WEBVTT - Checking In With Salehe Bembury 0:00:01.240 --> 0:00:08.520 The volume. All right, Rory. 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:11.160 Today we are joined by a very very special guest, 0:00:12.160 --> 0:00:14.600 New York City legend, the legend in the fashion game, 0:00:14.760 --> 0:00:15.840 legend in the shoe game. 0:00:16.320 --> 0:00:16.720 Uh, we are. 0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:19.040 We are honored and privileged to have here today. 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:20.239 His new line is. 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:23.000 Dropping, he has a new book out, and we get 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:23.560 to talk to him. 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:25.240 I get to ask some of my sneak ahead. 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.520 Yes, this is a sneaker this this episode is for 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:31.560 all the sneaker the sneaker heads around the world, very 0:00:31.560 --> 0:00:33.839 special guests doing some amazing things. 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:39.560 We are joined by Sleat he been bread. What's up fan? 0:00:40.520 --> 0:00:43.000 How you doing? I'm doing good. Listen, It's a pleasure 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:43.239 to meet. 0:00:43.320 --> 0:00:43.479 Yes. 0:00:43.720 --> 0:00:46.320 Yes, First of all, you're busy, you running around. Congrats 0:00:46.360 --> 0:00:49.640 on a new drop on a new Sponge, the Sponge collection. 0:00:50.400 --> 0:00:52.760 I don't know even know where to start with. I mean, 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:54.400 we wear his sneakers so fucking much. 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:56.120 Yeah, pretty much all the way at this point. 0:00:56.200 --> 0:00:59.680 Yeah, today I even had like it was maybe a 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:02.080 self conscious thoughts, and then I felt even weirder after 0:01:02.320 --> 0:01:04.560 because I was like, I don't want to wear his sneakers. 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:05.600 When he's like, is that weird? 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:07.240 But then it's I was like, but I support this 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:11.400 guy so much. Why why would. 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:13.160 I'm not wear not because he's coming today. 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:15.280 I'm not wearing my throtom ships in the back of 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:17.479 the closet. I was like, I'm not wearing my slaves today. 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:18.679 But how are you feeling? 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:23.880 Man? I feel great. I am in a very significant 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:28.960 part of my career and a chapter turning moment. I'm 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:32.919 releasing a book, I'm releasing a I've released a footwear company, 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:36.520 which is different from I guess what my audience has 0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:39.440 been familiar with, which has mostly been collaborations. And we 0:01:39.480 --> 0:01:42.120 saw this, We saw this happening though even I mean listen, like, 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:45.039 I didn't even see the collaboration thing in the in 0:01:45.080 --> 0:01:48.240 the stars. For me, you know, my dream was to 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:51.480 ultimately work for a brand, and I never really saw 0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:53.520 myself as someone that was going to put his name 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:56.280 on people, across people's chests or on their shoes. So 0:01:56.920 --> 0:01:58.720 these opportunities have kind of been brought to me, and 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:00.840 me being a New Yorker, you know, I'm still going 0:02:00.880 --> 0:02:03.280 to capitalize on them. And this is where I find myself. 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:05.680 So, yeah, when when did you have that moment that 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:08.600 it switched where hey, I don't want to just design 0:02:08.919 --> 0:02:10.480 or be a head designer for somebody else. 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:14.680 I think I just got to look at the amount 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:19.600 of success that I brought other brands and across a landscape, 0:02:19.600 --> 0:02:21.760 you know, like, you know, not only just simply like 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:24.680 one kind of sneaker. I've been able to tell tell 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:27.400 many different stories, and within telling those different stories, speak 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:30.200 to different audiences, and through that have a lot of 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:32.800 success with sales of shoes. And then that made me 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:35.600 realize that I, myself am a business. I'm not necessarily 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.040 like just this artist that gets brought in to like 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:41.600 throw some colors on, you know, the black and white whatever. 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:46.280 I am actually like a business myself. And and and 0:02:46.320 --> 0:02:47.519 then I also became you know, I don't want to 0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:49.440 make this about money, but I you know, was very 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:51.080 aware of the amount of money that I was making 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:51.680 these brands. 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:54.200 And I was do have you ever seen the real numbers? 