Show Report: Magic

Label owner Alex Singh of  Extra Tasty Clothing – an Australian-based street wear label for men – reports on trade show – Magic…

MAGIC , the twice annual fashion convention is the biggest in the world, filling a mammoth five convention centers with some of the greatest names in fashion, and with a veritable flood of up and coming labels looking to prove themselves. This season was no exception with over 100,000 attendees descending upon Las Vegas for the four days of MAGIC’s duration. New and established labels from the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific were to be found, but true innovation and originality were – not surprisingly – difficult to come by. However there were some notable fashion and accessories labels that deserve mention.

Distinguished Sneakers
The traditional sportswear manufacturers such as Nike, Puma, and Adidas have had remarkable success with their more socially styled sneakers. Mass produced, they are available almost everywhere. Spanish-based Kowalski shoes fly in the face of this mentality. Each pair is hand made in Spain, then stone washed, creating a pre-aged look. The result is a high quality shoe that becomes personalized through wear, and gets better with age. Kowalski’s have reached cult level in various parts of Europe, but are less known in other areas such as Australia and the US – that is soon to change.

Boundary Breaking Timewear
A collective of Tokyo-based designers are reworking the traditional into the stylish. Distributed by Freshwares, these Japan made watches known as the P-Series  use different patterns and styles of LEDs to tell the time in a range of different formats. While this is in itself not new – although hardly mainstream either – they have made the decision to produce all their watches in Japan, using high quality Japanese steel, rather than using cheaper materials and outsourcing to China or a similar country. With the traditional timepiece becoming obsolete due to the inclusion of clocks in personal gadgets like mobile phones and iPods, it must evolve or die – and this is a prime example of that evolution, from a pure focus of function to functional fashion.

Minimal Conspiracy Maximal Impact
We are the Superlative Conspiracy, commonly shortened to WESC, are another cult phenomenon in Europe but once again they are still underground in other parts of the world, including the US. Their upcoming Fall/Winter range is focused more on natural colors and minimalist detailing, as Pontus Karlsson states “The whole outerwear collection has a minimalistic look, with small logos and mostly one-piece colour. No stripes, no bold logos, just a clean design and look. “ The WESC team is focused on using the best fabrics and producing the most comfortable fits for the entirety of their clothing each season, and this ethos has remained in force this upcoming season too.

In the Mood for Bold Fashion
In complete contrast to WESC’s minimalism, Moods of Norway is all about boldness and embracing the eccentric nature of their designers to come through with the use of vivid colors, floral patterns, and the history and traditions of their Norwegian homeland. Moods has three distinct collections out – cocktail, which includes a range of bold suit jackets and pants, casual which includes smart casual attire like collared shirts, shorts and pants, and jumpers, and their street range, which includes tees, sweatshirts, zip jumpers, and other basics. They look to tell stories that convey the history, culture, and notable individuals that have shaped Norway and in some cases, the world, and allow the wearer to make a statement and stand out from the masses.

Impressive Chat
The Magic convention regularly features several hour long seminars and presentations on topics like retail management, online selling, color and fabric trends, social and demographic trends, legal issues and other business topics. While the social and demographic trends presentations were disappointing – due to a mixture of outdated information and average presentation skills, a special mention must be made to Mercedes Gonzalez of Global Purchasing Group. A buyer for 18 years, Mercedes is a veteran of the industry and knows the ins and outs of running a retail store or fashion label, having mentored the owners of many. Her expertise is on the business side – the side that keeps your store or label alive and running smoothly, but which is neglected or brushed over by 99% of fashion design schools.

Her "Retail 101: How To Open & Run A Retail Store" and "Fashion Industry 101: How to start a fashion label in today’s market" presentations were packed full – with people leaning on the walls and sitting on the floors. The information was relevant, targeted, and focused on what owners must do to keep their businesses out of bankruptcy. Judging by the large number of attendees and the applause after each seminar, everyone who went was equally impressed.

While Magic was overcome with the same issues plaguing the industry in general – a lack of originality, innovation, and lateral thinking, there were some stand out exhibitors to be found, and they have been featured in this article. The superb seminars were well received and added an important educational component to the convention. Look out for the labels discussed here as they increase their exposure and work towards pioneering the industry in new, unexplored, and exciting directions.