It’s crazy realizing that I’ve been doing the trade show circuit for the last 6 years. I started out at the summer Agenda show when it was small enough to be at a hotel in Anaheim, got my in through connections at Backside and provided coverage on my old blog, Chicharon Adventures. I felt like that first Agenda entry solidified who I was trying to be in this industry. As the show evolved, so did I. I started committing to both show days, staying overnight, and partying in between. I wasn’t only blogging for my site, but for other sites, as well. I even started buying, running interviews on the spot, and getting recognized by the people I was guaranteed to see at least twice a year. During last summer’s Agenda show, I met Mark Arcenal and that’s how I got here. Now, I’m doing this for a whole other beast – Fatlace.

But this show was a little different for me. I didn’t follow the clockwork of registering and booking a hotel, I didn’t come with a squad, I just showed up. It was the second day, in the afternoon, and I had the unambitious mission to just see people. Perhaps that’s what it’s all about – to see how my peers in this industry have evolved like me. Whether it’s in the growth of their brand, the size of their build out, or the new position they’ve taken on. It was a short visit; I caught up with friends, made some new ones, and snapped pictures for y’all to see.

I went through the first aisle and saw my friends Pat and Eric holding it down for Akomplice. They doubled their booth size, had a projector to go along with it, and apparently also an interpretive ski mask wearing dancer, whom I did not have the pleasure of seeing.

Then I see these guys. Breezy Excursion. Straight from San Jose. Oh yeah…they’re our next Tastemakers feature.

In my past Agenda entries, I used to always write my top 5 brands to look out for. I didn’t compile such list for this entry, but I can tell you that I was most excited about Cross Colours (!!!).

Everyone was talking about the Rebel 8.

I snapped that pic, turned around, and ran into Alfred (UNDFTD).

Back to that whole evolution thing I was talking about. For the past few shows, Agenda has been rolling out Agenda Womens – a dedicated area of the top female brands. This show boasted the biggest section to date, even with an art collection curated by Sophia Chang.

I met these girls from Pedals And Peacocks. Cool stuff and even cooler people.

I got out of that section and ran into industry photographer, Ja Tecson. You’ve probably seen his stuff for Nike, Staple, Fruition, etc. Oh yeah, he’ll be on Tastemakers, too.

Then in my final walk through the Long Beach Convention Center, I caught up with my boy, Jason, who can easily be dubbed the face of streetwear. He’s modeled for a lot of brands and will soon be taking his face over to high end fashion. Again with the evolution.

As I was about to leave I got a text from Alana (right), the women’s buyer at Backside, who told me to come see her. I couldn’t leave without showing love to the fam. These people have been with me on this circuit for all 6 years.

So long; see you again this summer.