Vegas

Okay, for this next post I’m going to back track a little bit to my trip with Juma a couple of weeks for Vegas tradeshows. To give some background, I started crashing tradeshows in New York a few months ago. Since my i-banking self had no real business there, I would adopt alternate personas, ranging from a Singaporean buyer to an investor from Abu Dhabi. It was at the Rendez-vous show last February where I first met Jamil and Alia of Juma. Don’t remember which lie I initially told them about my identity, but I do remember that I became an instant fan of the collection, whose fresh interpretation of knitwear basics, coupled with very progressive and directional accent pieces left me wanting to learn and see more. So, Jamil and I kept in touch, and have been homies ever since.

I joined the pair a couple of weeks ago in Vegas to hang out and assist with the tradeshows . Juma decided to do two shows this season, so I was actually able to be of some use since they needed someone to look after the Guild show after Capsule started a day later. I took some vacation days off from work to go, but mind you, I work at an investment bank…being away didn’t exonerate me from my banking responsibilities while in Vegas. Work + tradeshows + late night partying = a very busy, sleepless, but enjoyable 4 days.

Though I had attended several tradeshows uninvited in the past, this was first experience working behind-the-scenes. It was also my first time in Vegas, but we will get to my impressions of the city later…It was cool to see the preparation that went into a show the moments leading up to the actual event. Like most things, there are some unexpected bumps in preparing for a tradeshow, from not having enough hangers, to fighting crabby bitches for a steamer, to attempting to communicate with Japanese buyers despite a complete absence of a mutual language, to accidentally staying out too late the night before and having to sneak in a ten minute nap in the hotel bathroom (to be fair, despite this fact I functioned surprisingly well…there were many others whose faces read “leave me the f*** alone, I’m still drunk”).

Between the two shows, there was considerable traffic and a very enthusiastic reception of the Juma collection (I mean…the clothing is fierce). I wish I had pictures to post, but I foolishly neglected to take many pictures during the trip. I had several favorite looks from the Juma collection and will post them once I can get a hold of them from Jamil.

My experience at the tradeshows was none but positive; however, my perception of Vegas itself was mixed. As I said, it was my first time there, and let’s just say its not necessarily my scene. Vegas’ cornball characteristics did provide some entertaining moments, however. Most of them occurred during our exploration of Vegas nightlife. Favorite Vegas nightlife moments:

1. Going to the Christian Audigier Nightclub. Yes, it was as bad as you would imagine, but our ten seconds inside were worth the laugh.

2. Jamil’s encounter with a bouncer who was not a fan of his drop-crotch pants.

Bouncer: “You are going to have to pull up your pants if you are going to enter this establishment.”

Jamil: “No, sir, the pants are designed that way. It’s the style. I can’t pull them up.”

Bouncer: (Blank stare)

3. Ken of Krane’s similar encounter inside Lavo nightclub where the bouncer was not appreciating his sleeveless shirt

Bouncer: “Sir, do you have sleeves?”

Ken: “No.”

Bouncer: “You need to leave.”

Oh the irony of Vegas nightclub bouncers critiquing the stylings of established designers.