I didn’t get a chance to see every booth at Surf Expo, but I kept getting asked what I thought stood out. Here is a list of the top 11 things that caught my attention at the show.
Please note, I had appointments scheduled with many of the brands mentioned, some of these items people directed me to, and others are purely biased opinions based around my going to a ton of trade shows and surf shops, and also what I saw people circling and crowding around.
In no particular order…
1. NFL and NBA Boardshorts by Quiksilver
Sundays during the Chargers football games is one of the rare times my local break is almost empty. Which leads me to believe there are a lot of surfers who are huge football fans.
By partnering with the NFL and more recently, the NBA, Quiksilver not only puts its brand, but also helps put surfing onto a larger sporting map. Quiksilver launches its full campaign at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii next week. I will have more on Quiksilver’s NFL initiative in an upcoming story.
2. Alternative skate shapes and plastic skateboards
Penny SkateboardsCore skaters are still riding popsicle shapes, but the longboard craze continues. Sector 9, which leads the longboard business, had a packed booth the entire show. Reggie Barnes, founder of Eastern Skate Supply, which distributes more skateboards and skate-related gear than anyone on the East Coast, said while Sector 9 is his top seller, Penny Skateboards and plastic models were extremely popular at Christmas.
I also saw a metal skateboard model (ouch) at both the NHS and the Lost booth. The biggest shocker was an AK47 shaped deck that the NHS crew says is built to ride, and also looks great hanging on the wall.
Lost’s Joel Cooper, Matt Biolos and Rafael Llompart3. The LOST Booth
Jim Glik of the Glik’s retail chain pointed me to the Lost booth saying it was one of the most refreshing brands and booths he saw at the entire show. Since striking out on its own, it appears that the Lost Brand has unleashed a load of creativity into its apparel and designs. Not only was its both colorful (and craftily built from crates and cinder blocks), but it was full of bright neon colors and original patterns.
4. The Vans iPhone Case
When people saw the iPhone case, the response was always the same. “Where did you get that? How can I get one? I want that now!” But Vans was not showing this at its booth; a few lucky people just had them protecting their iPhones.
The Vans iPhone caseThe design features the waffle outsole, a toe bumper and it even has the Vans “Off the Wall” tab on the side. Because Vans only released a limited amount at holiday, the cases sold out in two days at stores.
Every hipster blog from High Snobiety to Complex has written about the cases. Guys like Ryan Seacrest are tweeting about them, and the cases have become so in demand, I saw one on eBay this morning for $162.50 with 35 bids already. They cost $28 at retail. Customers will have to wait for a few more months until Vans gets more cases in stock.
See Page 2 for more of The List
5. SUP Saturation?
The standup paddle market and participation for SUP is still growing, but how many brands can possibly make hardgoods, and how many retailers can support the market? There were over 80 SUP manufacturers showing at Surf Expo, many I had never heard of before.
A lot of SUP boards were shown at ExpoBesides the core brands that started making boards five years ago, there were several new brands I saw with price point items like EPS and fiberglass racing boards that come with the paddle for only $899. With a price like that, I’d imagine it is going to get tough to compete for market share, and I wonder how many brands can survive.
“It’s not a bonanza anymore,” said Huntley Dornan, CEO of Surftech, who added that the market is definitely getting saturated.
That said, for board manufacturers like Surftech, SUP is contributing substantially to its growth.
Huntley said Surftech doubled sales in the last year, and Global Surf Industries President Mark Kelly said SUP is still his biggest growth category.
What it comes down to is how many retailers will be able to support it, said Huntley. “There’s not a lot of business that isn’t already booked.”
6. Alternatives to Neoprene
A Season Five demonstrationSeason Five is a small company based out of Breckenridge, Colorado. Founder and self proclaimed “fabric nut” Mike Fischer helped design compression pants at Under Armour, wetsuits at O’Neill and even had a stint helping design outerwear for Eddie Bauer’s First Ascent line.
Rather than use neoprene, which gets hot quickly in warmer weather or when doing more active physical water sports like standup and prone paddling, Mike invented and patented a new three-layer fabric for compression pants and paddle tops. The Atmos 1.0 proprietary fabric releases heat, keep wearers warm and is fully waterproof. He poured an entire bottle of water on his products to demonstrate, and the result was impressive.
Volcom’s trade show booth theme this season is no theme7. Volcom’s “No Theme” Trade Show Booth
I didn’t get a chance to go inside, but Volcom’s theme, which this year was no theme, always gets attention. Every year the brand manages to get its entire staff from merchandiser to President to dress up in matching outfits — for that, they should get credit.
8. Captain Fin Company
A variety of people told me this was their favorite booth.
The Captain Fin Co. boothIt was old school. It was entirely made of cardboard. The messaging is direct and simple. The design lets the products speak for themselves.
9. Alternative Shaped Surfboards
The standard surfboard shape these days seems to be no standard. Alternative shapes and designs always attract eyes, and consumers seem to be interested in experimenting and trying out new shapes for a variety of conditions.
GSI’s hanging surfboard booth for surfers rivals a walk-in closet of Manolo Blahniks for shoe lovers, and GSI had a range of new shapes that had a crowd around.
Australian HaydenShapes’ new models as well as designer/shaper Meyerhoffer’s newer “Pill” shaped board drew curious lookers, though people also seemed excited about a new model inside Tom Wegener’s Seaglass project at GSI. As opposed to the Epoxy “Tuna” finless alai board he released last year, the new “Albacore” comes in foam and retails for $250-$275, making alai surfing a lot more accessible for those who want to try it.
10. Ecofriendly – Even biodegradable sunglasses
Dizm’s biodegradable sunglassesBrands like Ocean Minded, Reef, Sanuk, Element and many more will always make ecofriendly products and engage in eco-minded missions.
But ecofriendly sunglass frames?
Dizm co-founder Jonas Lee told me you can throw these sunglass frames (made from cellulose acetate) into a landfill, and in two years, they’ll become organic material. But don’t worry, he said, they have to have bacteria to breakdown, meaning, they will not diffuse on your face while wearing them unless you bury your face in the forest.
11. The TOMS Effect
C4 belts has giving built into its business modelThe head of men’s products at Crocs said the amount of shoes they give away every year rivals that of TOMS. However, even newer brands are making giving an integral part of their mission.
C4 Belts, started by three friends in 2011, makes 100% environmentally plastic friendly belts. For each belt or buckle purchased, consumers have to choose from four causes and the selected organization will receive a portion of the customer’s C4 purchase.
