Making MAGIC in Vegas

“Write about the magic show,” they said. Of course I could pull that one out of my hat. Now you see it. Now you don’t. Camouflage and concealment came to mind. After all, that’s what Immersion Graphics does well — employs its Final Finish® process to make products disappear in the woods or blend with the environment.

Video: Final Finish® Process »

Then someone mentioned fashion designers Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors and Michael Kane (whose studio is surrounded by wildlife habitat), and I knew my thoughts were going down a rabbit trail.

Some digging revealed that I wasn’t writing about ordinary magic tricks, but about MAGIC, the most talked about wintertime fashion show in the world.

The Men’s Apparel Guild in California, (It’s still called that even though the show has changed locations.), known as the MAGIC Marketplace, is a twice-a-year clothing and accessories tradeshow in Las Vegas dating back to 1933. Today, it features high fashion, shoes and other accessories for women and children, as well. The extravaganza hosts 60,000 industry participants from more than 120 countries at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Everybody who’s anybody in the fashion industry is there.

This year, thousands of eyes were on products decorated by Immersion Graphics, including snowboards, ski goggles, sunglasses, headphones, and high-end watches, many of them dipped in Realtree’s Xtra Colors patterns. With their uncanny ability to disappear both in the field and from retail store shelves worldwide, the patterns are magical and equally popular with fashion-forward trendsetters who like to wear camo wherever they go — even on the catwalk.

Suddenly, writing about a magic show in which Immersion Graphics played a huge part made perfect sense. In an age when camouflage is part of a counterintuitive fashion culture, it’s obvious that Immersion and its sister company Realtree had every right to participate in one of the most talked about and highly attended fashion tradeshows.

These days, it’s trendy to sport camo if you want to turn heads. There’s no hiding the fact that camo is everywhere, much like Realtree and Immersion Graphics, the company that adds eye candy to hard goods from guns to surf boards to boost buyer demand.

Colors are bright, patterns are bold and they’re found on everything from flared, flirty dresses and posh handbags to designer men’s clothing and accessories. Designers are dropping the classic camouflage color scheme of brown and green for something fresher, louder and admittedly more exciting. From gorgeous seasonal shades to heavy pinks and purples, retailers are channeling the unexpected, taking a cue from Realtree’s Xtra Colors patterns, marketed to flaunt individual style and personality.

Realtree and Immersion Graphics attended the Vegas tradeshow for the first time in August 2015 when MAGIC hosted Realtree as its “anchor brand” in the show’s new Outdoor exhibit area. Realtree won Best New Booth that year Attendees and show organizers were impressed with the company’s traffic-stopping 50-by-60-foot exhibit that supported MAGIC’s goal of expanding the outdoor category while proving that the company knows how to tie lifestyle with fashion. Outdoors wear, work wear and technically advanced clothing have become a growing part of MAGIC, and organizers recognized that a company with Realtree’s credibility strengthens that purpose.

There’s no hiding the fact that camo is hot, and Realtree and Immersion Graphics rule the market.