A slow economy sure can kill a trade show’s buzz.
That was the case at this month’s Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo in San Diego.
ASR typically draws thousands to party and check out the latest looks from many of Orange County’s surf- and skate-inspired clothing brands.
But this year’s show was a sober affair compared to the packed, raucous events of previous years.
The tempered turnout and conservative mood was expected as a tough economy has left consumers with less money to spend on clothes.
The show, which usually draws about 18,600 attendees, saw attendance fall 5% to 10% this year, according to show director Andy Tompkins of San Juan Capistrano-based ASR.
About 450 companies came to show off clothes, shoes, swimsuits, skateboards, surfboards and other products.
That’s a slight drop from the 500 companies that displayed last year, Tompkins said.
“It’s not a dramatic drop, but it’s certainly down a bit,” he said.
The debauchery often found at ASR also was dampened.
Booths were less elaborate this year with fewer stages and skate ramps.
Recorded music replaced live bands. There were fewer bikini-clad models, zero stripper poles and little to no booze.
“It’s toned down a bit compared to previous years,” said attendee Shant Keuilian, president of Archie’s Ice Cream in Orange, which throws ice cream parties for many of the big apparel companies in OC.
“I came here to support the industry. That’s what we’re all doing,” Keuilian said.
This year’s ASR show had fewer startup companies, as many tried to save money on travel and marketing expenses, Tompkins said.
ASR still welcomed a strong contingent of familiar faces.
Shoemakers Nike Inc., Vans Inc. and DC Shoes Inc., part of Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc., showed off their latest looks for spring.
Heavyweights Quiksilver, Billabong USA in Irvine, Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc. and Lake Forest’s Oakley Inc., part of Italy’s Luxottica Group SPA, made their presences known with large booths equipped with lots of clothes, loud music, flat-panel televisions and sofas.
“These companies always make an appearance,” said Caris & Co. analyst Claire Armstrong Gallacher. “The community looks to them.”
‘Stay Positive’
Companies that opted to show up at ASR said they came to spark relationships and bolster the longstanding ties they have with buyers, they said.
“It’s important to make an appearance in a tough economy,” said Johnny Schillereff, founder and president of Element Skateboards Inc., part of Billabong USA, itself a unit of Australia’s Billabong International Ltd. “The important thing is to forge forward and stay positive.”
Billy Christie, founder of Wet Products Inc., an Irvine-based maker of beach games and accessories, sums it up this way: “If you’re not there, people wonder why.”
ASR still helped some companies generate orders but likely at a slower pace, according to Gallacher.
“They’re not taking any risks in this kind of environment,” she said.
Buyers seemed attracted to spring collections from Quiksilver and Volcom.
Quiksilver flaunted products from its men’s line, Roxy brand for girls and young women and DC Shoes. It also showed clothes from a new line of clothes for young women.
The company has pushed its women’s clothing at department stores such as Nordstrom and surf shops such as Jack’s Surfboards since its launch earlier this year, according to Steve Ellingson, sales manager for the line.
“We’re going after the top-tier accounts,” he said.
The company’s women’s booth saw visits from retailers including Mira Loma-based Active Ride Shop and Chick’s Sporting Goods Inc. of Covina.
The clothes are giving Quiksilver a chance to appeal to young women in college or entering the workplace, a group that has been largely underserved by surf-inspired clothing makers, Ellingson said.
Volcom’s booth drew plenty of attention at the show with its mall food court motif dubbed “Atomic on a Stick.”
The loud music, paper hats, plastic trays and ketchup bottles generated a buzz.
For spring, the company is pushing brightly colored board shorts in a variety of lengths, classic cut jeans, short dresses and clothes made with organic and recycled materials.
Fleece sweatshirts with wrestling-style masks attached to their hoods are popular items in the company’s fall and winter collections, President Jason Steris said.
“Those are an absolute hit,” he said.
Volcom also has added more sizes to its kids clothing line, which it launched about three years ago.
“We’re grooming that customer at an early age,” Steris said.
Women’s apparel and organic clothes were big drivers at this year’s show.
Oakley made a bigger push for its women’s products by dedicating half of its booth to women’s sunglasses, clothing and swimsuits.
The company is sticking true to its niche of technologically advanced sunglasses for men and women, said spokeswoman Brianne DeWeese.
Oakley also is making a push to bring technology to its swimsuits and clothes, she said.
The company showed off shorts, T-shirts, tank tops, board shorts and swimsuits made with comfortable moisture absorbing fabrics in bright colors and bold prints for active consumers.
“We’ve gotten more into performance apparel,” she said.
Irvine’s Split Inc. made a big push for its women’s clothes at the show.
The company attracted curious buyers to its booth with a live sewing demonstration for its “reloved” project.
The project is a collection of women’s clothes that come with booklets that teach customers how to use basic sewing skills to transform their Split clothes into different looks. Demos include how to turn a dress into a ruffled blouse and how to make stylish shorts out of a pair of jeans.
At the show, San Clemente-based Mada Inc., a maker of edgy men’s clothing, said it has plans to launch a women’s clothing line.
Element Skateboards, which carved a niche in organic fashion in the 1990s, also made a big push to flaunt its feminine gear by renting out a meeting room for its Element Eden line.
The company gave its spring organic and recycled clothes a rock ‘n’ roll look with stripes and shades in black, white and gray.
“There’s a perception that sustainable apparel has to look granola,” Schillereff said. “We wanted our clothes to have a tougher look.”
Newcomers
While the turnout from smaller companies was poorer this year, ASR did see a few newcomers.
Irvine-based SurfCuz, one of the few startups to show up, came to ASR to meet potential buyers and to see what other companies were debuting.
The three-month old company makes T-shirts, board shorts, hooded sweatshirts and hats in Asia.
“This is our very first ASR show, so it’s an interesting experience,” Cofounder Andrew Schrage said. “We’re here to learn.”
In addition to the clothes and accessories, ASR welcomed a handful of surfboard and skateboard makers, a waterproof digital music player maker, a company that sells lights for skateboards, a belt buckle maker and a shoelace company.
To broaden ASR’s appeal, the show launched another trade show for edgy clothing companies inspired by mixed martial arts and tattoo industries, Tompkins of ASR said.
The show, dubbed Virtue, was held Sept. 5 and 6 at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego.
A handful of OC companies showed up including Yorba Linda’s Toe 2 Toe Inc. and Irvine-based Sullen Clothing.
