Capsule trade show, August 2013

Capsule trade show, August 2013

QUALITY TIME

Capsule: Strong Sales in New ‘Alignment’

Aligning with Liberty Fairs and Agenda in the Modern Assembly league of shows at the Sands Expo was a coup for Edina Sultanik, co-owner of the Capsule show.

“We joined together to start a new center of gravity in Las Vegas,” she said of the shows, which ran Aug. 19–20. “Overall, it was really successful. Vegas is a strong, important market for the Capsule community.” Capsule produces 12 shows a year. Some of the other shows are located in New York, Paris and Berlin.

Some things did not change at Capsule. Its popular ATL (Above the Tree Line) section exhibited brands with a performance fabric edge, and at 3 p.m. sharp, ice cream was served, and 4 p.m., there was a beer happy hour.

Vendors also said the show was good. Rob Jungmann, chief executive officer of Jungmaven,exhibited at ATL, and he estimated that his label's sales increased 25 percent compared with last year. “Las Vegas was great. We saw all of the right people,” he said of the recent show. “It wasn’t crazy busy. It was a relaxed atmosphere. We spent quality time with buyers, and we don’t get distracted.”

Chris Josol, sales director for SLVDR, estimated that his brand’s sales increased 20 percent compared with last year. There was room for improvement, he said. “The only thing I needed was for it be three-day show instead of a two-day show. There are so many trade shows. We need our time to be spread out more.”

Retailers shopping at Capsule included boutiques such as Ron Herman, Pitkin County Dry Goods, A.K. Rikk’s, Scoop NYC, Needs Supply Co. and Kith; majors Bloomingdale’s Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters; and overseas stores such as Haven, based in Canada; ASOS of the UK; and United Arrows from Japan.