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:56.959 Oh? Yeah, absolutely, that's a part of it. But and 0:02:57.320 --> 0:02:59.320 then the percentage of what I was able to get 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:01.520 from that very grateful. But it'd be nice to have 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:05.120 the entire pie, you know, it'd be nice to Yeah, 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:07.280 it's a little different, yeah, the whole thing. Yeah. And 0:03:07.280 --> 0:03:09.080 then and then this entire time I've been learning, so 0:03:09.200 --> 0:03:10.440 I don't know if this is something I would have 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.119 been ready for for like five years ago. But now 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:15.200 I think that's why I said what I said about it. 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:16.240 I think it was inevitable. 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:18.359 I think people that have been following you and supporting 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:21.160 your brand over the years, we kind of saw this happening. 0:03:21.840 --> 0:03:23.760 But when you say you were working at brands you 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:27.480 were learning, I mean, you've done some iconic shit with 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:34.440 Vasace cohon even with the Yeasy brand. Along your journey, 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:39.800 it made CrOx cool, made CrOx cool. But but again, 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:43.160 you've always had a certain aesthetic. We know a Salah 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:47.440 aesthetic when we see it, like even your whole aesthetic 0:03:47.520 --> 0:03:49.120 appearance is a brand, you know what I mean? Like 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:50.920 you walking around and people know exactly who you are 0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:54.120 now growing up in New York, do you feel like 0:03:54.200 --> 0:03:56.480 that kind of molded you? Because this is a fashion 0:03:56.600 --> 0:03:59.880 capital and everything that you wear, but it's now it's 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:02.680 it's more easy to follow than it is to set 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:05.160 trends these days. Yeah, how important was it for you 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:07.360 to remain who you are and always in anything you do? 0:04:07.440 --> 0:04:08.640 It's a sleazy thing. 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:12.720 I think that growing up and maybe you can relate 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:16.080 to this, you guys can relate to this as individualism 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:19.440 was a high priority. So the people that were in 0:04:19.520 --> 0:04:22.600 your friend group or just in the room were respected 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:25.720 and appreciated because of the individualism that they brought to 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:28.360 the table. And so if someone was wearing cheetah or 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:31.360 black and red or whatever it was, that's who they were. 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:33.640 And these days that doesn't really exist as much. And 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:35.920 so because that's an error that I come from, I 0:04:35.960 --> 0:04:38.080 really lean into being myself. I don't think anyone can 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:40.760 be myself better than me, right, And that has high 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:43.200 authenticity in it, and I think that's something that when 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:46.719 people identify, they're really attracted to because that also is 0:04:46.800 --> 0:04:49.120 rare in this time that we find ourselves in, you know. 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:53.080 So yeah, I think there's there's a balance that needs 0:04:53.080 --> 0:04:56.360 to be maintained of like injecting a certain amount of 0:04:56.400 --> 0:04:58.919 self into a project, but then also just considering the 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:01.040 consumer and what they would like and being commercial because 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:04.720 sometimes people push things a little too far and then 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:07.200 it's not digestible. So it's kind of about maintaining that 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:10.640 balance of like commercial and then I guess my taste. Yeah. 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:13.480 Now, I think it's interesting with designers that are born 0:05:13.480 --> 0:05:16.640 and raised in New York. Typically the nature route isn't 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:20.520 represented in their designs outside of just the colors that 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:23.039 you use, Like what the shoe's purpose is for a 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.479 nature hike, for example, it's a functional shoe, yeah, which 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:31.000 typically isn't the New York City designer stereotype. What started 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:33.120 more of the nature side of things growing up in 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:34.680 the city, So I mean. 0:05:34.720 --> 0:05:36.680 Yeah, born and raised in New York, spent twenty nine 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:40.400 years here, moved to LA about ten years ago, and 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:44.280 through that developed a relationship with nature just through proximity. 