Here's a chance to get some behind-the-scenes insight as to how we find the best of the best to bring into Spareparts for you. The lovely Colleen Kraynick (now Colleen Nagy, congrats Colleen!) is a BIG part of the process, and she was able to answer some questions for us about her recent trip to Vegas for one of the biggest fashion tradeshows in North America.

CR - You were just at Magic in Las Vegas. What makes it different than a Canadian tradeshow like Vancouver's KnowShow?

CK(N) - The tradeshows in Vegas are fantastic.  Magic is huge, they have really done an amazing job at creating category specific areas.  They have 9 areas: menswear, wwdmagic, Project, Pool, S.L.A.T.E., Street, Premium, Platform, and Sourcing.  There was also the Capsule show as well.  Basically every brand that a buyer ever needs to see, all in one city, in one week.  Knowshow, on the other hand, is more of a local Canadian show; the Vegas shows are more international. 

CR - What are the brands you look for there?

CK - We get to meet with existing brands that we work with there but we are always on the hunt for new product.  Especially this year, we are really focusing on our purchasing and bringing our customers some fresh, quality, exciting new stuff! 

CR - Did you fall in love with any new brands there?  

CK - There were a lot of great finds this year, I can't wait for our customers to see the product mix for Spring 13!  We are really excited about bringing some new ladies fashion bag lines in like Rebecca Minkoff.  There are also a lot of great brands coming out of Sweden this year, we love Sandqvist, its an amzing bag line focusing on quailty materials with a great heritage feel.

CR - Did you notice any upcoming themes or trends between all brands?

CK - These shows are just so great for people watching! You are surronded by the most forward, stylish people in the world!  The show is also good for setting up inspiration boards, mini displays and a free magazine area to take away from so you can continue to do some research after the show.  I noticed there was a lot of embellishment and stud detailing on a lot of the womens accessories and shoes.  Bright colors and neon seem to still be important for Spring 13. On the mens side there continues to be a very strong heritage feel.

CR - Who had the best set up? 

CK - A lot of the larger brands can have some pretty elaborate set ups but I really liked the feel of the workroom area; simple booths that really let the product stand out.  I also loved the shoe area at Platform, I have a bit of a shoe obsession and it was amazing to be surronded by so many beautiful brands.

CR - Did they throw some good parties?

CK - I can't comment on that, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

CR- Damn! You knew it was all leading up to that question anyway! Thanks for your time, you have me really excited about the stuff we're going to be seeing come spring. Cheers Colleen!

CK - A Pleasure!

As Colleen mentioned, Spareparts has been bringing in a lot of new and exciting high-quality items for the new stores. Come by the store closest to you if you haven't been in a while. You'll be impressed!

If you'd like to see more photos from MAGIC, you can visit their Pinterest page, here.