Specialty Store Business Strong at Surf Expo

ORLANDO, FLA.—The thunderstorms and the threat of Hurricane Isidora looming in the Caribbean may have kept the crowds away from Walt Disney World but the weather didn’t dampen the mood at the nearby Orange County Convention Center, where Surf Expo 2002 was in full swing.

About 15,000 exhibitors and buyers attended the Sept. 20–22 run of the show, which increased its attendance by 44 percent over last year’s event, according to Dan Darby, a spokesman for Surf Expo, a division of British media company dmg world media.

However, last year’s numbers were not representative of the show’s typical attendance, according to Darby, who said a few hundred buyers canceled their plans to attend the 2001 show, which took place one week after Sept. 11.

Some 880 exhibitors attended the event with 3,000 lines that occupied more than 210,000 square feet. The show was divided into 10 categories to include resort/swim, kids, accessories, gifts, surf and skate, among other sports lifestyles. About 20 percent of the exhibitors were new to the show, said Darby.

Some of California’s top swim, surf and skate companies, including Irvine-based Raj Manufacturing and Ocean Pacific, Los Angeles-based Apparel Ventures, Carson-based Beach Patrol and Costa Mesa-based Billabong U.S.A. and Hurley International attended the show with one thing on their mind.

“This is definitely a working show,” said Hurley International owner Bob Hurley, who had plans to meet several new buyers from the Southeast.

Noticeably absent were department store buyers. Several exhibitors, however, did report opening new accounts with specialty retailers—from an eclectic coastal boutique in St. Croix to rural mom-and-pop surf and skate shops in the Midwest. Specialty store buyers included Cocoa Beach, Fla.- based Ron Jon; Orlando, Fla.-based Everything But Water; Shrewsbury, N.J.-based California Sunshine; North Carolina-based Birthday Suits; Missouri-based Water and Rags; and Hawaii-based Honalua Surf Co.

Several swimwear buyers, including California Sunshine’s Rene Buda, said they came to the show looking for last-minute swimwear and cover-ups that would appeal to junior and missy customers alike.

Buda, who was looking for designer-driven swimwear at the show, said she wasn’t planning on going overboard with her Spring/Summer 2003 purchases.

“I’m still a little bit cautious with my orders, but I’m buying heavier to the needs of our customers. And, right now it’s separates,” she said, adding that 65 percent of her inventory are separates.

Tommy Bahama sales and marketing coordinator Mai Cortes said she noticed a lot of crossovers between resort and surf swimwear buyers.

“People who buy our swimwear are looking for a certain lifestyle, but our prints and fabrications also appeal to a younger customer,” she said.

Palm-printed bikinis with shell detail in black and brown combinations, a tropical tubini with solid bottom, a gauze cotton sleeveless tunic and a Ombre stripe linen/cotton coverup with mother-of-pearl detail were just a few looks in the New York-based company’s 2003 collection, which wholesales between $44 and $105.

Mary Wysocki, a buyer for Crowne Plaza Hotel and Resort, was searching for Caribbean-influenced activewear/sportswear and resort swimwear for the hotel chain’s Hilton Head Island, S.C., boutique.

“Travel is not completely back to normal yet, but this summer has been pretty good saleswise, so we’re hoping it will continue into spring,” she said.

Surf Expo newcomer Monica McNeel, owner/sales manager of young contemporary swim line L*Space in Santa Ana, Calif., said that the response to her label was good, noting, “These days, if a line is youthful and edgy it doesn’t stay on the floor very long.”

McNeel said buyers from New Jersey-based Brave New World and Maryland-based Water Water Everywhere showed strong interest in the line’s new brown sugar and butter bikini group with novelty detailing.

For those who were coming off of a challenging year at retail, Surf Expo presented a springboard for new business.

California swim makers including Anaheim-based Lunada Bay, Oceanside-based Aaron Chang, Costa Mesa-based Lucy Love, Orange-based Jamaican Style and Irvine-based Sugar said their appointment books were chock-full of specialty store buyers from Florida and the Caribbean region who were looking for deliveries beginning as early as 12/1.

