San Diego Comic-Con 2016 Recap!

San Diego Comic-Con 2016 is a wrap! After launching just a few weeks ago, Hero Within invaded 'Nerdvana' with a plan to introduce our collection to the geek world. We also wanted to spend time with fans finding out what they liked, didn't like and what their needs are when it comes to geek apparel. Since we were too new to have a booth at Comic-Con, we made the best of it by appearing where we could and introducing the collection to fans one on one. Here are some of the highlights of the week:

We debuted the collection on Wednesday Night at the Game of Bloggers event. This was the second annual gathering for those in the geek media industry to gather and connect before the con began. Along side Elhoffer Design dresses, we had most of our collection on display for the first time for human eyes. It was a big hit and we really appreciate everyone's support and enthusiasm for the line. We are also very grateful for all the tweets and articles the blogging community provided during our launch. We could not have done with without you. 

On Thursday, we attended the Her Universe Fashion Show. As one of the best events of the year, the 3rd Annual show is a celebration of geek fashion and fandom. 24 designers compete with various nerd inspired dresses and the winners will go on to design a collection for Hot Topic. I really love the creativity, passion and love from the stage as well as from the audience. It honestly is one of the inspirations for Hero Within a couple of years ago. Afterwards, the Hero Within team had an amazing time networking in a crowd of fans, designers and industry leaders.

Friday, I hosted my own panel, How to Build A Geek Brand, where I talked about how to convert your nerd passions into a future career. I had the great Chris Gore (comedian, writer) and Jamie Broadnax of BlackGirlNerds.com. We talked about what is brand, why it's important and how to develop a brand that makes an impact. There were plenty of great wisdom bombs dropped by Chris and Jamie as well as great questions asked by the audience. I also had a chance to talk about the journey of Hero Within and show off some of the collection after the panel.

Our team spent much of Saturday and Sunday networking, meeting new fans and connecting with various companies that were interested in our collection. We got a lot of great feedback- like female fans wanting professional wear, the need for larger sizing and hope for more licensing from their favorite randoms. I had several media interviews throughout the week including Kore Asia Media, Skybound, NBC 7 San Diego and various blogs/podcasts. I shared about how we started Hero Within, why we started it and what we have to look forward to. Very grateful for the opportunities and the genuine interest in our line.

One of the most significant moments of Comic-Con was being a part of 'The Business of Geek Fashion' panel on Saturday. Along side industry geek leaders like Her Universe, Hot Topic, Think Geek and We Love Fine, we were humbled and honored to be in such esteemed company. We talked about general state of geek fashion, future trends, licensing, and the creative process. I was very appreciative of the generosity expressed from these amazing companies towards Hero Within. We felt very welcomed into the fashion space and will look forward to future collaborations with them. Special thanks to Lisa Granshaw for inviting us to be on the panel. We also had samples on hand so fans had a chance to check out the collection in person. Everyone was very complimentary.

Overall, it was a fantastic show for our young company. Considering we are less than 5 months old and we opened just a few weeks ago, we were grateful to be interviewed, invited to events and on panels in such a short time. I can't say enough of how proud I was of our entire team. None of this would have been possible without Michael, Daniel, Kim and Marlon's dedication and commitment to Hero Within. They inspire me and I know we will go far because of them. We have a long way to go but we left our first San Diego Comic-Con very encouraged and a strong sense of a bright future. I want to personally thank everyone for your congratulatory encouragements to me throughout the week. After months of creating in what seems like a vacuum, your IRL compliments and love really gave me the boost that I needed. This is just the beginning for Hero Within and we will definitely be back to Comic-Con next year! Make sure to follow us on Instagram to see some of our pics from the week.

Tony