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“The heritage thing is bothersome because there is this illusion that what you’re buying is made better than something made in China or India or Mexico, when in reality there is no direct comparison. There are terrible factories in those countries but there are also great factories there too. American made is great, it supports our local economy and gives local residents jobs but equating that with quality doesn’t make much sense.
When Japan comes into the picture things get even more complicated. Japan is one of the only places in the world where the factory workers are locals, born and raised in Japan, bringing a certain work ethic with them. Don’t think for a second that garment factories in America, Italy, or France actually employ citizens from those countries.
I’d like to see a bigger emphasis on quality, and not just where the garment was produced.”
Wunderkind
As I begin my serious solo journey outside of Robert Geller, it is easy to get caught up in the idea of the wunderkind, especially in this day of the internet where golden child stories spread faster than wildfire.
Last week, during a particularly difficult work session I decided to look up many of the people I admire, curious as to when their “big” jump off into solo careers took place. When they started their own brands, released their first hit albums or shows.
Here’s what I found…
Rick Owens - 33
Ann Demeulemeester - 27
Dries Van Noten - 28
Helmut Lang - 30
Oprah - 32
Donna Karan - 37
Yohji Yamamoto - 38
Rei Kawakubo - 31
Robert Geller - 31
Raf Simons - 27
Martin Margiela - 32
Haider Ackermann - 30
Tom Ford - 29
Kanye West - 27
Jay Z - 27
Please note, this does not mean that they came out of nowhere. The years leading up to their solo start has everything to do with their successes on their own.
It’s easy to feel like you’re behind when you read about the success of a 20 year old with a $100 million dollar valued company. But for every one wunderkind business, there are 1,000 much older creators doing equally brilliant things.
Never too late.
