After 2 weeks vacation immersed in the majesty of California's and Oregon's national parks and wonders, then indulging in the Anderson Valley and Russian River wine districts, it was back to work on Monday with a visit to the Spring/Summer 2014 edition of the Swim Collective trade show at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa in Huntington Beach.
- Standard booths in beautiful abode-style convention rooms at Hyatt Regency, Huntington Beach
The semi-annual 2-day show is held in January and August. It was bigger this season with nearly 220 exhibitors, up from about 190 brands in January.
The exhibiting brands are a mix of established and emerging. You can review a full list of exhibiting brands here.
Swim Collective concentrates primarily on women's swimsuits with some accessories. Swim Collective is now the only swimwear trade show of note on the west coast since the demise of the ASR show in San Diego in 2010 (that's if you don't include the ISAM and Curve trade shows in Las Vegas). Many brands see the show as an excellent opportunity to reach the west coast buyers that may not travel to the swim shows in Florida or Las Vegas.
One of my clients, Nathan Lodge of Nathan Paul Swimwear was showing his sexy 'Getaway' collection for men and women. Nathan, who hails from sunny Melbourne (Aussie readers will get that) has had an excellent response to the collection from US retailers.
- Nathan Paul Swimwear at Swim Collective
The marquee Australian brand, Tiger Lily, had a strong showing. Elizabeth Lewis, the owner of The SYDNY Showroom and distributor of Tiger Lily in the US, told me, "We had a great show. It was a lovely atmosphere, and very easy to do business." The SYDNY worked with buyers from Swell, Vida Soleil, Ishine365.com, Discovery group, Largo Drive to name just a few.
I really liked the brand new Costa Mesa label, House of Au+Ora. This was their trade show debut. Co-owners and designers Lindsay Rochelle and Miranda Lynne have used sustainably produced Italian fabrics and recycled fishing nets to create a fresh island holiday inspired collection that is produced right in LA.
- Au+ORA Owner/designers, Lindsay Rochelle & Miranda Lynne (center)
Nicole Kegley, the PR/Marketing Director at Tavik was very happy with the show, saying it had been "awesome". Tavik had seen buyers from Zappos, Tilly's, Dianne's, and the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas. Tavik also produces men's lifestyle Ready To Wear, and Apple phone and laptop accessories.
Surfing legend Kelly Slater's girlfriend, Kalani Miller was showing her collection. Mikoh.
Fair trade produced accessories collection, Mar Y Sol was being shown by their west coast agent, Gabriela Schultz of Adorn Thyself Showroom. This unique collection of stylish bags, hats and pillows is produced in Madagascar using traditional craftwork, sustainable materials, organically tanned leathers and responsibly sourced raw materials.
Want a pair of flip- flops that look fantastic, are made with recycled materials, and give to a great cause? I've got them for you. They're call Hari Mari. The clean look is eye-catching, and the recycled rubber and foam sole is especially comfortable. Only 18 months in the market, Hari Mari is carried by 125 stores worldwide - check our their full store list. They are big in Japan (everyone sing along). Plus for every pair purchased, Hari Mari donates $3 to support kids battling pediatric cancer. If you want to carry the line in your store, call their wholesale agents in LA, Namaste Showroom.
I'm off to Las Vegas on Monday morning for the Spring/Summer 2014 circus of trade shows. I'll be blogging daily and updating during the day via social media. This is going to be a very interesting week. The debut of the new Liberty trade show at the Sands Expo is going to be a game changer. Stay tuned.
Paul Brindley
That’s such great trade show display. The business owners have been interested in exhibiting at the trade shows so that they can gain new customers and sales. But it is also important that you design your booth intelligently. Try to provide useful information through creative trade show displays.
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