The Atlanta Streetwear Market is returning to the city later this month, bringing more than 200 brands and thousands of creators and streetwear fashion enthusiasts together for two days inside the Atlanta Expo Center near Forest Park.
The event will combine consumerism with interactive experiences for guests on July 22 and 23, including food, live music and free giveaways.
Chris Peeples, founder of the Atlanta Streetwear Market, said that the event has evolved to catch the attention of designers based all around the country.
“I feel like we’re in the early stages of people discovering the platform, but still have a sizable audience,” Peeples said. “We’ve just been getting a ton of brands and designers from out of state. I’d say probably about half of the brands that are participating in July are from out of town, so it’s becoming more of a national draw.”
The Atlanta Streetwear Market broke an attendance record at its most recent event hosted in April, garnering over 8,000 RSVPs across both days. The expo’s growth since its inception motivated Peeples to switch venues this year, upgrading from a 10,000-square-foot event space in Pittsburgh to a 100,000-square-foot convention space.
Peeples said Atlanta’s diverse and rapidly-growing population makes the city a great backdrop to host the market several times each year.
“It’s still a growing city,” Peeples said. “Right now, it’s under the microscope around the United States. Everybody speaks on it.”
Peeples said he aims for this month’s event to surpass 10,000 attendees each day. As a long-term goal, he wants the market to reach a social status similar to that of conventions like ComplexCon, giving streetwear designers a place to connect with customers and feature their work.
“People that come, as well, get opportunities, even if they’re not participating directly as a fashion exhibitor,” Peeples said. “There’s just a lot of great collaboration, commerce and community all [under] one roof.”
The Atlanta Streetwear Market will operate from 1-9 p.m. on July 22 and 23. Reserve a spot to attend one or both days of the event by visiting the Atlanta Streetwear Market’s Eventbrite webpage.