Agenda tradeshow live trend report from Long Beach, CA.

There’s no better way to get a feel for upcoming trends in skateboarding and streetwear than walking down the crowded aisles of Agenda tradeshow in Long Beach, California. A report by Dirk Vogel.

Here’s where you can see the next big thing. You can see it laid out for upcoming seasons and ready for pre-orders at the tradeshow booths on the booked-out exhibition floor. And you can see it worn and rocked and displayed with attitude and swagger by the thousands of tradeshow visitors roaming the halls in search of what’s hot – and what’s next. (That, and free beer).

Boardsports and streetwear have been engaged in a heated love affair for some time now, with one taking stylistic notes from the other’s playbook as they keep getting more and more intertwined and closely connected. Now we’re at a point where the lines between “streetwear” and “boardsports” are blurring: Performance-oriented pieces such as board shorts are getting fitted and trimmed silhouettes. Meanwhile, fashion-forward garments are incorporating performance technologies such as wicking and ventilation.

This new breed of apparel – built to shred, but highly fashionable – is everywhere at Agenda this year. And the great news is: After several long seasons of everybody trying to make “mature” and “vintage” garments (basically a J.Crew look for boarders), brands are ready to experiment again and take risks again and do something different again.

Plus, after long economic strain on the apparel segment, things are looking up overall. Just looking at the biggest launch of the show, the Asphalt Yacht Club skate apparel brand headlined by Stevie Williams, clearly signalled that people are ready to do it big in boardsports apparel/streetwear again. And that’s a good thing.

Here are the The 5 Biggest Skate and Streetwear Trends at AGENDA LBC:

1. Recovery: “After-skate” footwear

A new category is emerging in the footwear department: Highly comfortable, technically advanced shoes to recover from a long day of abuse from throwing yourself down stair sets and such. These sneakers are leaning in a running/jogger direction with flexible soles, ventilation and thin, close-fitting uppers.

Doug Weston at OSIRIS displays the highly popular Uprise model.

2. Wicked! Wicking garments

The latest generation of t-shirts, henleys and raglan shirts (raglans! SO HOT RIGHT NOW) feature wicking technology to help release moisture during heavy sessions. These pieces can be worn on their own during the summer and work as functional base layers when it gets colder.

Asphalt Yacht Club offers advanced prints and A-Tech wicking technology

3. Camping: Pitch a tent

Poler’s tent collabo with Girl skateboards

Boardsports enthusiasts in the US are discovering their love for camping, and the company single-handedly driving this trend is Poler Outdoor Stuff from Portland, OR. The connection? It’s all in the lifestyle of enjoying a healthy skate or surf session during the day, then pitching a tent and spending the night right by the spot in the great outdoors. The potential in Europe is huge – from the beaches of the Basque country to the concrete skate parks of the Austrian Alps.

Illuminati alert!

4. Signs of the Illuminati…

The ominous “Eye in the Pyramid” design used to be the staple of conspiracy-minded companies such as the Alien Workshop. But as pop culture keeps getting more obsessed with the secret society that rules the world – just Google “Jay Z+Illuminati” – streetwear is exploding with Illuminati insignia. Countless companies at Agenda have officially been talking to the Holy Ghost: Asphalt Yacht Club, Palace and Poler even have the triangle baked right into their brand DNA, while REAL skateboards, Fourstar and countless others are toying with secret society imagery.

5. No limit to camouflage!

It’s an urban jungle out there! Skate apparel and streetwear have always embraced camouflage. But nowadays, the floodgates have been opened and camo is officially everywhere – from footwear, to shirts, bucket hats, luggage, outerwear to camo pants to skateboard decks. In apparel, camo is also used as a color-blocking and panelling element, while new types of camo are emerging, including the sprayed-look camo by HUF. When it comes to camouflage in 2013, there really is no limit, soldiers.

Dirk Vogel