Josh Hunter on Launch LA plans

I ran into former Transworld Business Editor Josh Hunter at Surf Summit in Mexico this month and we talked about his new job leading sales and marketing for Launch, a new trade show created by the same company that owns Surf Expo.

Launch is aimed at emerging, fashion and design driven brands and its inaugural show will be held at the Santa Monica Barker Hanger July 25 and 26.

A jury is selecting the brands that can exhibit. Jurors include Gotcha founder Michael Tomson, Saturdays Surf co-founders Morgan Collette, Josh Rosen and Colin Tunstall, Jeff Yokoyama, who founded Modern Amusement and Generic Youth, and Nasty Gal Founder/CEO Sophia Amoruso.

Josh answered some questions for me about Launch via email, and its worth checking out several videos Launch has produced on the jurors and the show itself.

How is the show shaping up?

Things are going well. We’re going to cap the show at 125 booths to ensure an intimate business environment for VIP buyers and media, and it’s looking like we will hit that goal soon.

We’re also very happy to announce that we brought Nasty Gal Founder/CEO Sophia Amoruso on to our advisory jury.

If you are not familiar with Nasty Gal, you should check it out. It was originally an eBay store offering a curated selection of vintage clothing. Now, six years later, the site has grown to be a major international platform for leading women’s fashion and lifestyle brands with projected sales north of $100 million this year.

Sophia just turned 28 years old and I understand she’s going to be featured in a cover story for Forbes soon. So we are very proud to have her onboard and excited to be working with her.

We’ve also formed a partnership with StyleSight, as well as launched our hosted buyer program.

StyleSight is a leader in trend forecasting, and will be on site at LAUNCH giving presentations, conducting interviews with exhibitors, shooting products, and scouting for next season’s top trends. On the retail side, we have confirmed retailers from across North America, UK, Japan, and Australia attending the show.

What kinds of brands have signed up to show there?

Brands range from Mara Hoffman and Mission Workshop to Red Wing Heritage and Riviera Club to Raen Optics and Skywatch to The Blind Barber and Field Notes.

We have several brands that will be debuting at LAUNCH for the first time ever, as well as several international brands—like Tallow and The Critical Slide Society, both from Australia—that will be making their North American debut at our event.

So there are going to be a ton of great lifestyle products debuting from brands that some buyers and editors may have never seen or heard of before.

Is there still space available or is it sold out?

As of now there is still a limited amount of space available, but we expect to sell out between now and the show.

See Page 2 for future goals for Launch, retailers that are attending, an update on previously announced Singapore show

What are your goals for Launch? Do you envision it eventually moving to a bigger space? Will it be a twice a year show?

First and foremost, the goal of LAUNCH is to offer something different and service a void in the marketplace. Currently there’s a big opportunity on the West Coast to offer retailers and media a smaller, more intimate atmosphere to do business at the front end of the buy/sell cycle. That’s the aim of LAUNCH, and judging by the feedback and response to the first show, I think it’s safe to say we’re on to something.

We listened to what the market was asking for and that’s what we will continue to do moving forward. If that means offering more shows, then that’s something we will address. For now, however, it’s a matter of offering the right show—the one the market has been asking for.

Can you share what kind of retailers are coming to the show?

Some confirmed retailers include Need Supply Company, Nasty Gal, Fred Segal, Urban Outfitters, Ted Baker, Nordstrom, Planet Blue, PacSun, MilkMade, Icons of Surf, Aloha Sunday, Diane’s Beachwear, American Rag, LASC, Oshman’s Japan, Sun Diego, ZJ Boarding House, Spyder Surf, Stade Co, and a ton more.

We’re investing heavily in our hosted buyer program as well as offering a car service for retailers and media in the Los Angeles area.

On a separate note, we previously reported on the new show in Singapore. Can you give us an update on that new venture?

We were excited to explore this opportunity with the support of the Singapore government. It’s a vibrant region with a lot of potential, but the action sports industry is still nascent there and we soon realized we were a few years too early to the party.

We’re still investigating Asia and it’s likely we’ll be involved with some type of show there eventually, but for now we’d rather focus on other new shows and acquisitions that hold more immediate promise.