Features

As someone who’s been involved in designing streetwear for many years, how do you feel about the trend by many labels and the streetwear media to move away from street/skate/hip-hop influenced clothing in favour of a more high-end aesthetic?

I think it’s very difficult to even label things anymore. Everything is all mixed up nowadays isn’t it? I think street culture really embodies all of this change. To me it can encompass so many things. Just like hip-hop culture used to mean one thing in the 70s and 80s, it means something totally different today. I believe street culture has the same effect. Kanye can croon out a pop album but he is still “street”. Jose Parla can sell his art in a museum now, but he is still “street”. And if I want to make a cashmere scarf, I can do it but still feel like it comes from the “street”.

Looking at the new Staple range, there appears to be a conscious move towards presenting two sides to the label. You have your more traditional street range of graphic tees and baseball caps on one side and a more dressy/tailored line on the other. Is this an accurate description of the range?

Yes. It is something we’ve been transitioning towards for the past 2-3 years. At first it was a subtle division in the line. But now, it’s literally two separate lines: “Staple” and “stpl”. “Staple” is where we came from; fun, visually oriented t-shirt graphics, caps and accessories. Pricepoints in this collection are more easily attainable as a result. “stpl” is our more sophisticated line with cleaner silhouettes, high quality construction and subtle, clever details. It’s more expensive than “Staple” as well, so it tends to attract an older set. In trying to decide which direction we should move into for the future, I couldn’t make up my mind. I love both so much. As the old saying goes, “Sometimes you feel like a but. Sometimes you don’t.” So we really tried our best to make both co-exist. It’s a challenge though. Most people want to put you in boxes. And keep you in that box. Buyers, shops, stores, press, media, tradeshows, industry people...all these people; their lives are made easier when you just stay in your lane. I guess I like to make things difficult.

It looks like many of the tee graphics in the new range are focused on the theme of money. Does this theme come from the current economic crisis?

Yes, each season, our collection is inspired by a particular subject you might take in school. So for Spring 2010, we chose Economics as the subject of choice. It felt right to focus on this in these global economic times.

What I really appreciate about the cut and sew stp1 line is that the term “less is more” really comes into play. By this I mean that the design aesthetic is understated rather than flamboyant and I can see myself still looking fashionable in a stp1 shirt or jacket five years from now. Do you design your garments with longevity in mind or is this something that occurs unconsciously?

Thanks...that’s exactly what we aim for. A Staple piece that will last forever. It’s weird, I wouldn’t say we design with “longevity” in mind. Those words never get uttered in our design meetings. But I think it’s inherently built into the design because that’s just the type of people we are over here. None of us working here are super hip or trendy. We are aware of the things that are happening around us and we respect it. But we don’t necessarily take part in it ourselves. We tend to go on the side of basic necessities. At the same time, we add small touches that let people know you are not part of the herd.

Do you use the term streetwear in reference to the clothing that you create?

I don’t use it in reference to creating our clothing. But I AM from street culture. And I make clothing. So maybe by virtue of that, we are streetwear? [Laughs] I dunno, I don’t really care. People can call us whatever they want. As long as what we create is true to what we’re about and we like what we produce, it’s all good.

Of all the design jobs that you have been contracted to do, which experience stands out in your mind as the most pleasurable?

Well “pleasurable” is an interesting adjective. Pleasurable to me tends to mean easy and chill with little stress. But the really important ones that i feel passionate about are usually very difficult...but the reward is in the satisfaction that comes with a job well done. I’m going to assume you’re really asking me about a “passionate” job...and with that, I would have to say the Nike Considered project we worked on.

So back-tracking for a minute to your early days, was there one particular job that really put the Staple name on the map and opened up opportunities to work with the big brands?

Oh god....there are some many important steps and crossroads that led to where we are today. Early on? I would have to say doing art direction and design for Rawkus Records. Rawkus was the home to legends-in-the-making acts like Mos Def, Kweli, Company Flow, DJ Hi-Tek and Common. Rawkus kind of led to art directing Subculture Magazine, which then led to art directing The Fader Magazine, which then led to working with Nike Japan, which then...well, the rest is kind of history.

