Launch: Another West Coast Trade Show?

by The Editors on October 24, 2011

Former Transworld Business Editor Josh Hunter is now directing Southern California’s latest action fashion trade show for GLM Shows ( Surf Expo’s parent company). It’s called Launch and it sounds a lot like a more corporate version of the Agenda Show.

This “juried show” will be held July 25-26, 2012 in Santa Monica, California’s Barker Hangar. It appears that Launch has lined up a few fashion hitters to help kick things off. For more background on Launch check out an interview with Hunter at Transworld Business or follow the jump for the official word.

[Link: Launch Show] Santa Monica, CA (October 24, 2011)—LAUNCH LA will be held at the historic Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California on July 25–26 in order to provide a select group of design-driven brands, influential buyers and media a needed alternative to the trade shows currently available on the West Coast.

The event is a departure from the conventional concept of trade shows, offering the press and key retail buyers a distilled, first look at game changing products at the true beginning of the buy/sell cycle. LAUNCH LA will present those offerings in a way that’s evocative and easily digestible, enabling attendees to quickly discern apex items and brands that lead the market

LAUNCH LA is a juried event and our panel of experienced and influential experts will screen each company based on quality, design and originality in order to ensure the best product assortment from leading men’s and women’s contemporary fashion labels, footwear and accessories brands, lifestyle and action sports lines, as well as swim, apothecary, and technology collections.

In order to offer a level playing field for young designers and emerging labels, each exhibitor will be limited to either a single or double studio space where they can create enticing, unique environments to display their brand’s highlighted product and company DNA.

“The market is rich with fresh creative talent, and that’s exactly what this show celebrates,” explains Josh Hunter, Head of Sales and Marketing at LAUNCH LA. “Working as a magazine editor for six years, I covered countless trade shows and realized that ultimately each brand’s collection could be defined by one or two directional items. With LAUNCH, we encourage our exhibiting brands to distill their presentation down to these pinnacle items in a manner that caters to time-pressed media and retail accounts looking to identify leading trends at the very front end of Spring/ Summer selling cycle.”

The first five LAUNCH LA jury members to be announced are Gotcha Founder Michael Tomson; Saturdays Surf NYC Co-founders Morgan Collett, Josh Rosen and Colin Tunstall; and Jeff Yokoyama, who founded Maui & Sons, Pirate Surf, Modern Amusement, and most recently Generic Youth.

“What do you bring to the table that is substantially different?” asks Tomson, who has been an advocate for innovation in the surf lifestyle market for decades. “You have to do one thing better than anybody else. That’s critical.”

For more information on LAUNCH LA, contact Josh Hunter at (910) 200-0454 or jhunter@launchshow.com. Visit the Launch LA Web site at: launchshow.com

For Every Great Product There Is A LAUNCH.

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

anonymous October 24, 2011 at 1:52 pm

“LAUNCH is a departure from what’s already available, which is exactly what we think the market needs.”

Really !!? there is nothing like this available in the market currently….
Surf expo seems to be desperately trying to hold onto whatever small amount of relevancy that they may still have. But the fact is there is already options out there that are far more relevant. For instance Agenda already caters to the youth/lifestyle market and has done so in an organic way.

I just do not see the value of another west coast show,or another show period. The idea that this is “what the market needs” is total bs. Buyers already have too many choices.They want a one stop shop buying experience.Shows like Project,Capsule(NY) and the aforementioned Agenda have been and continue to do this extremely well. This is just a piss poor attempt by Surf Expo to try and posture itself and some how regain its lost relevancy. But thats thing these old surf turkeys dont understand its about progression. Unfortunately the boat has sailed, they lost their chance and I have a feeling Surf Expo will be crumbling soon like ASR.

Jonny Rocket January 8, 2013 at 7:33 am

^^^ says the Agenda PR machine

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