Part 1/2: Seeking Intrinsic Motivation

A man I've met only twice, yet whose insight I greatly value, shared a wonderful saying at our second meeting. He too left his job to pursue his dreams. He currently is living in the desert in his RV, works remotely doing IT, and is traveling America. His name is Des, and at our second meeting he asked a table of our friends this question:

"What do you want to accomplish before you die?"

Weighing one's satisfaction with life, at the point of death, was a new perspective I had not considered before. Yes, there have been vague ideas and milestones I hope to reach, but they had never been given the filter of death. When considering my own expectations for life, the imminence of death pressed me to think about what would give my life the most meaning so I could die feeling fulfilled.

Fashion, first and foremost, made my list of things to do before I die. Whether as a designer or in some other capacity I want to work with menswear to create products and build brands. I want to meet as many professionals in the industry as possible and learn from their experiences. Fashion is one of the best platforms for building a personal identity and I would love to see more men feeling confident in developing their style. Following this round table with Des, he offered this saying to counterbalance his first question:

In the pursuit of happiness it is good to occasionally pause to: Just. Be. Happy.

It is so true. When all of our energy is focused on the future it becomes difficult to enjoy the present. I am guilty of this. Following your dreams may be the right path to take, but following the correct career path doesn't protect you from doubt.

To push past doubt you have to know in your own heart, that the dreams you are chasing are worth fighting for. You have to know that no matter what anyone else says, you are being true to yourself. You have to recognize that while you might not have all the answers now, you will have them one day. So in the meantime, while pursuing your dreams and seeking happiness, you need to pause to just be happy.

Yesterday I stayed up late to enjoy binge watching a Netflix show with my girlfriend. Today I took time to meet with two of my closest friends. I still feel the fear that I have a lot left to do, but I am making an effort to not compromise my present. Tomorrow isn't promised so make the most of today. Thank you to Des for the reflective discussion and for reminding us to value the present while pursuing the future.

Read Part 2/2: Thurston's Action Plan, I will share what steps I'm taking to accomplish my major goal of working in fashion.

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We’re British. We’re Sensible. But We’re Not Boring!

In the age of fast-fashion, Robert Ettinger, the second-generation CEO of the British leather accessories brand, Ettinger, is not one to entertain fleeting industry fads. Instead, he is focusing the company’s efforts on building and nurturing a talented team of people who will enable the Ettinger brand to carry momentum into the future.

Growing up did you expect to work in the family business?
In the holidays I worked in the warehouse and factory. It was an easy way for me to earn some pocket money. I wasn’t pushed into it. I worked in Germany for two years as an apprentice in a manufacturing company where I learned about imports and exports. I lived in Canada for a year and a half working for a great jewelry company, Mappins, where I learned about retail. Then I spent 4 years skiing semi-professionally. But there came a point where my father asked me to make a decision about whether I would join the family business or not. And I made the choice to join.

Why do you think your Father believed it was time to make this decision?
At 26 years old it was time! I think he was right; I had had a lot of time to explore my interests but it was time to get a little more serious and consider what I would do as a career.

How did it feel to begin your career at Ettinger?
I was very happy and I knew I’d made the right decision. My father and I spoke, and I didn’t need to think about it very long. In less than 24 hours I told him that I’d be in at 9:00am on Monday morning.

Fast forward to today, how do you maintain a good work/life balance?
I’m very strict with myself. It’s something I learned from my father. The office is in central London but I live in the country, in Kent. I the love open space and the woods. I leave home at 5:00am to arrive in London by 6:00am. I swim for 30 minutes and am in the office by 6:45am so I can work with Japan/Korea who are 8 hours ahead of us. I leave work in the afternoon to beat traffic but also to get home in time to enjoy a walk or run.

What is it about fashion, and in particular leather, that you care about?
It’s a craft. It takes a great deal of skill and training to be able to do well. When new apprentices join our Birmingham factory they must work for 3 years before their skills are the right quality and speed for us to meet additional market demand. It’s a lot of commitment but once they’ve developed their skills it’s very satisfying. It’s a mindset to find continued enjoyment in your craftsmanship.

How do you develop this level of pride in workmanship?
We’re quite tough on the interviews. The factory manager, foreman/forewoman, and I, all interview applicants. We look at whether leather-working is a real interest of theirs and that generally works. The young people are beginning to take a greater interest in craftsmanship because it offers an alternative to working in a big retail or office environment. We have a close-knit work environment; many of our craftspeople in Birmingham work with the sample people they have grown up with.

How do you retain this talent with Ettinger?
You need to be involved. Although we’re in the same factory we built in 1890, we’ve updated it to be more comfortable. There’s new heating, double-paned windows, updated kitchens, new recreation areas, and outdoor seating in the garden. We make a 3 hour drive regularly from London to Birmingham to visit the factory and we bring our craftspeople down to London to show them the products on display. Some of them have never been to London before until we bring them to see the product displayed in Fortnum & Mason.

