Capsule: Fun and Serious Business

LAS VEGAS—Vendors at the Capsule trade show exhibited stylish boutique fashions, mostly for men, at a fast pace during the show’s Aug. 20–21 run at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

Retailers only had two days to see the 200 vendors at the trade show, and the short timeline encouraged quicker decisions to make orders, said Rob Jungmann, the founder of hemp T-shirt label Jungmaven.

Shopping the show were high-end boutiques such as Ron Robinson of the Fred Segal compound of stores as well as Kitson; Hickory’s Hard Goods in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Need Supply Co. of Richmond, Va.; as well as Japanese retailers such as Ships, in addition to Revolveclothing.com, Nasty Gal, Urban Outfitters, Wasteland and Black Market from the Los Angeles area.

The most recent run of the show marked the second time Capsule produced the Above Tree Line section of the show, which mixed fashion style with functional outdoor clothes for men.The show mixed fun and serious business.Pedro Zermeno gave haircuts and showed off his grooming and skincare products from his Imperial Barber Products line, and vendors and buyers ended the day with drinks and Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

As with any trade show, exhibitors and vendors had different agendas. For Santa Barbara, Calif.–based Riviera Club, Capsule represented a chance to squeeze in a few more orders before deadlines for their latest season.For Gemma Shiel of London-based label Lazy Oaf, the show represented a way to break into the U.S. market.

Black Market buyer Alison Rose Silvia made orders for denim line Naked & Famous at Capsule. For boutique owner Maria Paz Navales of Los Angeles–area shops Undrest, trade shows are a time to order from trusted vendors. “I’m not picking up new brands. I’m putting budgets toward what works,” she said.—Andrew Asch