The ESPY awards at the Microsoft theater in Hollywood on July 13, 2016 are perfect for trend spotting with amazing athletes, teams, and celebrities. And what better place to get up close and personal than the pre-ESPYs celebrity gifting suite produced by GBK. I attended the GBK event sponsored by Coopers Tires at the LINE hotel in Hollywood on June 12, 2016 to honor ESPY nominees, athletes and celebrities. It was fun to talk with all the celebrities and athletes about style and trends.
Several Denver Broncos players attended including Darrion Weems, #77 tackle.
Brandon McManus, #8 Kicker, was wearing his superbowl ring and gained lots of attention. When asked about the bling, and he said, "It's kind of blinding. But we worked hard and put in a lot of hours so I'm proud of it." About the event, he said, "The event was unique and I saw lots of cool stuff."
I agree, there were several interesting products. The Segway miniPro, a personal transportation device, was the crowd favorite. Almost every celebrity gave it try and no one fell on their face, although there were few close calls. Jonathan Capppetta, media rep, said, "You just have to trust it. If you don't than you tend to overcorrect." The reps also said, "It took me about twenty minutes to feel awesome on it." They described that this device could be used anywhere, from running to the grocery store to going to the beach. One of the best places to try it out is cruising on the sand. Cappetta said, "You don't hover, but you feel like you float." They emphasized that this was not a hoverboard and it did not have the same tendency to explode as the infamous products from last year. Everyone, from Ed Hudson of Ghostbusters to Eve Torres-Gracie (in her heels), gave it a whirl.
I also met, Jamie Lewis, the founder of JLEW bags, a high end sports back pack line based in NYC. She founded the company when she realized there was a need for luxury sports bags in the market. Her favorite sport is boxing and she showed me her boxing tote complete with pockets for your gloves. The brand ambassador, Mckaela Mayer is a female boxer from Team USA. This designer is passionate about providing high quality products to athletes of all levels so I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her in the future.
Speaking of fashionable women athletes, Eve Torres-Gracie, WWE pro-wrestler, made an appearance at the event. I got an exclusive interview with the WWE Diva champion about her style. It is great to see a female athlete representing strength and beauty showing off her style. She was wearing a white crochet wrap romper which she found while in Japan and a pop of color with her bright pumps. For Gracie one of her favorite parts about her career is that she gets to see the world. She said, "I love that my career allows me to travel and see new styles all around the world."
Next I interviewed the co-founder of Dumbo lounges,John, about his innovative product. The young business owner created a product that is great for the young athletes who all had fun trying it out; this product is perfect for millennials because it can be easily packed and used anywhere from music festivals to dorm rooms. Even the tallest athletes such as Weems the Broncos player fit on the lounger and enjoyed trying it out.
Courtney Conlogue the pro-surfer who attended the event tried out the loungers which are perfect for relaxing on the beach. I interviewed Conlogue as well who said she enjoyed the event and was looking forward to the ESPY awards. She was wearing a stylish Billabong dress and Jack Purcell sneakers perfect for the sunny Los Angeles day.
Other interesting vendors included BestofLegacy a company that creates professional scrapabooks for athletes and celebrities so they can save their press coverage and give them to family and friends. Many of the football players and other athletes stopped by this interesting booth.
All in all it was a great event with many new and exciting products. I enjoyed the chance to interview celebrities and athletes about their style while checking out these interesting companies and getting excited for the ESPY awards!