How do you maintain your British heritage as you grow the brand?
We are British, we produce in England, and we have a Royal Warrant with the Prince of Wales. We’ve been asked in the Middle East or in Asia to move the logo to the front of the product and make it gold, but we had to say, no—that’s not British. In the banking sector of London the business-people have to wear sensible, dark suits, but when they open their jacket the lining is a bright color—that’s very British. We do the same thing with our products. On the outside they’re conservative but have some wonderful colors on the inside. It says that we’re British, we’re sensible, but we’re not boring.

Do  you feel like there has been too much commercialization and now there is a renewed interest in quality?
Yes. 15-20 years ago if a competitor suddenly brought in a product from China and sold it at a quarter of the price that you were selling it for, you’d go out of business unless you also moved production to China. It was all about price. That is slowly turning around. More people are wanting products made in England, that are more beautifully made, will last, and can be repaired. We see a trend of more people saying, “Let’s repair it and not just throw it away.” For example, old stitching can be replaced in as little as 10 minutes.

Do you have plans to expand into other product categories?
Ettinger has been a predominately male brand, but next year we’re introducing a women’s collection. We’ve just designed a new luggage collection for next year as well. We are expanding in things made with leather. We’ve decided that for the moment we’re not going into areas we have limited experience with. We run the risk of diluting what we do so well now.

What type of talent will you be looking for in the future?
We’re building up the manufacturing and sales teams. We’re building relationships with new partners in other countries. We have in-house graphic designers, photographers. You’ve got to do it all together. You can’t build up your sales team without having the manufacturing capability, and there’s no point in doing it the other way around either. It’s a careful balance of everything.

What has been key to Ettinger’s longevity?
We’re careful with our growth. We haven’t licensed our name—you lose control of your brand. We’ve kept complete control of our design and manufacturing. When you license your name, you run the risk of brand and quality inconsistency. Particularly today with the internet consumers can engage with us online so licensing does not have a big appeal for us.

Do you ever fear that you’re limiting yourself?
It’s better to grow steadily and surely. It’s the best way to maintain the integrity of the business and the quality of the product. The hardest aspect of fast growth is the need to supply the shops with products. You’ve got to train people and that doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a minimum of 3 years.

What do you feel is currently missing in the fashion accessories market?
We go to London Collection Mens each season and I don’t think there is much missing. A lot of new people are getting into the accessories business and designing high-fashion, high-tech products. There are some brands that are very traditional. Then there are brands like Ettinger which has both very fashionable and traditional products.

With his pre-traffic commute ahead of him, and an evening stroll to look forward to, Robert and I ended our call. You may enjoy the very British, very colorful leather products made by Ettinger on their website and on instagram. Thank you Robert, and I wish you continued success!

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Fashion vs Snowboardoing

Hector Diaz, founder of men’s fashion blog, Geek Q, shares how he found the encouragement to build his own online identity and how exciting opportunities have come to him as a result.

What inspired you to start your blog?

I really like writing but never knew what to write about. I thought about making a snowboarding blog but without videos it would get boring. When I moved from Mexico to Seattle, a coworker showed me her fashion blog and I thought that was something I could do! I researched what men’s fashion bloggers were doing and saw that there weren’t many. I decided to just see how it goes. I had my roommate take photos and I wrote my first post. When my friends saw it they said it was cool so I started posting weekly. 

Why do you care about fashion?

I love it! It’s my hobby. I invest so much time in it that it’s like my second job. 

What did you learn when you were new to blogging?

The most important step is to start and see how it goes. You hear a lot of feedback (both positive and negative) when you start, so you have to be confident and have a clear idea of your goals for the blog. I’ve been posting since 2014 and it takes a lot of time; photos, writing, editing, translating, gathering links to products. In the first 3 months there was no growth for me. A friend of mine suggested I read a great book, Blog Inc, which tells you how to make a profitable blog. 

How do you promote Geek Q?

I use Instagram and Twitter, and I include links to the products I'm wearing. That has helped me gain visibility with corporate brands. Brands like to use bloggers. I’ve been lucky to work with Express, Ya Joe, and French brand Polette Eyewear. They offered discount codes to my readers. I only work with brands I care about. I need to feel that the collaboration makes sense for my brand. Also, my friends and family in Mexico wanted to read a Spanish version of the blog so I started writing bilingual posts. That has really helped grow readership by opening the blog up to the Latin market. It’s been fun to see how something small has grown so much!

Why do you believe that Geek Q readers return to the blog?

I do everything but the photography. It feels authentic. If I suggest a product then they know I actually like it. Some bloggers only feature designer brands that not everyone can afford, so I feel that my readers relate better to me because I post street styles made with affordable brands. 

How do you stay motivated to continue posting each week?

