PROJECT Vegas 2022
Project Las Vegas 2022 | Women's Shoes Spring Summer 2023
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What We Loved At Project Show Las Vegas 2022
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What is PROJECT Las Vegas? Click the link to go deeper.
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BUS STOP women's shoe store in Philadelphia Founder, Designer and female entrepreneur Elena Brennan has been craving opportunities to reconnect with her shoe community more intimately. During her 15 years in business, she has formed countless close bonds with shoe designers and rep's alike in the shoe industry.
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The last shoe trade show she attended was MICAM in Milan in Febuary 2020 just before the Covid outbreak, since then Elena has had a deep desire and unmatched craving to attend the shoe trade show circuit.
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Nothing beats the wave of inspiration garnered from attending a curated, in-person buying show, with the educational workshops, activations, culture, conversations, great music, and vibes. A really good shoe trade show can offer a shoe designer like herself that extra jolt of creativity crucial in keeping a brand like BUS STOP X fresh, timely, and relevant.
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So, Elena booked a flight & went to Vegas. Over the course of just three whirlwind days, she found the inspiration and invigoration she was looking for AND some of the best Spring Summer 2023 shoes for our shoe gallery shelves.
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So, Elena booked a flight & went to Vegas. Over the course of just three whirlwind days, she found the inspiration and invigoration she was looking for AND some of the best Spring Summer 2023 shoes for our shoe gallery shelves.
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ABOUT PROJECT /
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Representing what’s new, now, and next in contemporary apparel, footwear and accessories, PROJECT is a live event and digital platform where domestic and international buyers go to be inspired by brands, find new products from relevant labels, and connect with likeminded industry thought leaders and fashion insiders. Through a fusion of community, education, media, and experiences, PROJECT propels the next season’s top trends, generates global awareness, and ultimately, drives commerce.
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PROJECT Las Vegas continued the contemporary market rebound with the return of their physical IRL event at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Featuring an assortment of new and returning contemporary brands, the keystone buyer-to-buyer fashion event drew new brands and retailers, resulting in refreshed business opportunities and new commerce avenues in its highly anticipated return.
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Representing what’s new, now, and next in contemporary apparel, footwear and accessories, PROJECT is a live event and digital platform where domestic and international buyers go to be inspired by brands, find new products from relevant labels, and connect with likeminded industry thought leaders and fashion insiders. Through a fusion of community, education, media, and experiences, PROJECT propels the next season’s top trends, generates global awareness, and ultimately, drives commerce.
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PROJECT Las Vegas continued the contemporary market rebound with the return of their physical IRL event at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Featuring an assortment of new and returning contemporary brands, the keystone buyer-to-buyer fashion event drew new brands and retailers, resulting in refreshed business opportunities and new commerce avenues in its highly anticipated return.
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Elena was (re)inspired at PROJECT Las Vegas.
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She attended informative and motivating workshops and panel discussions with words of wisdom and REALNESS from Katy Perry, who was launching her new shoe collection Jaren Jackson Jr, NBA player for the Memphis Grizzlies Jeff Hamilton, brilliant leather jacket designer of the stars, Chris Pyrate, mixed media artist specilazing in cartooning and illustration. At Project, he announced his collaboration with the basketball team The Washington Wizards, Ian and Joe from LeagueFits stylists, Kicking It ATX, who owns a sneaker experience store in Austin TX, Edwina Kulego, moderator & VP Project International Informa Makets Fashion, Brian Nyilas, PROJECT Guest Merchandiser responsbile for the layout of the this year's show Mordechal Rubinstein, Emmanuelle Rienda, Casey Dworkin, Neil Montgomery, Andreu David, Nicole Myden, and Dr Cindy Lin.
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She attended informative and motivating workshops and panel discussions with words of wisdom and REALNESS from Katy Perry, who was launching her new shoe collection Jaren Jackson Jr, NBA player for the Memphis Grizzlies Jeff Hamilton, brilliant leather jacket designer of the stars, Chris Pyrate, mixed media artist specilazing in cartooning and illustration. At Project, he announced his collaboration with the basketball team The Washington Wizards, Ian and Joe from LeagueFits stylists, Kicking It ATX, who owns a sneaker experience store in Austin TX, Edwina Kulego, moderator & VP Project International Informa Makets Fashion, Brian Nyilas, PROJECT Guest Merchandiser responsbile for the layout of the this year's show Mordechal Rubinstein, Emmanuelle Rienda, Casey Dworkin, Neil Montgomery, Andreu David, Nicole Myden, and Dr Cindy Lin.
