In the past few years, Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo has evolved from a showcase for surfwear and surfboards into a catchall for edgy sportswear of all types.
This year is no exception. At the Long Beach Convention Center this weekend, skateboarding gear and garb companies are set to make up nearly a third of the exhibitors on the show’s main floor. Among them are skateboard shoe makers like Lake Forest-based Sole Technology Inc., Santa Fe Springs-based Vans Inc., Vista-based DC Shoes Inc. and San Diego’s Osiris Shoes.
Vans plans to unveil its new ladies skateboard shoes that change color from white to yellow, pink or blue when exposed to light. Sole Technology is set to introduce its first line of Etnies BMX shoes and its new eS men’s skateboard line using a new construction that requires less stitching. And Irvine-based sandal manufacturer Sanuk USA plans to show its first line of accessories and handbags that coordinate with its funky line of flip-flops.
The ASR show, which will run Feb. 3 to 5, is expected to attract some 20,000 manufacturers, retail buyers, professional athletes and journalists. More than 500 producers of apparel and sporting goods from the surf, bodyboarding, wakeboarding, skateboard, BMX and beach industries are expected to fill the 150,000-square-foot exhibit hall. Some 200 Orange County companies are set to be among them, including: Huntington Beach’s Quiksilver Inc., Irvine’s Billabong USA, Rusty Apparel Inc. and O’Neill Sportswear, Costa Mesa-based Hurley International and Oakley Inc. of Foothill Ranch.
The trade show also is expected to feature live skateboard demonstrations from amateur and professional riders. Another scheduled highlight: an auction of surf memorabilia including antique surfboards and rare, original surf art.
Dana Point-based ExtremeSports.com plans to provide online updates from the show. Attendees will be able to access the Web at the Internet Caf & #233;’s 10 computer terminals.
Quiksilver is ASR’s largest exhibitor with separate booths for its Roxy, Quiksilver Silver Edition and new skateboard brand Hawk Clothing. Quiksilver Chief Executive Bob McKnight said the company is getting “serious” about denim this year with a deep line that includes several different washes.
“No one is committed to denim like we are this year,” McKnight said.
Sole Technology is the largest exhibitor of skateboard shoes and clothing this year with booths for its various brands. New products include a children’s version of the popular Etnies signature Mike Vallely skateboard shoe that retails for $61, vs. $96 for the adult version. Etnies also is launching a new line of shoes for BMX riders under the models “Trauma,” “Throttle” and “Rooftop.”
Another new product is the “Nakina” hooded jacket featuring an asymmetrical zipper on the side and a velcro pocket in front that retails for $88. Etnies also plans a line of backpacks with cell phone pockets, including the waterproof “Tycoon” model for the surf crowd that sells for $56.
Rusty Apparel is looking to sell buyers not only on its clothes but also on its related ads. The company has called on surfers and skateboarders for this year’s new campaign, which features photographs of the riders with slogans projected across their chests..
Rusty’s trade show booth is set to integrate the ads and feature autograph sessions with its team riders, including surfers C.J. and Damien Hobgood and Darryl “Flea” Virostko.
Split Inc., which recently tripled in size with a move from Huntington Beach to Santa Ana, makes apparel for men, youth and juniors who surf, skateboard and ride BMX cycles. The company’s line is set to be shown in a new modernized trade show booth this year featuring its junior’s line and expanded denim offerings with new colors, cuts and fabrics that stretch.
“In our group, denim never dies,” said Mark Sperling, Split’s marketing director. “Levis go up and down, but they are after a mass market. In our (action sports) industry denim is the standard.”
Sanuk USA a 4-year-old maker of hip, unusual sandals, is launching a line of handbags and accessories that retail for less than $32 at this year’s show. The bags coordinate with the company’s offbeat sandal designs that feature indoor/outdoor carpeting, floor matting and bamboo on the insoles.
“They are clear beach bags with the same material on the bottom” as the sandals, said Jeff Kelley, founder, designer and majority owner of the company.
Another new model from Sanuk is its $50 “Toe in” leather sandal that straps around the toe. Its name evolved from the practice of surfers who are towed into big waves. The company made its name in the industry for its unusual sandals, but Kelley said the brand has now caught on enough to debut its first basic “Blurr” sandal for $22. Finally, Costa Mesa-based Toes on the Nose will debut its plaid board short, breaking from the traditional floral prints. n
