Review: Project Show NYC 2013

Project Show NYC kicked off in New York City with mixed emotions. There were things we loved and things we think could improve. The premier contemporary fashion event for advanced contemporary, premium denim and footwear for menswear kicked off in New York City on Sunday, July 21 and ends on Tuesday, July 23rd.

The staff and flow of Project Show NYC was great. There were no long lines, superb check-in process and complimentary wifi. It was easy to speak to a lot of the vendors without feeling rushed. The mix of established designers and up-and-coming designers for both the shoes and apparel sections of the trade show was a great balance.

There was an air conditioning issue and unbearable heat in certain areas of the convention. Project Show NYC did place large fans in various parts of the convention to help circulate the air to minimize the heat. The air conditioning issue was scheduled to be fixed for Monday and Tuesday dates which generally draws more traffic. Aside from this issue, it was a great flow.

When we attend trade shows, our intent is to expose our readers to new products and/or things that ultimately influence them purchase the products they love.

Project Show NYC Rundown:

Project Show NYC Vendors

We were a little surprised at the prejudice some of the vendors had when they saw a ‘Press’ badge as opposed to a ‘Buyer’ badge. The disheartening part was some of the vendors looked up and didn’t even acknowledge our presence. Also surprising was some of the reps for the brands didn’t have basic knowledge of how the brand started, mission statement and who their customers were. Knowing this key information helps bring brand awareness. Lastly, some of the booths had low attendance due to rep not being there for unexplained reasons. We do understand that Project Show NYC has no control over the response from their vendors and we don’t hold them accountable.

The press, Bloggers too, are key to a brands success as well as the buyers. We review and plug brands to the world via social media, print and digital platform with no cost to the brand. This drives sales too. Social presence is important if you want to reach certain demographics and create buzz about your brand. If you’re an established brand and/or new designer, these rules apply.

We had the pleasure to meet some amazing designers, brands and reps. We featured some of them via our Instagram page which is linked to our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. A few of the brands have been established for years and some are new. All of them knew their customer and understood current and forthcoming trends. The brands to watch are for S/S 2014 are: J. Artola, Hudson Shoes, Johnston & Murphy, Jason Markk, Cole Haan, FJÄLL RÄVEN, Bread & Boxers, All Black, Barbour, I AM B, Word Notebooks, Denim & Leathers by Andrew Marc , Ted Baker, Camper, Zigi NY, LVL XIII, and Alpha Industries.