The world's largest pop culture convention, ComplexCon, was held in Hong Kong from March 22nd to 24th (local time)
WILDSIDE exhibited at this event, for the first time overseas, outside of the United States. So how did it feel to step out of Japan and into the global arena? Here are the impressions WILDSIDE collaborator Motofumi "POGGY" Kogi, who actually visited the site, shared with us.

-First, let's take a look back at what ComplexCon is all about, along with Mr. POGGY's memories of the event from its early days. ComplexCon has been held in Los Angeles and Chicago since 2016 as "the world's largest pop culture festival." It is an event where various contents, such as fashion, art, sneakers, and music, can be enjoyed and where influential brands and artists come together.


POGGY: I am aware that ComplexCon was originally started by Aaron, the founder of AGENDA, a popular street brand-oriented trade show that was held during an exhibition in Las Vegas, in partnership with the media company ComplexCon.

I believe that this is a movement that started with the awareness that Instagram had become mainstream and that buyers and individuals could connect directly with brands and designers without the need for trade shows, making it necessary for these types of events to evolve into a new shape.


-The first ComplexCon was artistically directed by Takashi Murakami and Pharrell Williams, who is now the creative director of LOUIS VUITTON's men's line. Many limited-edition items only available here have been dropped, and Travis Scott has performed live, bringing a great deal of excitement to the event.

The sneaker boom was especially at its peak, and the number of participating brands increased with each event. In 2020, luxury brands such as GUCCI and VERSACE also participated. It has now become a hyped-up event that no one wants to miss.

Outside of the U.S., held in Hong Kong for the first time

-ComplexCon has been held in the U.S. since its first convention. Hong Kong was chosen to host the event for the first time outside the U.S. WILDSIDE exhibited at this time as a global action. How did WILDSIDE appear to event visitors in this city that has been attracting attention as an art city in recent years?


POGGY: It may be because "Art Basel," a world-class art event, was scheduled to open on the 28th, that many of the visitors were also interested in art. As far as I could tell, the male-to-female ratio was 7:3, with the majority being men. About 70% of the visitors were from China.

As the original event's origin and the current fashion trend in Hong Kong, there were many street brand booths. In contrast, WILDSIDE's booth had a beautiful worldview based on the color black. Also, while other booths promoted collaboration items, WILDSIDE only introduced inline items, which seemed to have a very positive response.

This was the first time for us to come to Hong Kong, but when we stopped by the GOOPiMADE booth, a popular Taiwanese brand, we discovered that they had actually mail-ordered WILDSIDE before, giving us a hunch that the brand would be accepted, or rather, we could sense that it would.

Looking to the future

-WILDSIDE has made a good start on the world stage, but what are the keys to the future? Lastly, we asked Mr. POGGY to share his thoughts with us.


POGGY: As I mentioned earlier, one of the major takeaways from ComplexCon Hong Kong this time was that the brand was already known. Especially, designers of popular brands recognized us in a positive way, and these new encounters could lead to collaborations in the future. Not starting from scratch is a very big thing.

I really sensed a “New Generation” vibe from many of the brands that exhibited at this year's show I also sensed the strength of South Asia’s purchasing power.

I see huge potential in the crossover between South Asia and WILDSIDE.