California Apparel News

Activewear trade show Active Collective will expand to the East Coast in January.

The move to New York is one that Shannon Leggett, executive show director of Active Collective and its sister show, Swim Collective, has had on his agenda since launching the activewear and athleisure show last year.

Active Collective will bow its first East Coast edition Jan. 26–27 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. Organizers anticipate drawing more department-store buyers to the New York show, which will also feature a “Media Upfronts” platform where brands will have a chance to pitch their collections to fashion editors.

Leggett said Active Collective’s New York edition will continue its focus on the athleisure movement and all categories of activewear—including a separate section devoted to men’s activewear and athleisure brands.

“We expect the New York show to feature more designer and contemporary brands with a focus on bringing more East Coast and European retailers to the show,” he said. “Currently, it’s hard for retailers to fly from [Europe] to California for a two-day show.”

Active Collective’s New York debut will come on the heels of the show’s West Coast edition in Huntington Beach, Calif. For the Jan. 13–14 run, Active Collective will run concurrently with Swim Collective at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach.

Next month, the two shows will be held back to back at the Hyatt in Huntington Beach. Swim Collective will be held Aug. 8–9 and Active Collective will be held Aug. 11–12.

Leggett has even more changes planned for the two shows next year. Next summer, Swim Collective will shift its schedule from August to July, where it will be held at the Hyatt concurrently with a new trade show Leggett is organizing called The Beach Collective. The upscale contemporary designer show will be held at the new Pasea Hotel, located next to the Hyatt. Leggett, who hosted the first Swim Collective show in 2011, plans to add a third Swim Collective show in November as well.

For more information, visit http://swimcollective.com and http://activewearcollective.com.