How much of a role does your NY upbringing play in the development of your design style?

NYC is the single most important element in my everyday business, style AND way of living. The city is literally 51% of the reason for my successes. It’s like Alicia says, “Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There’s nothing you can’t do. Now you’re in New York!” That statement is so strong and true. Dreams don’t come true here. They are literally BORN here.

As someone very connected to the international style and design communities, do you find yourself giving particular consideration to trends outside of the US when designing fashion and footwear?

Well I must first say I don’t look at trends when designing for the Staple collection or even for when we’re working with a client. But to your point, I do travel a lot...and when I do, I observe people. Not for what they wear...but for what they do. I think you can learn a lot about the world just by people watching.

Tell us about your collaboration with Starter? How did this come about and exactly what is involved?

We handle a collection for Starter called Starter Black Label. It’s a division of the brand that works only with collaborations and limited run special edition product. We manage everything from selection of collaborations, to sampling to logistics and more. It’s a lot of fun working with such an iconic brand. In America, Starter is now an athletic brand selling mainly workout gear like sweats, socks and trainers. It’s also positioned exclusively in the value chains. But recently, as we all know, there has been a major retro movement for Starter where people are dropping crazy coin on vintage Starter pieces. We saw an opportunity here and approached Starter about it, proposing we manage this upper-tier business for them. Luckily, they agreed and Black Label was born.

What are the main external influences that you see as driving the trends in street fashion and footwear currently?

I have no idea. Like I said, I don’t look at trends. Unfortunately, I’m not a trend forecaster. There are people that get paid big bucks to tell companies what colours to pick and whether camo is back “in” yet or not. I’m not one of those people.

It seems like the current generation of prolific clothing labels are largely owned and designed by people from Asian backgrounds, yourself included. In particular many of today’s respected labels out of the US are run by Asian-Americans. Is this something that has been going on for a long time and the people behind the labels are simply more visible now or is it a “changing of the guard” in contemporary fashion?

Besides trends, the other thing I don’t look at is the colour of people’s skin. I would say now that you mention it, there are a few prominent brands run by Asians. But I am sure if we were to do some statistical analysis, Asians would still be a speck on the racial map. So no, there is no changing of the guard for sure. I’m just glad that in this day and age, an Asian person can start a clothing or design company without resorting to Chinese characters, Buddhas and karate moves to prove his point.

How has Reed Space evolved since its creation? Are there plans to take the store into new directions in the near future?

Back in 2002 when we first opened, Reed Space was half its current size. We only took in brands in which I personally knew the owner. Artists that we exhibited were personal friends. In fact, people who worked as designers at Staple were also working the sales floor whenever a customer walked in. (Staple Design was housed in the back of Reed Space.) So it had this very organic and personal feeling. Now, because of the popularity, it has gotten bigger both physically and conceptually. We feature a lot of incredible designers and brands. And we field requests all the time for exhibitions now. We also have an awesome dedicated team that works only with Reed-related business. 

We opened a location in Tokyo in the Aoyama area which we have decided to relocate. And so right now we’re looking for a new location. I’m always on the watch for another Reed Space. It’s an idea that works anywhere in the world and is easily adaptable. I’ve got my eyes on LA, London, Berlin and Beijing.

How has the recession affected your business? Has it forced you to re-focus at all?

I’ll be honest. Reed Space is doing awesome in the face of the economy. We are actually UP in comparison to 2008 numbers. Our design and consulting business is also doing amazing. The division that is hurting the most is the apparel. And that is due to smaller stores shutting their doors unexpectedly. It’s really sad to see. But a store will place an order. And by the time we’re ready to ship it, we get a busy signal on their phone number! Fortunately for us, we have other divisions of the business that can support while times are tough. I always stay focused and conservative. I do take heavily calculated risks in business, but for the most part, I am the type who takes baby steps. I’m not trying to win the sprint here. I’m trying to win the marathon.

For more on jeffstaple and his work visit stapledesign.com. To learn more about his boutique and gallery projects visit thereedspace.com. jeff can also be found on Twitter so make sure you follow him if your interested in hearing the thoughts of a man on his grind 24/7.