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ComplexCon 2019 Photos: A Look at the Culture and Clothes

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LL Cool J at the Def Jam booth / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm

People from all over the world gathered this month to see the hype new trends and artists at ComplexCon, a two-day art, music and streetwear convention in Long Beach, California. This year, at the annual event’s fourth outing, Kid Cudi led the way as the first night’s music headliner with guest appearances from Timothée Chalamet and Pusha T. With no shortage of influencers and celebrities appearing throughout the day, attendees casually ran into stars like Pharrell Williams, LL Cool J and Lil Yachty. 

In a nutshell, ComplexCon embodies the ever-changing, mixed landscape of pop culture and hip-hop. Big-box brands like Billionaire Boys Club, Reebok and Asics Tigers made their presence known with fully interactive booths filled with exclusive merch. 

But what we loved the best were the new arrivals, the booths that focused on the environmental aspects versus fast fashion and hyped releases. Esper, the 25-year-old environmental advocate behind Come Back as a Flower, shared with us how using less water when dying garments and scaling to a handmade process helps. Esper’s business cards can even be planted to grow into flowers. Brenda Equihua of Equihua, which is rooted in Chicanx culture, reminded us how doing little things can meaningfully add up. There is little to no wasted material in her design process. When designing a piece, she spends time to create from the remaining fabrics and textiles of larger garments. She even has a Lady of Guadalupe T-shirt made from recycled bottles.

Here is every cool thing we saw at ComplexCon.

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Atrak, founder of Fool’s Gold Records / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Fool's Gold merch / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Takashi Murakami's art work greets all the guests / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm

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Gary Vaynerchuk at his K-Swiss booth / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm

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Esper, creator of Come Back as a Flower / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Come Back as a Flower / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Jeff Staple of Staple Design / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Staple wearing the Nike Adapt Huarache 'Opti Yellow' / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Complex's sneaker of the year: Nike X Sacai LDWaffle / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm

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Sean Witherspoon, co-founder of Round Two Vintage / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm

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Attendees hang outside the Long Beach Convention Center / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Extra Vitamins / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Sneakers sold at Rhude / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm

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Set Free, founder of The Compound / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm

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Brenda Equihua of Equinua / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Cherry-Fukuoka / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Sinners Club / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Sinners Club / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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Kanye merch inside the Def Jam booth / Sarah Jacobs/ONE37pm
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