0:05:44.279 --> 0:05:45.600 I mean, if you guys wanted to go for a 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.200 hike here, that'd be your full Saturday. That'd be like 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:50.640 going to what was it called Woodbury Commons. You know, 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:54.440 that's a full day. That's a full day. And so 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:57.960 in LA, you know, like hikes are fifteen minutes away 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:01.160 and they're really beautiful experiences and it's physical fitness and 0:06:01.200 --> 0:06:03.920 it's meditative and it's just a nice way to start 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:08.960 the day. And then through that I started getting inspired 0:06:09.000 --> 0:06:11.000 and started and not even like intentionally where I was 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:13.719 like looking at trees like give me an idea, Yeah, 0:06:13.760 --> 0:06:15.359 but it was more just like, damn, these colors are 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:18.080 beautiful and started noticing the function of the shoes I 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:19.960 was wearing and how they were hurting or helping my 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:23.120 hiking experience. I made a shoe with a whistle on 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:24.520 it because I was like, wow, like, I'm out in 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:26.720 this environment where I need tools. I might need a 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:28.800 knife to protect myself. I might need a lighter to 0:06:28.800 --> 0:06:31.080 start a fire, or I might need a whistle to 0:06:31.120 --> 0:06:33.400 alert people that I'm injured or my friends that are 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:35.600 like on the other side of the mountain or field 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:40.400 or whatever. And so it really wasn't the most intentional thing. 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:41.719 It was just like, this is what I'm doing, this 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:43.920 is what I'm sharing on my social media, and now 0:06:43.960 --> 0:06:47.520 it just kind of like authentically connects. I think it 0:06:47.520 --> 0:06:49.120 would have been strange if I was in Los Angeles 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:50.880 trying to tell a New York story. Yeah, you know, 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:52.520 but at the end of the day, I think it 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:54.120 has to be authentic. And that's why even like the 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:57.279 Puma Haliburn thing that I've been doing is authentic because 0:06:57.279 --> 0:07:00.000 I grew up pooping, you know. Yeah, I feel like. 0:07:01.440 --> 0:07:04.159 You kind of had like the reverse career as far 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:07.120 as trying to go to the quote unquote designer brand 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:10.840 thing like earlier. How I was even introduced to you 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:14.160 was through the Versace stuff. I would have never guessed 0:07:14.160 --> 0:07:17.360 at that point off those Versace designs that everything you 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:20.440 would do after would look the way it looked like. 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:23.240 Now I get it, because through Crocs, through New Balance, 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:26.880 through everything that you've done, I understand your aesthetic. Versace 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:28.920 would have been the last fucking brand I would have 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:30.720 thought that maybe you would have worked with, And it 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:33.000 was the one that introduced me to your designs. Yeah, 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:35.760 which is kind of weird because usually that process is switched. 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:39.560 You'll do maybe the lesser brands and then go right 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:42.040 to designer if you want to. I would never guess 0:07:42.080 --> 0:07:44.560 you would even want to do high end designer stuff. 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:46.880 Well, for one, that's when I was like a nine 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:51.600 to five employees So that was about making a shoe 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:53.840 that was the best thing for Versace. It had nothing 0:07:53.840 --> 0:07:57.040 to do with like me being involved. Maybe looking in retrospect, 0:07:57.080 --> 0:07:59.440 maybe you could see a little bit of the style 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:01.360 or the so but like for the most part, that 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:04.239 was a Versachi shoe. But now when the collaborative shoes 0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:06.280 have my name on it, now I'm able to like 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:08.000 really do my dance and kind of do what I want. 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:10.840 You have full creative control. 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:13.880 Yeah, but it's but at the same time, there is 0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:15.480 like I couldn't just come in here and be like, 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:18.120 all right, listen, flip Flops, Timberlands, let's see how we 0:08:18.120 --> 0:08:20.520 can merge these ideas. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like, 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:23.480 you know, it needs to make like commercial sense, but 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:26.640 I think I haven't. I've had enough of a history 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:29.160 of proof of concept and success that now there's trust. 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:32.760 So now like they're willing to give me budgets to 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:34.760 do the campaigns and no one shows up and I 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:37.440 can just like get it done and then they're just 0:08:37.480 --> 0:08:40.120 expecting your assets. Yeah. So I think with proof of 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:42.640 concept in any field, there's more trust and people just 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:44.319 expect you to perform. 