California Apparel News

Streetwear fashion continues to be a popular category, and Venue Trade Show, a new, independent event for streetwear, will make its debut on June 28 at the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Novice trade show producer Miles Canares said Venue will host 40 booths, and his event will focus on making an intimate event for people who might feel overwhelmed at dominant shows such as MAGIC and Agenda.

“There are so many new, independent brands out there, and they don’t have a place to show for a low, affordable rate,” Canares said. “We’re providing a new platform for them and retailers who wanted to shop in a different place.”

A 10-by-10 booth at the sold-out Venue Trade Show was priced at $1,100. A similarly sized booth at Agenda goes for $5,200, said Aaron Levant, president of Agenda, which will produce three shows this summer: the flagship Agenda show at the Long Beach Convention Center (July 25–26) in Long Beach, Calif.; Agenda NYC at 82 Mercer Conference Center in New York (July 10–11); and the new Agenda Vegas at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas (Aug. 19–20).

“I don’t know if there is a void,” Levant said. “It’s a difficult marketplace to get noticed. It’s an oversaturated market, but anything that highlights brands big and small, especially small ones, is a positive.”

Canares formerly ran an entertainment company, and he shot lookbooks for streetwear fashion labels. He got the idea for developing a trade show after working for the streetwear companies. Canares started working on the Venue Trade Show last October and spread the word through social-media sites such as Instagram. Booth space sold out, and, so far, he managed the show without an investor. He plans to produce another Venue Trade Show next January in downtown Los Angeles and eventually hopes to produce a streetwear trade show in New York.

For more information, visit www.venuetradeshow.com.