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She also had a little time between buying appointments to reconnect with old friends from All Black Footwear, Woden & Shoe The Bear beyond the booth over tasty meals and a bottle of wine. She made a few new friends too, like Katy Perry (whom she locked eyes with during her entrance from one of the side doors before she appeared on the stage and later met while washing her hands in the bathroom!)
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She also had a little time between buying appointments to reconnect with old friends from All Black Footwear, Woden & Shoe The Bear beyond the booth over tasty meals and a bottle of wine. She made a few new friends too, like Katy Perry (whom she locked eyes with during her entrance from one of the side doors before she appeared on the stage and later met while washing her hands in the bathroom!)
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She visited her favorite brands & designers, inlcuding the vegan handbag and shoe brand from Montreal MATT & NAT and discovered a new sustainable brand from New Zealand such as YY Nation to see what's in-store for Spring Summer 2023. She slept well and took a refreshing dip in the pool at Virgin Hotel Las Vegas.
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All in all, she had a much-needed BIG refreshing dose of visual stimulation and community revival that made her return to Philly feeling happy, grateful, encouraged and reenergized!
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Elena's journal from Vegas "Being away from Philly for a few days, gave me time to reflect. I didn't realize how much I was craving the trade show environment. After two years of virtual appointments over Zoom to review shoe collections for each season with the shoe designers that I love...it just wasn't the same! The face-to-face interaction with shoe industry icons, let alone picking up the shoes, feeling the leathers and slipping them onto your feet to test the fit and comfort, and beauty of the design cannot be achieved in a Zoom appointment.
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I was feeling quite depressed, and less energized reviewing collections outside of the trade show environ. As a creative, it's so important to surround yourself by other creatives and to be stimulated by conversations and designs. Covid has isolated us from each other in more ways than one. And sometimes, it's hard to understand how this affects you, until you remove yourself from your normal routine, and reconnect with what you used to enjoy, it's so uplifting and you feel like yourself again.
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My key takeways from the new educational forum panels. The first two panel discussions I attended, really re-inforced how important is to tell YOUR story whether it be with PR, through the design of the shoes or how they're merchandised (it can be by style, color or how to wear together). How you display the shoes in the boutique creates a bond with your customer.
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One of the panelists who works as a stylist, couldn't stress enough that as consumers, we should buy something we like when we see it and not wait until the last minute to make that big purchase for a special event. We want to feel comfortable in what we wear, own the look and not have to force something to achieve the look. Jaren Jackson the NBA player for The Memphis Grizzlies who just launched his new clothing line at Project, stated that fashion is an evolution with a cycle. What you wear can make a statement in more ways than one, especially if you feel passionate about a cause. When you're in the spotlight, what you wear really makes an impact.
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The sustainable panel discussion was the most informative! The fashion industry can be challenging when it comes to sustainability, however, there have been many incredible accomplishments. Educating ourselves and our customers is the only way sustainability really works.
Shoe designers are starting to experiment by using Apple leathers, pineapple, cactus, etc. as exciting options that can accelerate the creation of a functional circular market—assigning value to once-used materials and preventing pollution along the supply chain.
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Consumers’ need for greater transparency offers a cost benefit because customers will be more willing to pay for quality materials, knowing the impact it will have on our planet."
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PROJECT INSIDER SCOOP /
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Elena's favorite PROJECT Workshops included:
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1) Merchandising: The Buyer’s Perspective
2) Katy Perry
3) The Tunnel is the New Runway
4) Trend Science: Insight from Popular Culture & Buying Behavior
5) Sustainability in Fashion - Panel:
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Here’s the link to the brand list of exhibitors at Project Elena loved & perused at PROJECT:
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Which women's shoe designers would you love to see at BUS STOP shoe boutique for HER?
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WE'RE SO EXCITED FOR SPRING SUMMER 2023!
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Want to go even deeper? Read the thorough details here in the PROJECT Las Vegas press release:
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PROJECT Las Vegas drives a continued contemporary market rebound with the return of their physical IRL event featuring an assortment of new and returning men’s and women’s contemporary brands. The keystone B2B fashion event this August drew new brands and retailers, resulting in refreshed business opportunities and new commerce avenues in its highly anticipated return.
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Informa Markets Fashion, leading fashion industry connector and organizer PROJECT Las Vegas announced today event success and positive indicators towards future in-person events following the conclusion of its August 9-11 event at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Over three days, the event drew an influential domestic and international retail audience that included many new retailers and brands. Comparative to 2019, PROJECT Las Vegas also saw a marked increase in ratio of retailers to brands, pointing towards positive trends in continued industry recovery and an eager audience of retailers shopping in-person events again.
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Driven by a market-led and customer-focused perspective, PROJECT Las Vegas featured a mix of contemporary men’s and women’s brands, with highlighted categories such as: sportswear, streetwear, denim, resort and swimwear, contemporary collections, outerwear, activewear, loungewear, footwear, and accessories, in addition to beauty and grooming.
