jackets (like this letterman-like jacket that was quilted on one side and canvas on the other side) and woven shirts are finished to be worn completely reversible. Jackets with removable sleeves and hoods mutate into vests.

Cool custom motorcycle company-turned-clothing brand from Australia, Deus Ex Machina attracted a lot of looky-loos and iPhone photo-taking at its handsome booth. The brand plans to open a shop on February 17 in Venice.

Rusty showed a new zip front jacket that is a hybrid of wetsuit neoprene and Lycra/poly fabric panels. The drawstrings have earbuds that connect to a dry pouch for a music player so that the wearer can listen to tunes while surfing or stand-up paddle boarding.

Over in the Berrics skate section, pro skateboarder Chris Cole showed his new brand Omit. As a self-described “fit freak” who used to get his pants tailored so that the crotch hung in just the right spot, his line has special pockets details to keep accessories in place (we assume while skateboarding, of course). For example the stretch denim jeans, a sixth pocket for a knife and on the flap pocket of a woven shirt, there's a slit for a sunglasses arm to neatly slide in.