Nov 19

Nov 19 Complexcon 2019: An Immersive Experience Merging Luxury and Streetwear

lifestyle, live music coverage, entertainment, celebrity

November 3rd kicked off the 4th annual Complexcon Long Beach which is the perfect mix of Street fashion, unique art, CON(versations), and banging music. The biggest names in streetwear and entertainment all came to show what new looks and ideas have on the roster for the upcoming seasons. Walking on the show floor you were bound to brush shoulders with celebrities; artist like Ty Dolla $ign, Tinashe, and Offset from the Migos were spotted taking in this immersive experience. Of course it wouldn’t be Complexcon without the SNEAKERS! Brands throughout the show floor were sharing what new or exclusive pieces they had for Complexcon.

Champion was there to encourage everyone to Bryan from Champion said this year they wanted to focus on ‘giving that custom experience’ by letting people decorate and design their Champion apparel with logos that were only available during Complexcon “make their mark’. They also did a collaboration with Coca-cola Bryan the Champion rep said the idea came from “taking two iconic brands & linking them together to tell a unique story”.

Another game changer that made an impact at ComplexCon was Reebok who collaborated with Billionaire Boys Club for an Ice Cream collaboration. The booth had a BBC Rocketship that featured a life size astronaut on the outside, that wasn't the only focal point. The Reebok booth also had celebrity friends like Pharrel stop by. People visiting the booth could also win Rebook swag by showing off their dunking skills and playing in their dunk pit. Jason Silva from the Rebook PR team shared that each day they wanted to showcase different products and theme. That Saturday “ Reebok retro basketball products in collaboration with BBC” were focal point. This weekend they also released the Reebok Zig but have updated it with more futuristic details by incorporating more “BBC futuristic color waves and aesthetics” Silva shared. Which was the perfect combination of what Silva called “ The combination of Reeboks retro basketball history and BBC Ice Creams Retro skate streetwear history.”

Nostalgia was in the air during complexcon, with many brands mixing past and present. Even Blockbuster our favorite movie store of the 90’s had a booth and even sold branded streetwear and memorabilia. With all that walking people were destined to work up a thirst, some people decided to chill out in the Budweiser booth. This classic beer company set up their booth to look like a basement house party. With comfortable couches, kitchen, and tables with free beer for everyone. Budweiser also offered a raffle where the player could win everything from more free beer to vintage budweiser shirts and jackets. Unexpected brands like Swarovski Crystals partnered with Japanesse contemporary art giant Takashi Murakami to merge the worlds of luxury and streetwear.

Sneaker company PUMA made a big presence with their ‘Futro Land’. Booth showing how they can take their shoes and fashion and meld the past, present, and future. A PUMA representative shared that they “debuted their newest sneaker franchise, Rider, including a limited-edition all pink colorway with Chinatown Market, and only available for purchase at ComplexCon”. The Futro Land also had carnival style games for Complexcon guest to play and win Puma branded prizes. The PUMA booth offered fun and experimental components to their booth like private listening booths that played unreleased music from “ Matt Ox, DaniLeigh and Tyla, as well as a customization station with Chinatown Market.” so guest could showcase their individuality.

The action didn’t just stop on the show floor, Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke set the tone for the first evening on the Pigeons & Planes stage. That was the perfect opener for one of New York's most prolific rapper, known as the Queen Bee Lil’ Kim herself. Lil Kim hit the stage to perform some of her classic hits including “Get Money,” “Magic Stick,” “Crush on You,” and a Biggie tribute that had the whole venue singing along. Along with some of her classics she performed a few tracks from her latest LP ‘9’, with her newest single ‘Found You’ with O.T. Genasis and City Girls, sampling the banger “Ms. New Booty”. Closing out the show was Grammy award winning artist Kid Cudi who opened his set with celebrity friends Timothee Chalamet who performed a spoken word piece and one of Hip-hop's finest Pusha T. He went on to sing classics like ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ and his newer songs from his album with Kanye West ‘Kids See Ghost’. The energy that Kid Cudi brought was infectious and could be felt throughout the Pigeons & Planes stage venue. It was the perfect way to end the first day of the Complexcon weekend.