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Notable returning brands included: Rails, Free People, Scotch & Soda, Z Supply, Mavi, 7 for All Mankind, Barbour, Bella Dahl, Creative Recreation, Kenneth Cole, Michael Stars, Nautica, Psycho Bunny, Gigi Pip, Calvin Klein, Sam Edelman, Desigual, Honor. The. Gift, Johnny Was, Katin, Lucky Brand, Magnlens, Nike Swim, and Original Penguin.
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Newcomers to the Las Vegas edition of PROJECT included: ASTR The Label, Baja Llama, Dickies, EDIT+, Gola Classics, Saucony, Serra by Joie Rucker, Almost Sunday, WeSC, Eastpak, Ezekial Clothing, Samantha Eng, W Cashmere, and Midheaven.
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Further supporting new design talent, PROJECT Las Vegas also featured up-and-coming brands and designers, prominently merchandised on the show floor. Notable brands included: Oncept, Serra by Joie Rucker, Justus Bends, Knititude, and Morrison Denim.
Further supporting new design talent, PROJECT Las Vegas also featured up-and-coming brands and designers, prominently merchandised on the show floor. Notable brands included: Oncept, Serra by Joie Rucker, Justus Bends, Knititude, and Morrison Denim.
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Bringing forward larger diversity initiatives to support emerging talent, the event also highlighted a new lineup of contemporary brands as part of the Informa Markets Fashion for Change (IMFC) Incubator Program. The program, first launched in 2020, supports Informa Markets Fashion’s mission to foster allyship, inclusion and equality within the fashion community.
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Incubator program participating brands - which were identified to retailers by show floor decals and a trend display showcasing head-to-toe styling - included: Oak & Acorn ~ Only for the Rebelles, Ollivette, Chelsea Grays, Keith and James, Lucky + Lovely, BAO - The Black Apothecary Office, Melrose High, Visionary Society and Earth Chic Resort Wear by Neshia Brathwaite Farhangi. The representation of new design talent available at PROJECT Las Vegas not only provided brands greater visibility in the contemporary market, but also gave retailers more opportunity to discover new products and add to their inventory assortment, something retailers – and consumers - are always looking for.
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Joining these brands, thousands of high-caliber retailers shopped the event. Key retailers shopping the event included: Amazon, DTLR, Urban Outfitters, Ashley Gryre, American Rag, Milton’s, Alchemy213, Alixandra Collections, Fred Segal, Garage Clothing, Gregory’s, M Frederic, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, The Wynn Hotel, Bellagio/MGM Resorts, La Maison Simons Inc, Von Maur, Halls, Lee Newman Clothing, FSB Menswear, PASSPORT, SuitMart, Morgan Miller, Raquel Cohen, Sundance Catalogue, Sneaker Politics, Sneaker Town, South Moon Under, Wantable, MLTD, NTWRK, Private and Oaklandish.
Joining these brands, thousands of high-caliber retailers shopped the event. Key retailers shopping the event included: Amazon, DTLR, Urban Outfitters, Ashley Gryre, American Rag, Milton’s, Alchemy213, Alixandra Collections, Fred Segal, Garage Clothing, Gregory’s, M Frederic, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, The Wynn Hotel, Bellagio/MGM Resorts, La Maison Simons Inc, Von Maur, Halls, Lee Newman Clothing, FSB Menswear, PASSPORT, SuitMart, Morgan Miller, Raquel Cohen, Sundance Catalogue, Sneaker Politics, Sneaker Town, South Moon Under, Wantable, MLTD, NTWRK, Private and Oaklandish.
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With over half of the buyers in attendance from boutiques in addition to representation from specialty, chain and department stores, the event also drew a notable group of online retailers – close to 20% of the total purchasing retailers in attendance – pointing towards potential shifts in the retail landscape as a result of consumer shopping behaviors moving online during 2020.
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With the combination of a new buyer audience onsite as well as a newly budding segment of the retail landscape in attendance, retail buyers and brands alike enjoyed benefits of a refreshed marketplace that only PROJECT could provide.
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Brands were able to expand into new territories and open new accounts and retailers – both newcomers and seasoned attendees - were able to take advantage of discovering of new brands and products on the show floor, something vital for continuing success with the unique environment and audience afforded at PROJECT Las Vegas this season.
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“PROJECT Las Vegas continues to be a keystone event that promotes discovery and connection between brands and retailers in the contemporary market and that was reflected in the increased number of new retailers and new brands we saw at PROJECT Las Vegas compared to 2019,” says Kelly Helfman, Commercial President of Informa Markets Fashion. “For this season, both men’s and women’s contemporary apparel, footwear, and accessories were merchandised together in order to make it easier and more efficient for retailers to shop brands they know and discover new ones along the way.”
