RETAIL | TRADE SHOW

Former Agenda Head to Run Karmaloop

Seth Haber, a former partner with Agenda trade show, headquartered in Los Angeles, is heading to the retail side of the streetwear business.

On May 27, it was announced that Haber was named the chief executive officer of Karmaloop, the Boston-based streetwear e-commerce emporium. Karmaloop was acquired by Comvest Partners of West Palm Beach, Fla., and CapX Partners of Chicago on May 22, after Karmaloop declared a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Haber will replace Greg Selkoe, the Karmaloop founder, said Robert O’Sullivan, a partner in Comvest. “We conducted an extensive CEO search and found a number of highly qualified candidates interested in leading Karmaloop. Throughout the process, Seth distinguished himself as our No. 1 choice. His passion for the streetwear culture, varied experience in the industry and achievement in building Agenda made him a natural fit for the position,” he said in a statement. Haber left Agenda in January 2013 to “pursue other interests.”

Haber said that he will use his experience in Agenda to build Karmaloop. “I have been in this business for a long time, and I have worked with most, if not all, of KL’s key business partners. I know that we can continue to build on what the company has already done in order to take it to the next level,” Haber said.

Karmaloop got into debt when it started four new business divisions and the development of television content between 2011 and 2013, according to a CapX statement. While those other divisions did not work out, Karmaloop’s main e-commerce site continued to be well trafficked and enjoyed close to 4 million unique visitors each month.