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The Action Sports Retailer show was a party despite a downturn

The surfwear industry may be feeling the pinch like everyone else, but it didn’t dampen the party at the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo at the San Diego Convention Center.

The day before the show started, Sept. 7, Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc. lowered its estimates for the current quarter to reflect tough retail conditions and a stepped-up ad campaign.

But that news didn’t dampen the energy at Quiksilver’s booth, where members of its pro surf team signed posters for an excited throng. The booths of its other brands,Roxy, Raisins and Hawk Clothing, were jammed during the three-day trade show.

Foot traffic also was bottle-necking in front of the booths of Quiksilver rivals Volcom, Hurley, and Billabong.

In all, it was a typical scene for ASR, which brings together journalists, retailers and apparel, footwear and accessory manufacturers three times a year, this month showcasing spring 2002 lines made for alternative sports enthusiasts and beach goers.

The show attracted nearly 20,000 attendees, according to show director Court Overin. There were about 8,500 buyers representing about 4,000 stores, up slightly from last year, and about 1,670 booths set up by about 575 companies.

Overin said the manufacturers reported having a good experience overall, with those who typically write orders at the show doing so again (not every company uses the show for order writing; it depends on the product category, he added).

But he said the show is “certainly about style and culture.”

“It’s the gathering of the entire tribe,” Overin said.

The place was radiating attitude (particularly Black Flys neon booth). Ocean Pacific featured go-go girls clad in hot-pink plastic spandex outfits in front of its booth. Inside, were tubs of beer and a fruit-scented-oxygen bar for patrons. Irvine-based Evos set up a peep-show booth, with thick red velvet curtains and a runway, where hot-pants-clad girls danced provocatively for retailers and buyers, holding the company’s footwear.

Costa Mesa-based Volcom attracted throngs of tattooed skaters, who hung out on leather couches while listening to loud music and watching videos. The Volcom crowd eventually attracted a few security guards, who confiscated alcohol and harmlessly slapped a wrist or two.

While the skate section of the show was noticeably edgy, the surf and swimwear sections had their own vibes.

In addition to Quiksilver’s pro surfers, Irvine-based Billabong, which set up a stage to debut models wearing apparel from its expanding girls’ line, attracted throngs of people to both its men’s and girls’ booths. The expanding company created a bit of a buzz with its July acquisition of skateboard apparel and hard-goods maker Element Inc., just one of the many brands under the umbrella of Costa Mesa-based Giant Skateboard Distribution.

Though the ASR show seems to be more about style and parties (O’Neill held a blowout after hours featuring rock band Social Distortion), manufacturers didn’t lose sight of the opportunity to show off their latest products and connect with their big accounts.

Mike “Shooy” Schillmoeller, vice president of marketing and brand manager at Irvine-based Rusty, said it’s very important to “get out of the gates and show good product” at this show because “spring gets your whole year started off.”

And particularly with a tough retail environment, Schillmoeller said it’s essential that manufacturers present innovative product that sells well for retailers.

“In an environment like this, it better be really good,” Schillmoeller said.

Rusty, which recently overhauled its juniors’ and men’s lines to rejuvenate its brand, was happy with the industry’s response so far, particularly to its boardshorts.

Eric Diamond, Quiksilver’s swim design director, agreed that in times like these there’s no room for “filler” product in the marketplace. He said everything has to be “hallmark.”

“It’s really tough out there but the product is better than its ever been,” Diamond said.

Retailers like Christian Mahony, manager of Valley Skate & Surf in North Hills, did laps around the convention center and soaked up the scene.

Mahony, who said he has been to more ASR shows than he could count, said the show had the same energy and feel as years past, despite a slow economy.

“This is its own culture,” Mahony said, of the action sports industry. “You always have this driving things no matter if the economy is going good or bad. It doesn’t matter.” n

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