Buffet Weekend Review

With discussion forums, exhibitions, an industry tradeshow and a public expo, Buffet promised to be the first of its kind in offering a niche street wear and lifestyle trade show experience – and indeed it was!

This time last weekend (26th-28th February), a few of the itches crew were down in Melbourne attending the streetwear tradeshow, Buffet, created and organised by Melbourne magazine Acclaim and Fashion Exposed. An idea that sparked through by founder and editor-in-chief [of Acclaim] Andrew Montell:

‘The concept was relatively un-tested and we broke from the convention of traditional forums where the focus is usually on solo presentations, instead having a solo presentation at the start then a group panel discussing each topic and audience Q&A at the end.’ (Acclaim, 2010)

Things kicked off on Friday with an industry tradeshow where the streetwear stores around Australia (and some international) were showcasing the brands and collections they were plugging, whether it be their own labels or their favourites. The high temperature of the day was hitting everyone and with no air-conditioning inside the venue, some would agree that it may have been cooler to stand outside in the 34-degree heat!

I went around with a couple of the itches crew to check out the other stalls to see what they offered and whilst it was expected that there would be few labels catering to the ladies, there was plenty on offer for the boys! Everything from apparel and sneakers to fitteds, bike gear, sunnies, backpacks and whatever accessories your boy wants to wear, it was there.

That night came the Acclaim Launch Party for the Buffet event, coinciding with the LTRHDS opening at 1000 £ Bend. The temperature was not cooling down and whilst downstairs proved a hit for the gallery of works on display, upstairs felt like we had walked into an oven. The body heat from the crowded venue and the lack of air did not deter the high spirits of everyone though with free drinks flowing and DJ M.A.F.I.A spinning on the decks.

Next morning, with many nursing hangovers and others getting little to no sleep, we headed back to the Buffet venue (held at The Factory), for the first run of forums. The first covered “Starting Out: The Business of Street Fashion Part 1” and we heard from the likes of Sydney’s own Nick Denton (Freshin/Second Family), Rafael Rashid (Blank TM), Jimmy Bligs (Grand Scheme), and Steele Saunders (Spire Distribution/Sure).

Despite some technical difficulties with the mics, each speaker gave the audience a personal insight into how each of them started out by laying out all the cards on the table and telling us about all the ups and downs they went through. There was no sugar-coating of the truth and each told us exactly how it was for them with their tell-it-like-it-is attitudes.

With many audience members starting labels of their own (or thinking of doing so), there were some questions surrounding the who, what, when, how and why of entering the streetwear industry and whilst Denton had a whole slide of his presentation dedicated to the ‘fuckwits’ of the industry; Rashid summed up his advice with his own theory – The Cook and Clean Theory :- “Do the things you love (cook) and follow up on the shit you don’t necessarily want to do (clean)”.

Taking a break for lunch, many went out and tried out Rashid’s side project, The Beatbox Kitchen, which I heard served up delicious burgers and fries at a hefty price. Others took the chance to look around the venue and check out the stalls to see what was on offer to purchase some new threads or grab some free stickers, depending on what your budget was.

After the break, came the second forum – “The Next Level: The Business of Street Fashion Part 2” – and with only 80 seats available, the room was packed! Not surprising once you saw who was on the bill to speak: iconic designer Jeff Staple (Staple Design/Reed Space/STP1 & Staple Clothing), Simon Wood (Sneaker Freaker), and Jake Pyne (Lower). Staple took to the podium and gave a little presentation of how he started out and what an interesting story that turned out to be!

With the crowd hanging on to his every word, (founder/creative director) Staple lead us through (almost) every step he went through when starting out the label (which was completely unintentional) 13 years ago. Whilst he started out doing a Journalism degree at NYU, he dropped out midway through to transfer to the Parsons School of Design, after he felt a creative spark within himself to get into Graphic Design. After speaking with his guidance counsellor, she directed him onto the path of communication design which had him studying a class using screen-printing machines. One thing lead to another, and a few nights later he found himself breaking into the school (with a buddy) to print-screen his own shirts and the rest, as they say, is history.

Nowadays, Staple has his own label as well as three successful stores in New York City; and has designed his own sneaker for Nike symbolising NYC – which was based around the pigeon coz “they don’t give a crap about anything or anyone”. He’s also landed himself a few crazy projects including album covers, magazines, corporate identity management and websites. After listening to Jeff Staple, you get the sense that this is one lucky guy or someone who just happened to be at the right place, right time where everything just fell into place for him.

As quickly as the weekend was coming to an end, it also meant Buffet was too which left many at the tradeshow with a bittersweet feeling. Sunday morning we hit up Forum No.3 –“Retail” – with Frank Liew (Qubic/Quarters Boutique), Caine Cherubin (The Heist/Orange Giant Agency), Jacky Chia (SUP), and Kym Purtell (Fat); lending their voices to inform us their opinions of the streetwear industry. Whilst the forum was meant to be about the retail side of things, the majority of the forum was spent mostly speaking about each label and their brand identity.

Liew presented a rather informative presentation about his start in the industry, and stressed the following throughout his speech: “Retailers should no longer be facilitators, but activators (to the consumer).” The other speakers on the panel were there to share their opinions with the questions fired at them from (moderator) Hans DC which covered what most wanted to know (when starting their own label) including a debatable discussion of online retail vs. opening up a physical store.

During the break, Jeff Staple was found in the DJ booth spinning tracks (honestly, is there anything this guy can’t do??), and I stuck around to see and listen to his taste in music. Although he was due to speak in the next forum, his DJ-ing duties had him turning up a bit late, but I don’t think anyone minded.

The final forum of the day (and of Buffet altogether) welcomed Jeff Staple (again), Luca Ionescu (Like Minded Studio), Chey Ataria (ABC), and Trevor Choy (Choy Lawyers) to speak on “The Art of Contemporary Design”. The first half of the forum looked at the misconceptions of the industry, as well as the brand and the identity you wanted to achieve – with the key advice being to market and showcase yourself in a way that is memorable and makes you stand out from the crowd. The second half, on the other hand, talked about the nitty gritty of the legal aspects of starting your own label, with Choy leading the discussion and sharing his views from his many years experience as a lawyer – and with his normal rates of $750 p/hr, you were stupid not to listen. What I also found interesting was when Eddie Zammit, from T-World (who was also the forum moderator), showed us a few slides of brands ‘borrowing’ each other’s designs, focusing on the whole issue of Parody vs. Copy.

So over 3 days saw 4 forums held with speakers representing local and international streetwear brands which brought about enlightening discussions and revealing insights into the industry. Great work and organisation from the Acclaim crew for organising this fun-filled and educational weekend; where new ties were formed, alcohol flowed freely, and the time provided a chance to meet and greet the people behind the up-and-coming swarm of brands yet to be discovered by the rest of Australia (and the world).

Buffet was quite a unique experience and we, at thirteen itches, can’t wait for next year!

Photos by Vo Nguyen

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