“[Surf Expo] gives us a chance to get acquainted with our specialty store accounts and meet new buyers,” explained Peter Boyles, sales rep for Los Angeles-based Malibu Dream Girl. “We get a lot of feedback from the specialty stores because they have a more personal relationship with their customers.”

Stoke, Vibe and Lifestyle

“The surf industry obviously is not immune to economic slumps,” said Op president Dick Baker, who also serves as president of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association. Still, “stoke, vibe and lifestyle” keep it going, he added.

About 50 percent of Surf Expo’s offerings consisted of surf, skate, windsurf, wakeboard and other water sports makers, including Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based Vans; Huntington Beach, Calif.-based Hawk Clothing; and Foothill Ranch, Calif.-based Etnies and Emerica, among others. The show also had a few streetwear labels, including Vernon, Calif.-based men’s line BC Ethic.

Surf and skate shop buyers said they liked the show’s swim/surf/skate format—one buyer even called it the “mellow” older brother of the similarly formatted Action Sports Retailer (ASR) Trade Expo. However, some retailers felt it fell short of the youthful energy that is synonymous with ASR.

“ASR is good at bringing in youth, media, hype and festivities. Surf Expo is more of a working show where retailers get a chance to work personally with vendors,” said Hurley, who met with buyers from Ron Jon; Wave Riding Vehicles in Virginia Beach, Va.; and Good Vibrations in Orlando, Fla.

John Sabow of action sports retailer Ron Jon, which operates three stores in Florida and one at the Block shopping center in Orange, Calif., said he gets most of his surf and resort trend information at Surf Expo.

“We’re heading back into a surf cycle again—a lot of the styles coming out are retro surf, and that’s generating a lot of interest,” Sabow said, adding that printed swim trunks made up about 50 percent of his orders from Surf Expo. “There’s a lot of newness in vintage fashion and juniors, which I think will revitalize surf lifestyle apparel.”

At Surf Expo, organizers presented two fashion shows daily: Resort and Swimwear and Surf and Skate.

The show featured low-rise halter bikinis, triangle bikinis with metal and shell details, and maillots in solid colors and tropical prints, all of which are posed to continue as strong sellers into next summer. Also, designers were finding new twists and stylings for cover-ups, such as high-quality fabrications with hand-stitched embroidery and beading. Girls’ surfwear seemed to get its inspiration from all things feminine and girly and included lace-trimmed printed tees with logos, boardshorts with flowers and butterflies, and Pucci-esque prints on capris. Men’s stretch swim trunks with geometric and floral prints or charcoal, light blue and brown combinations added a fresh spin on swim, while vintage-inspired prints on cotton and rayon shirts got plenty of attention from resort buyers.

Additionally, the show presented a handful of action sports demonstrations, including windsurf and street course skate demos, and lifestyle trends seminars with such topics as “What’s Going on Inside Teenagers’ Heads” and “All About Liability Insurance for Water and Air Sports.”

New Sections and New Lines

Surf Expo’s Darby said organizers would continue to add new offerings to the event to appeal to other markets. For example, next January, organizers will launch a new resort and designer section at the show called Club Level.

The latest show marked the debut of several new lines, including Pursuit, a young contemporary collection produced by Torrance, Calif., swimwear maker Sunset Inc., which produces swimwear for Sunset Separates, Blink Intermix, Lucy Love and Jam’s World. The line features crocheted bikinis with novelty details and floral nylon/Lycra suits. Retail price points range between $80 and $90 for Pursuit, which will begin Spring deliveries on 12/1, said Eden Rock, marketing director.

Malibu Dream Girl also debuted a new line, a contemporary collection called SNCE. It includes bikinis with turquoise trimmings, hand-crocheted suits with beading and hand-embroidered pareos.

Montreal-based Christina Swimwear recently acquired the license to produce junior swimwear for XOXO and debuted its 2003 collection at Surf Expo. The 90-piece separates collection is made with Tricot and spandex and includes paisley/floral and country patchwork front-tie bodices with matching side-tie bottoms and one-piece maillots. The company said buyers from Everything But Water and Ron Jon placed orders for 11/15. The collection will make its West Coast debut at the Oct. 9–11 run of the International Swimwear/Activewear Market in Santa Monica, Calif.