I like to be out there for people and I like to dress well. It’s another way to show people who I am. If people want to know how to dress nicely without wearing a suit my blog can help.

What goals do you have for the future?

I’d like to help new menswear bloggers with social media, choosing their target market, and picking the right camera (you need good photos to look like a serious blogger). It would be a weekend workshop for starting a blog. I’d like to grow the blogger community because it helps everyone. The more engaged the fashion community becomes with bloggers the more opportunities they will find with consumers.

What role do the #SeattleGents have in your future plans? 

The Seattle Gents is a group of about 10. We connected through Instagram and met in person this year for Seattle Fashion Week. We had a brunch so we could brainstorm ideas about how to grow the fashion community in Seattle. Maybe we will host conferences about blogging or fashion? Maybe we can do a campaign across all of our blogs to offer discounts at local stores? We will work to attract more brands to Seattle. 

What’s missing in men’s fashion?

I feel that real menswear design has been ignored for a while. People think there’s not room for creativity with men’s fashion – that’s false.  they think they can only design a shirt and pants. But they seem to ignore variables like shape, fit, textiles, proportions. Accessories means so much more than just a watch or hat. But that’s changing with more androgynous and unisex looks. It encourages people to be more creative.

Close: Hector posts his weekly men’s styles on Geek Q for both English and Spanish readers. Additional looks may be seen on his Instagram. Thank you and I wish you continued success

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Persistence and Passion Brew Success.

After leaving her native country of Russia, Natalia Luke, Founder of Narcissism Is Not A Sin, is writing her own American Dream. As an emerging designer, Natalia has presented for the first time at Seattle Fashion Week and graciously offers her insights into starting a fashion business.

How did moving to the US inspire you to leave your previous career and start a fashion brand?
My husband and I traveled to America and enjoyed the culture and decided to relocate; it felt right. I was a network engineer in Moscow, but felt like I  had followed that career path as far as I could and needed a new challenge and a means for expressing myself creatively. I always enjoyed sewing, knitting, and crocheting so I talked to my husband about enrolling in an apparel design program and he was supportive. I felt like for the first time in my life I was in the right place doing the right things.

What do you feel is your greatest achievement to-date for your brand?

When a bespoke customer gets something they like, and wears it, and posts pictures of it, and loves it and wants to come back to do more that’s the ultimate! It’s a different challenge. It doesn’t have to be my idea. People have really interesting ideas. Seriously!

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced in starting your business?

People buy brands from department stores because of the brand recognition, so if people don’t know you it’s more of a challenge to communicate your value. The challenge is that when you sell wholesale to a department store the margin is very low. For example, Nordstrom doesn’t want to pay $500 for a coat, they may pay $100, but in order to make a profit selling a coat for $100 I would need to order high quantities overseas instead of producing here in Seattle. It’s very expensive. Everything I earn goes back into the business. Finding the right people to guide you, and meeting the right store owners to see your lookbook and samples is important now. Another designer who sells in Seattle says that you can’t be disappointed because it can take five years before you start to turn a profit. Networking is number one.

How do you personally stay motivated?

It took me five months to produce my FW17 collection to show at Seattle Fashion Week, but I love it! You have to have the passion. When I finally saw my entire collection, all at once—on real people not hangers—it’s totally different; it’s so cool! In Seattle I think it’s also important to teach people that just because it’s rainy doesn’t mean you have to wear a raincoat all year round. I’d love to see if I can impact the local fashion scene.

How has your creative process evolved over time?

It’s important to sketch. I take lots of time to just sketch. No fabrics. No sewing. I look at my sketches and pick the pieces that I just can’t look at anymore and that becomes the collection. There’s some magic behind it. If you love a sketch you start wondering how you could change it; the design process is not done. But if you have a strong feeling like you can’t look at it anymore, you know you have to sew it; the design process is finished. I really love them afterwards.

How do you balance the need to sell with your own need to be true to your artistic vision?

I’m inspired by strong geometry like origami and I also really like Japanese street fashion. In Seattle I’ve found that the consumers prefer athletic wear so I edit my pieces to be more casual.

How do you plan to scale your business?

For now, the most important part is to find loyal customers here. In bigger markets like California there’s so much competition. You have to make clothes and ship them to bloggers or stylists and hope that they wear it, take a picture of it, and post it. Instead, I go to fashion events here in Seattle. I wear my stuff so when people ask, “What are you wearing?,” I can say that I’m wearing my own line. I try to meet local bloggers and ask them to wear the clothes. If I know they love a piece and will wear it on a regular basis I occasionally gift it to them.

What do you think is missing from Fashion today?

Sportswear is taking over casualwear. I'd love to see more people choosing sophisticated, better quality outfits that are still comfortable.

Natalia’s FW16 collection will be available online and photos from her Seattle Fashion Week show are on instagram. Thank you and I wish you continued success! 

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