This week marked the beginning of the 2015 tradeshow season. Within the next two months I’ll be happily sharing what I find at Agenda Long Beach, CES, Agenda / Liberty / Capsule Las Vegas, and Outdoor Retailer via this blog and Instagram.

The Agenda Show always showcases the freshest new brands and products. I decided to select 10 things that caught my attention to share.

1. Hurley always comes correct and the collaboration between two legends NY artist Eric Haze and the godfather of surf / skate culture, Craig Stecyk, was simply amazing. The van featured the Stecyk color fade with Haze’s signature lettering on the exterior, while the interior housed a photography dark room, spray can storage, and other artist supplies.

2. Flexfit / BSCMP teamed with Herschel Supply to provide a space inspired by LA and Japan contemporary dwellings, this communal meeting space was designed to provide the comforts of home in a place of business. On the Los Angeles side, the homie Willie T provided some great prints representing the city to adorn the walls while Herman Miller furniture invited guests to lounge during the show. On the Tokyo side, the artist Shingo provided his artwork along with additional modern furniture. “Home is where you hang your hat.”

3. A new brand that caught my eye was Salty Crew. Immediately upon walking into their booth I knew what the brand stands for – the ocean. Whether the waves are firing to surf, flat to fish, windy to sail, or simply to take a dive the gear is built for watermen. With pro surfers, CJ Hobgood and Nathan Hedge, as part of the team you really can’t get any more authentic.

4. Alpha Industries has been re-inventing itself the past couple years with modern styling of their classic designs such as the MA-1 flight jacket and collaborations with brands such as Palladium and Stussy. The kid’s MA-1 jacket with patches is the perfect gift your little “Maverick”.

5. Upon first wearing the Native Apollo Moc, I was immediately hooked and now want them in every color. The light weight and very comfortable shoe is a must own. The latest collection of footwear features new colors, prints, and styles.

6. Brand Black is redefining sports footwear with their technically and high fashion design. This pair of kicks was one of favorites of the show. I look forward to seeing more from this emerging brand.

7. Jason Markk has been keeping kicks clean since day one. With collabs with Diamond, Hello Kitty, and artist Naturel along with new products such as Repel and Quick Wipes there is one goal – keep you looking fresh.

8. Incase keeps bringing the heat with their latest bag collection. The new Reform product line-up was impressive and perfect for professionals and creatives alike. The action collection including Kelly Slater’s signature backpack which features weather sealed zippers is on my wish list.

9. Richer and Poorer helps up your sock game to the next level. You can’t simply have nice kicks alone, but also must have the proper pairing of socks. The new styles are on point and with dress, casual, and athletic options available for men, women, and kids there’s no excuse not to have fashionable feet.

10. Selfishly, I want to share The Hundreds booth display. I was asked to share portraits of “individuals who are reflective of your immediate community,” which I took to be friends and associates that have had an impact to the city of Long Beach. Some of these individuals have either worked, lived, or simply shared moments with me in the city. I contributed about ten friends for this project and am grateful for each one.

BONUS

I had the opportunity to check out the Agenda Emerge seminar with a few of the most talented, creative, and influential leaders of their respective industries of art, action sports, music, politics, and fashion. My words alone can’t summarize the experience of listening to their stories, so I’ll attempt to with a few images of co-founder of Herschel Supply, Lyndon Cormack, Creative Director of Hurley, Ryan Hurley, Founder of Hurley, Bob Hurley, Social Distortion’s Mike Ness, the Godfather of surf and skate culture, Craig Stecyk, artist and founder of Obey, Shepard Fairey, and Nike’s footwear designer extraordinaire, Tinker Hatfield.