HYPEFEST - WORTH THE HYPE?

On Sunday, October 7, 2018 I attended the very first Hypefest in Brooklyn, New York. If you are unfamiliar with Hypefest, it was a festival experience curated by Hypebeast that was free to the public. Hypebeast Founder, Kevin Ma, wanted attendees to experience the event as much as possible, so he made tickets free but limited, and offered an online shopping experience so attendees did not have to worry about carrying around bags of merchandise all day. The idea of an online shopping experience was pretty smart in reality, but it also added to the lackluster of Hypefest in my opinion. My overall experience with Hypefest was pretty underwhelming, and social media is to blame for that. Basically everything you would have wanted to experience as an attendee was featured on Hypefest’s Instagram, so it’s like you were there without needing to actually be there.

I attended Complexcon for the last two years, so I guess you can say I’m an “expert” when it comes to these type of brand experience events. My first experience with Complexcon in 2016 was definitely my favorite. Complexcon’s inaugural year was so good, and now I feel like they’re struggling to exceed the same expectations year after year. To be completely transparent and honest, the organization of Complexcon in 2017 was terrible. Complexcon was such a success it’s first year, so of course it was hyped up 100 times more when Complex announced it would be hosting the event again in 2017. Unfortunately, Complex hyped it up a little too much. Festival events like Complexcon and Hypefest hype up exclusivity and product launches too much to the point where it takes away from the experiences and other events going on within it.

Of course big events like these need to over-market themselves in order to generate excitement and a following, so they drop limited edition merch and collab with dozens of brands. As exciting as these product releases are, they lead to chaotic lines and consumers over-saturating these events to buy everything in site to capitalize on the resell market. Being that Hypefest offered an online shopping experience, there were still some products available at booths to purchase onsite, but it didn’t come close to what was offered at Complexcon. Hypefest attendees were able to shop from all brands at Hypefest through the Hypefest app. The shop was only open during festival hours, and you had to be in the vicinity to purchase products. Due to this concept, I caught myself sitting around at Hypefest and shopping through my phone rather than browsing every booth to see what brands had to offer. Also, brands had pretty empty booths that featured more visuals tying to the brand or the collection they released. I felt like I was walking through art exhibits rather than experiencing a brand. Maybe I don’t understand this concept because I’m not from New York, or lack knowledge on a lot of brands at Hypefest, but it wasn’t the most interactive and the concept drew me away from most booths.

You know that feeling you get when you see a small boutique shop and don’t want to go inside because you don’t want to be the only one in there, and know damn well you’re not buying anything? That’s the exact feeling I felt walking past these booths at Hypefest. I hate feeling uncomfortable, even though I was surrounded by thousands of people I was supposed to share common interests in. The streetwear scene is a weird space for me to navigate still, although I am an active consumer. I lack self confidence when it comes to streetwear, which is contradicting since I wear what I like and tailor my style to me. I love discovering new brands and following the latest trends, but still get self-conscious because I’m not the most “educated” with fashion and streetwear. No one is saying I need to be, but personally that’s just how I feel. I have more sneaker knowledge because I used to work for one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the world, but apparel is something I have been newly introduced to within the past couple of years. Sophia Chang and Sara Andelman walked by me throughout the event, but I didn’t know how to approach them without sounding like a fool, so I kept walking, but that was probably the highlight of my day.

I went to Hypefest alone, and that’s what affected my experience the most. I had no one to share my experience with, so I felt vulnerable and awkward walking around on my own. I kept feeling eyes staring on me while walking around, as if I didn’t belong. If Hypefest wasn’t free, I would have been mad because I didn’t get my money’s worth, but since it was free I guess you can say it was cool. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had company, and stayed longer, or maybe not. Who knows at this point. I have no regrets from this event or wish I stuck around. If Hypebeast decides to make this a yearly event, they still have more work to do if they want to educate their attendees on streetwear, or whatever their intentions were for this event. Aside from the talks, there wasn’t much they had to offer. I have no intention of going to these festival-convention mashups to cop stuff to resale when I get back home, and if that’s still the trend with these events moving forward, then I think i’m done with them.