0:08:44.800 --> 0:08:47.120 I've noticed over the years though, like the sneaker the 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:52.520 sneaker game has changed a lot from retail to just 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:55.560 fashion and in style. But one thing that kind of 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:58.440 like blew me away. Last week I was talking to 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:02.040 my boy and he last year he sold his Jordan 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:05.600 one shot a backboards. He sold them, somebody used, he 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:07.400 wore them a couple of times, sold them for five 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:12.079 hundred dollars. He just bought them again this year, last 0:09:12.080 --> 0:09:13.800 week's they're sitting on the shelves for one hundred and 0:09:13.800 --> 0:09:16.720 thirty dollars. How does that shift in a year where 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:21.880 you can sell this same exact shoe like resale, yeah, 0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:25.000 for five hundred and then twelve months later it's sitting 0:09:25.640 --> 0:09:28.160 on the shelves. One of the most iconic Jordan ones 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:31.719 ever is just sitting on the shelves, Like, how does 0:09:31.760 --> 0:09:36.080 the market fluctuate that like drastically and such a short time. 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:41.199 So I'll give you two things, so one and that's 0:09:41.240 --> 0:09:43.559 why I believe, you know, starting a brand right now 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:46.680 is the most appropriate time. I've been witnessing the death 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:49.400 of hype. I don't think it's dead. I don't want 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:51.320 it to die with Yeah, I would love to see 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:54.160 it be revived. However, I'm witnessing the death of it. 0:09:54.160 --> 0:09:57.000 It doesn't seem like brands are investing in collaborations as much. 0:09:57.040 --> 0:10:00.000 They're not telling stories, and the consumer is more edge 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:02.480 than they've ever been, so they see through the bullshit 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:06.679 like very easily. That combined with like maybe a pending 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:10.559 or existing recession, people are not spending money and there 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:14.400 is a huge oversaturation of product and things and gone 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:16.120 other times where you would like kind of wait for 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:18.800 a release to happen. They're happening every fucking day, and 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:20.960 so now I don't know if people are as invested. 0:10:21.880 --> 0:10:23.559 And that's why I think the whole brand thing makes sense, 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:26.400 because it's not about just like you know, pulling out 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:28.520 this like shiny rabbit out of my hat and being like, 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:32.079 by this thing and it'll be gone tomorrow. It's more 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:36.800 about like long term investment in community building and telling stories. 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:38.560 Did that shift happen? 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:41.520 And of course we don't need to talk about Kanye's politics, 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:44.079 but once Kanye went to Adidas after the Nike thing, 0:10:44.120 --> 0:10:44.719 where you know, it. 0:10:44.720 --> 0:10:47.480 Was very tough to get the red octobers and. 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:51.120 His goal was to make sure you could afford Yeasies 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:54.640 and they were readily available at all times the Mass deal, 0:10:54.679 --> 0:10:57.520 did that shift happen there? Because now you have what 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:01.000 would be quote unquote the hype Beast collab. Once Kanye 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:03.240 was with Nike and then you could just walk into 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:05.440 any foot locker and get some some Yeasies for a 0:11:05.440 --> 0:11:08.800 reasonable price. Once he went over to Adidas, like the 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:11.520 hype wasn't there. I thought that was a good thing. 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:14.200 I thought they were quality shoes. And affordable, and I 0:11:14.200 --> 0:11:15.679 hate when you can't just go get some shit that 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:16.400 you want. 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:19.320 But no, So that's an interesting it's funny that you 0:11:19.400 --> 0:11:22.240 say that. So, and this isn't my take. There's this dude, 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:24.480 Jacques Slid. I've repeated this on like every for every 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:26.800 conversation I've had, but he pretty much was talking about 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:29.120 how the white Jordan cement for has been sitting on 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:31.960 shelves and outlets and people are really upset about that. 0:11:32.200 --> 0:11:35.199 But that really shows you how backwards the sneaker community 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:37.720 is now, where like if there is an iconic shoe 0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:42.160 and it's accessible, we're angry because we're used to we 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:44.400 need to be like waiting in line in the rain 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:47.360 and being whipped or something, or spend spending an obscene 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:49.560 amount of money on resale for you to feel like 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:52.760 you own it, right, and so you'll brought her a 0:11:52.800 --> 0:11:55.240 cool crowd exactly. And so that's kind of how backwards 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:56.080 things are right now, you know. 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.880 Yeah, that's almost like I feel like in the hip 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:01.520 hop world, when fans feel like they got to an 0:12:01.559 --> 0:12:04.680 artist early and then the artist becomes popular and they're mad. 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:07.080 It's like you don't want you to show I'm not 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:09.599 going to do. You don't want your favorite artists to 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:10.240 be popular. 