“PROJECT Las Vegas continues to be a keystone event that promotes discovery and connection between brands and retailers in the contemporary market and that was reflected in the increased number of new retailers and new brands we saw at PROJECT Las Vegas compared to 2019,” says Kelly Helfman, Commercial President of Informa Markets Fashion. “For this season, both men’s and women’s contemporary apparel, footwear, and accessories were merchandised together in order to make it easier and more efficient for retailers to shop brands they know and discover new ones along the way.”
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Acting as a business resource for the community outside of transactions on the show floor, PROJECT Las Vegas held a variety of educational seminars with influential partners including Highsnobiety, WGSN, Management One, Create & Cultivate and Blamo!.
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Trend, market insights and business-focused topics included current and upcoming trend casting for the contemporary market, evolving consumer behaviors, strategies for scaling business, merchandise and cash flow planning, and adaptability tips for retail businesses.
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PROJECT Las Vegas also hosted a variety of custom onsite activations and speaking engagements with stand-out celebrity and fashion leadership appearances. On day one, guest speaker Kenneth Cole opened the three co-located events in the LVCC - PROJECT Las Vegas, MAGIC Las Vegas and SOURCING at MAGIC- with Sourcing Journal’s Edward Hertzman for a discussion on brand integrity and lessons learned from the pandemic. Celebrity television personality and beauty entrepreneur Giuliana Rancic launched her clean, skincare brand, Fountain of Truth to the wholesale market. On day two, FashWire held a pitch competition where ten startups battled it out for a chance to win $10,000 on the PROJECT stage.
PROJECT Las Vegas also hosted a variety of custom onsite activations and speaking engagements with stand-out celebrity and fashion leadership appearances. On day one, guest speaker Kenneth Cole opened the three co-located events in the LVCC - PROJECT Las Vegas, MAGIC Las Vegas and SOURCING at MAGIC- with Sourcing Journal’s Edward Hertzman for a discussion on brand integrity and lessons learned from the pandemic. Celebrity television personality and beauty entrepreneur Giuliana Rancic launched her clean, skincare brand, Fountain of Truth to the wholesale market. On day two, FashWire held a pitch competition where ten startups battled it out for a chance to win $10,000 on the PROJECT stage.
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Also, on day two, PROJECT Las Vegas hosted the return of the Rivet Awards, which honor top denim collections from six distinct categories: Best Sustainable Collection, Best Men’s Collection, Best Women’s Collection, Best Showpiece, Editor’s Choice, and Best New Brand, with awards presented in the winner’s booths throughout the afternoon.
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While the US and international markets still grapple with the lingering effects of the pandemic, PROJECT Las Vegas was guided by Informa AllSecure in addition to recommendations from local, state and health authorities, offering guests confidence in a safe return to in-person events.
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Event planning and execution included continuous sanitation and disinfecting with focus on “high touch” areas, numerous hand washing facilities located throughout the event and wider aisles to accommodate social distancing.
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PROJECT Las Vegas not only safely connected brands and retailers together again following halts to live events in 2020 and early 2021, the event’s return to Las Vegas also supported the local economy and businesses. Combined with co-located events MAGIC Las Vegas – the trend and young contemporary market event, and SOURCING at MAGIC – the sourcing and supply chain event, these three distinct events hosted in concert to one another had an overall economic impact of an estimated $38 million for Las Vegas, Nevada.
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As the global PROJECT brand gears towards 2022, dates and locations for future domestic and international events will be announced later this year. In addition to local economic benefits, the upcoming announcements promise additional opportunities for the women’s and men’s contemporary markets to further capitalize on the successes seen in Las Vegas.
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For more information, including upcoming announcements of future 2022 PROJECT event dates, please visit www.projectfashionevents.com.
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ABOUT INFORMA MARKETS FASHION /
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Informa Markets Fashion connects and inspires the global fashion community through online experiences, industry insights, and worldwide fashion trade events including MAGIC, COTERIE, PROJECT, and SOURCING at MAGIC.
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From more effective manufacturing and supply chain opportunities to creative design inspiration and retail on the wholesale floor, Informa Markets Fashion’s diverse portfolio supports the entire fashion ecosystem - fostering innovation and driving creativity year-round. For more information on upcoming events, please visit: www.findfashionevents.com.
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WHO'S READY FOR SS23?
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^ photos by Elena Brennan ^
V photos via @projectshow V
V photos via @projectshow V
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Bottom line - TRAVEL IS MOST DEFINITELY OUR BIGGEST SOURCE OF INSPIRATION & GOOD FOR THE SOUL/SOLE.
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