The opening waterfall as you enter into S.L.A.T.E. –area in MAGIC for progressive streetwear and lifestyle brands.
From February 14-16, 2011, the MAGIC fashion trade show brings to Las Vegas one of the world’s largest gatherings of fashion brands, industry players, media, and artists as thousands descend to see what’s new for Fall/Winter 2011 from brands within specific genres of fashion. MAGIC, which is the king-pin show, features many shows within the show including S.L.A.T.E. with progressive street and lifestyle brands, Street Unlimited that runs the range of MMA-inspired to music-inspire, and Premium featuring men’s denim and contemporary sportswear. This is where we usually focus when covering MAGIC because it’s here that most youth culture brands reside.
Street artists were among many features within S.L.A.T.E. and Street.
One of our favorite aspects is the S.L.A.T.E. show which is always busy with lifestyle brands in streetwear and a hub for musicians and artists, of which there were plenty. The opening lobby features latest pieces from Shepard Fairey and vast lifestyle magazine options. Several brands had live art going on, including kidrobot featuring French artists Supakitch and Koralie painting a 4-foot Dunny, which attracted attention not only to the character of the brands, but demonstrated the on-going importance of street art in fashion.
Top streetwear brands that are moving into more upper urban territory with tailored button-down shirts, slimmer silhouettes overall, and a mix of Ivy-Americana such as 10 Deep and Crooks and Castles are among the anchors in this area, with booths that are difficult to get into without planned appointments. Other brands that are regulars and had ongoing busy schedules with buyers included Undefeated, The Hundreds, SkullCandy, Neff, Jedidiah which has also expanded, Play Cloths, Rocksmith, and XLarge, among many others.
10 Deep and the camo army-surplus influences. Coveted booth for buyers.
Glamour Kills with their flying pig logo had it going on, featuring an expanded collection outside of T-shirts with denim, button downs, and accessories, and lots of talk about their upcoming music tour. Obey and Mishka, representing different ends of the spectrum, also rounded out the area. And some large brands also featured in S.L.A.T.E. including Nike 6.0 women’s and their new snowboard boots and fall streetewear collection, and Puma Time watches in bright colors.
Glamour Kills expanding line from T-shirts to pants and denim and their own music tour.
What was also notable in S.L.A.T.E. this year were the increase in skate brands, Globe, Huf, Gravis (which is usually here), Toy Machine, which obviously came with the concentration on this market from the show, including an entire History of Skate Exhibition showcasing early old boards, gear, and images, which captured everyone’s attention, and the Maloof High Ollie Challenge featuring a street course on site and pro skaters competing for $15,000.
Interestingly, some comments from Street section in MAGIC, primarily what we still refer to as the Edge, meaning fashion inspired by music from a Goth, punk angle, were asking us, “Why are there skate brands and a competition in here now?”
It’s as though they just got over the fact that they were placed right next to MMA-inspired and motocross inspired brands like Hostility, FMS, with Osiris thrown in the mix (which actually is great placement), and the UFC, and now there’s this.
Shrine featuring fanciful Goth and Edwardian collections.
The skate aspect is something we predict will be embedded into this show as it moves forward, especially with ASR shuttered, and continued crossover with streetwear/S.L.A.T.E.
S.L.A.T.E. also featured several newer brands -including RYD, a fixed gear inspired apparel line that actually partnered with S.L.A.T.E. and gave away a bike each day, and fixe inspired Black Copium, Liberated China which is actually an NYC-surf inspired brand featuring bright red and black boardshorts and T-shirts, and Human Potential, a neon-colored, drop-crotch collection from Hong Kong who was exhibiting for the first time in the United States.
Human Potential from Hong Kong captures the neon techno movement with Euro drop-crotch pants and skinny legs. This collection included guys and girls.
In Street it’s often a mixed bag of brands from licensing (Peter Frampton to Paul Frank) to New Era to Goth and punk brands, to newbies like the massive reggae booth The House of Marley featuring eco-headphones. This is also where brands like Rocawear are positioned near a massive army-inspired Levi’s tent.
A reprieve from the licensing section and a highlight are the aisles of Goth, punk, and rockabilly. We were glad to see Hell Bunny London on site this time, who among others, said that London Edge show does well for them. Tripp NYC continues to be an anchor in this area as Goth and punk never goes out of style with a subculture within youth. This time, camo with black pants and split pants featuring either two different types of patterns or different colors were trending for must-haves among buyers. Lip Service and shoe brand T.U.K. are also popular places for buyers in this area.
T.U.K. always has classic music-inspired footwear. In this case we especially liked the plaid men’s shoe.
Key trends other than Americana, heritage, and army surplus, included collegiate jersey or varsity jackets with a more modern twist and tailored silhouettes, Native American Indian prints and patterns, %u201870’s denim jean jackets, skinny jeans, red and black checks, old-school wool sweaters with patterned collars, cardigans, and chinos which are still going strong.
Overall, as complex as the show can be, the added elements of lifestyle, art, and of course the pre-requisite DJ’s and Frank’s Chop Shop, MAGIC, S.L.A.T.E., and Street proved to cover the gamut of what to expect this Fall from streetwear, upper urban, music-inspired (from grunge to techno to Goth) and a mixed bag of vintage and contemporary fashion.
Stay tuned for more from Project, Workroom, and Pool.
Tripp NYC’s camo Goth pants were huge hits, along with their split pants.
UFC space dominates in Street. They had several athletes on-site for autograph sessions, and displayed their hube collection of styles.
Black Copium shared a booth with Ryd. Fixie bikes and style are a growing part of S.L.A.T.E.
A new brand, Liberated China is not from China, but NYC. They are actually a surf-inspired brand featuring interesting black and red classic board shorts, jackets, T-shirts, and accessories.
Crooks and Castles holds court. This booth was packed throughout the show.
KidRobot had an amazing booth including on-site artists from France, Supakitch and Koralie painting this 4-foot high Dunny.
Hell Bunny London, exhibiting in the Goth area, were among several brands claiming London Edge is a great show for such styles. We especially liked their Rockabilly-Lolita crossover.
The House of Marley is a new brand that’s taking off. Their booth was exceptionally cool, featuring eco-designer headphones and an entire reggae vibe. Supposedly they also made a big splash at CES.
New Era’s colorful limited-edition caps. They’re also showcasing more of their apparel and other accessories now in Street.
Colorful Puma Time (not to be confused with Hammer-time) were among the larger brands exhibiting certain parts of their brand in S.L.A.T.E.
Street is also filled with these mainstream brands such as Rocawear. This display provides a good idea of what they’ll be offering this Fall, including button downs, plaids, a wider-leg denim, and jackets.
Ryd based in downtown LA partnered with S.L.A.T.E. to give away 1 free co-branded fixed gear bike every day at Magic. It was a success. Ryd’s fixie-inspired apparel was also well-recieved.
Shepard Fairey artwork as you enter into S.L.A.T.E. His brand Obey is also one of the pillars of this area of the show.
The History of Skateboarding exhibition curated by Dale Smith was quite incredible. Here’s one of the old Sims boards, paired with an old-school helmet, and Skateboarder magazine.