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:13.520 But it is a different time though Slay, Like, I mean, 0:12:14.360 --> 0:12:18.640 I can get a classic Jordan's shoe easier, and I 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:20.480 can get your shoe or easier and I can get 0:12:20.559 --> 0:12:22.160 Joe Fresh Goods or you. 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:22.680 Know what I'm saying. 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:25.480 It's like that is just crazy to me, Like it's 0:12:25.520 --> 0:12:28.559 it's long going of the days where you know, Jordan's 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:30.840 will sell out and it's like, I gotta go pay 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:34.000 resale now I'm paying resale for your shoe or Joe 0:12:34.040 --> 0:12:36.960 Fresh Gooods or Action Bronson's new Balance, like it it's 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:40.320 insane the way it has flipped to. You know, it's 0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:43.680 not just the iconic athlete that's selling sneakers anymore. It's 0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:48.280 like creators and influencers who have a lot of style 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:50.920 and have been in the sneaking industry shoe industry for 0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:52.960 so long, who are now doing their own thing. Like 0:12:53.000 --> 0:12:55.600 those are the products that I think we want and 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:58.000 believe in more because we kind of feel like we 0:12:58.040 --> 0:12:59.120 saw a Salty story. 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:02.320 We saw him, we saw his ascension, and. 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:04.839 Now he's here creating this thing where it's like, Okay, 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:06.640 I need to be a part of this because his 0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:09.120 work speaks for itself. His brand throughout the years just 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:11.320 told the story and it's a part of the story. 0:13:11.320 --> 0:13:13.000 If I don't have that, that's like a chapter that 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:15.640 I'm missing out on the so lazy story a little bit. 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:18.600 Is that something that you've done intentionally to create this 0:13:18.720 --> 0:13:20.040 timeline and this storyline? 0:13:22.400 --> 0:13:23.439 Has it been intentional? 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:23.640 No? 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:26.079 I think it's I've just been kind of like nimble 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:30.439 and like and kind of flex like flexible I want 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:32.640 to yeah, I would say, yeah, just flexible with the 0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:35.560 opportunities that I've been given. And I think that now 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:37.360 that a lot of the work has had my name 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:39.720 on it, there's been this red thread that exists simply 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:41.120 because I can like make it how I want to 0:13:41.160 --> 0:13:43.560 make it. And so I'm also somewhat of a selfish 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:46.600 designer because up util this point, prebrand, a lot of 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:48.440 these collaborations were just things I wanted to wear. I 0:13:48.480 --> 0:13:50.000 was like, what's going to be dope? What's going to 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:51.720 be dope for this opportunity or this brand? 0:13:51.760 --> 0:13:51.920 You know? 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:55.560 And so with like a Croc, I thought to myself, man, 0:13:55.600 --> 0:13:59.360 like I respect the brand of Crocs. They've existed for decades, 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:02.120 but I've never really worn crocks like that, like maybe 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:03.760 had one or two in the closet, They've never really 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:06.760 left the house. How could I challenge myself to create 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:10.040 a crock that looks cool and that people want to 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:14.480 wear and that potentially you can like even exist within 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:16.800 like this sneaker space. Right, so there are even like 0:14:16.800 --> 0:14:18.880 a lot of decisions with that shoe or like I 0:14:18.920 --> 0:14:20.800 was like, you know, they put a lot of their 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:22.960 crocks and like bags, so when you buy a crack, 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:24.720 it comes in like a bag. Yeah. I was like, no, 0:14:24.760 --> 0:14:26.720 we need to have like a box because this I 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:28.880 was even asking you about your sneakers. The sneaker snack, 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:33.400 the sneaker stacking ritual is a really important ritual within sneakers. 0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:35.920 So immediately if we're making this thing that we wanted 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:39.800 the sneaker crowd to respect and they can't even stack 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:42.760 their boxes, yea, yeah, we were already behind. Like even 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:45.680 your boxes are art is a piece now, thank you? 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:48.000 Like when you get them, it's like I know by 0:14:48.040 --> 0:14:50.560 stacking them obviously you know sneak As we you stack 0:14:50.600 --> 0:14:52.360 our boxes is always the label out. 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:53.480 So we know exactly who what it is. 