This was my first time attending Liberty Fairs trade show in NYC and I have to say it was a job well done. The founders Sam and Sharifa have built this up to be in my opinion the best menswear trade show around. Located at Pier 94, Liberty had clean lines, neat isles and a sectioned off into Drugstore (mens grooming), Clothing and Freedom Hall.
With so many new brands having very innovative designs and ideas: it was hard to pick our favorite. However here goes;
Men's Grooming - Reverie
Garrett who is the founder of Reverie based in San Fransisco, has made one of the best mens hair care collections around. This mens grooming brand has just launched a new product called "Cake", which allows men to have fresh looking, feeling and clean hair without having to wash it everyday. Along with their new signature product, they make "Milk" which is a hair nourishing treatment made of the finest organic ingredients to keep your hair healthy and pure. They also sell brushes and newly designed dope kits to make traveling with hair care more fashionable and convent. To learn more about Reverie from Garrett Markenson please visit him at www.gmreverie.com
Men's Swimwear: Parke & Ronen
Many people in the men's swimwear industry may already know Parke & Ronen as they aren't necessarily a new brand. However, the new collection we saw at Liberty Fairs definitely showed a refreshing outlook for men's swim trunks. We saw florals, stripes, solids, along with linens trunks to allow for a variety of swimwear for everyone. My personal favorites were the classic faded striped linen swim trunks that were a perfect fit. If you're interested to see more please visit Parke & Ronen at www.parkeandronen.com
Men's Bags: Ghurka
Ghurka is another brand who has been around for a little while but they're going back to basics. The collection I saw at Liberty Fairs was nothing short of spectacular. The mens weekender, duffle, briefcase, luggage and dope kits were all designed with every detail in mind. The new designs are simple yet classically elegant with some of the softest leather around. My favorite characteristic of the new line would have to be the camel color and the submarine blue color of the bags. They catch your eye and offer a certain sense of sophistication that would be hard to find anywhere else. Go visit www.ghurka.com and see for yourself.
Men's American Made: Mother Freedom
All you have to say is American Made! mother Freedom does timeless cuts and styles with some of the best fabrics I've ever felt. The vests, blazers, and bags all showed a classic style made for the perfect American. Blazers were extremely light weight with details under the color and inside the lining. Nothing was passed over when designing this line for sophisticated everyday use. To top it off Christopher and his partner were the friendliest and nicest people we've met in a long time. Check out Mother Freedom at www.motherfreedom.com.
All in all, Liberty Fairs was a big success not only for the brands to expose their new lines but also for people like me who learn a ton from these innovators. Walking around and talking to all these brands really shows you how much thought and how detailed everything is behind each piece of inventory. It will be exciting to see a bunch of the companies grow and expand because of trade shows like Liberty. Thank you for having me :)