Celebration theexcitement of their culture at the Orange County Convention

Tag : surf sunglasses

Issue Date: Sunglasses NovDec 2007, Posted On: 11/28/2007

SURF EXPO HEATS UP ORLANDO
Latest Product News and Trends
For three days in September, manufacturers and retailers of allthings for surfing, skating, and swimming gathered to celebrate theexcitement of their culture at the Orange County Convention Centerin Orlando, FL. Products that call sun, water, and earthhome—from boardsports to beachwear and sunglasses, ofcourse—were displayed for Surf Expo attendees and exhibitorsto buy and sell at this fun and exhilarating tradeshow.
With so much going on including daily fashion shows, a beer garden,new exhibitor and fashion showcases, a $35,000 Pro-Am SkateContest, the second annual Rail Jam wakeboard/wakeskate contest anddemo, and even Surf Expo’s own Film Festival, there was noshortage of things to do or see.
Among the multitude of exhibitors at Surf Expo were some of theindustry’s most prominent sunglass manufacturers. The editorand publisher of Sunglasses met up with a couple of sunwear retailers (and readers of Sunglasses magazine!) on the show floor to get some feedback on theirbusiness and why they attend Surf Expo.
Hailing from full-service surf shop Wave Riding Vehicles, VirginiaBeach’s largest manufacturer of surfboards, Sunglass BuyerBob Bull and Women’s Accessories Buyer/ Manager Eliza Newmanattended the show to see all the cool surf brands of sunwearavailable. With their store carrying sunglass brands like HovenVision, Anarchy, Angel, Smith Optics, VonZipper, Electric, Dragon,Oakley, Roxy, Quick-silver, this was the place to be as most ofthese sunwear manufacturers exhibited their latest and greatest atSurf Expo.
Bull and Newman agreed that Electric is by far their top-seller,with more than 500 pairs sold between January and August 2007. Whenasked what the largest trends their customers seek when shoppingfor sunwear, they expressed that oversized shapes, aviators, funkycolors, and interesting temple treatments are where it’s at.Other products sold at Wave Riding Vehicles include surf gear, awholesale clothing line, and other accessories that capture thespirit of surf culture.
There’s no question that Surf Expo is the perfect venue forthe buying and selling of performance sunwear.