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:55.920 Yeah, with yours, I can just look at the color 0:14:55.960 --> 0:14:58.840 of the box put on top of it, I know 0:14:58.920 --> 0:15:01.280 exactly what it is. To me, that's just a certain 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:05.160 attention to detail. I think that you know, guys like you, 0:15:05.200 --> 0:15:08.720 guys like Joe fresh Good's Action Bronch and like y'all 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:10.280 pay attention to those certain things. 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:15.440 How really is the thing of please? So if you 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:19.800 think about when you get an iPhone and you peel 0:15:19.840 --> 0:15:23.600 off that piece of plastic and how smooth it comes up, right, 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:27.040 every every every piece of real estate on a product 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:32.800 is an opportunity to execute detail or display your brand 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:36.640 or portray excellent. So I really I believe in that. 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:38.560 And so whether it's the packaging or any of that stuff, 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:41.480 I think that lets the people know that it's the brand. 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:43.120 And so if you think about that Apple example, like 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:45.280 if you got an iPhone, then you peeled the plastic 0:15:45.320 --> 0:15:45.880 off and it was. 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:49.600 Like, yeah, they just do this together. 0:15:50.280 --> 0:15:53.120 This isn't an iPhone with Apple, It's like excellent. So yeah, 0:15:53.360 --> 0:15:54.840 with all the things I create, I try to be 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:57.280 like intentional about you know, how it's done. 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:00.640 How many silhouettes have you you know, through the companies 0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:02.600 you work for, like the silhouettes that are sitting there 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:04.680 where you're like, okay, let me take these and put 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:06.680 the silet he spent on it. Because a lot of 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:08.200 the easies that we've seen. 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:10.640 He's posted silhouettes that aren't coming out that have pissed 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:10.840 me off. 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:13.280 Then you could have kept that to yourself. You need Instagram. 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:17.600 But I can imagine these brands like Puma and Adidas 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:18.160 were easy. 0:16:18.640 --> 0:16:22.000 They just have this warehouse full of silhouettes. 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:24.400 That they can't move, like quote unquote the Dad Sneaker, 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:26.840 I think the wave Runner is this dad sneaker that 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:28.880 Kanye just got his hands on and put some beautiful 0:16:28.920 --> 0:16:30.800 ballads to it and just kind of. 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:34.040 Like, how how often does that happen. 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:36.480 When you when the brand reaches out to you and says, hey, 0:16:36.520 --> 0:16:38.040 we want to we want to partner with you, we 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:40.000 want to bring you in. Like how often do you 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:42.320 just go into the warehouse and just see the silhouettes 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:44.480 and like, Okay, I want these four and let me 0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:45.440 do my thing with these. 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:48.800 So it kind of depends on the amount of time 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.120 that you have, right because to actually make a shoe, 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:53.240 both design it and then develop it. Like when I 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:56.200 say develop it, I mean like factory samples that whole 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:58.880 exchange that can take up to a year. So like 0:16:58.880 --> 0:17:00.720 even the Halliburns you for example, like that took like 0:17:00.760 --> 0:17:03.080 a year. But then these runners that I recently came 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:06.000 out with Puma, that is an existing shoe that I've 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:08.280 kind of missed, potato headed some like new details on 0:17:08.320 --> 0:17:13.879 to make it feel fresh. The way that I differ 0:17:13.920 --> 0:17:17.680 as a collaborator is I'm a classically trained designer. I 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:20.520 went to school for this shit. I can take a 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:22.840 white piece of paper and create something and make it 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:23.800 into a real shoe. 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:25.440 Classically trained designer. 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:27.479 Yeah, I don't know if that's my term. I've been 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:30.600 saying that it feels that sounds fine, like. 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:35.040 The Juilliard version of design, Like I really went to school, 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:36.280 exhibit to school. 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:39.400 I went to school for this, So I make things. 0:17:39.480 --> 0:17:42.320 I know my ship, And I think there's a difference 0:17:42.480 --> 0:17:45.240 with collaborations where they might take a shoe and just 0:17:45.280 --> 0:17:48.520 add color to it and then what I do, which 0:17:48.600 --> 0:17:51.560 is design something from the ground up. And I'm not 0:17:51.640 --> 0:17:53.880 devaluing that at all because some of the best collaborations 0:17:53.880 --> 0:17:56.159 of our time are color up. So I want to 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:59.240 make that very clear. But there's a difference, and so 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:01.959 you know, getting the opportunity with a brand to like 0:18:02.359 --> 0:18:04.240