Kith Owner Dishes Business Tips Every Entrepreneur Needs To Hear
I’m not a business owner, but I hope to be one someday. And when I do, I will aspire to be like Ronnie Fieg, the owner and designer of the popular brand and retail store Kith.
I was browsing through YouTube and stumbled upon this interview Complex Magazine did through their Blueprint series with Ronnie Fieg back in 2017. I didn’t know much about him prior, but I knew the influence Kith held over the fashion industry, the type of streetwear style empire it was known for and the price tag that came along with it. I had recently been to the Miami Flagship store which was immaculate, white, mirror, modern and sleek. The entire layout of the store spews pleasantries to the eye, a maze of sorts you can’t help but want to explore every crevasse of. It screams exclusivity the second you walk through the door. I was intrigued by Ronnie’s story and dove in head first.
The video got me thinking how I could make it in the fashion industry, and what my own business model would look like. I couldn’t help but hold onto the words the “Retailer of the Year Award” recipient proclaimed in this interview with Complex.
“Some Things Aren’t Meant to Scale”
With this comes flexibility, unique business structures and the ability to be vertically integrated. Fieg talks on how they don’t do organized seasons and don’t need to use a calendar when they launch new collections because they don’t have to. They don’t sell to wholesalers, and that allows them to be valued at a certain level, and to keep Kith special.
This is a huge step for any company to realize, especially a company who is just starting off because I would assume most business owners have an initial goal to be a company with a global impact and be seen everywhere. In my opinion, this is a very humble observation by Fieg and he deserves credit for realizing this early on.
Maximize Potential
When asked about how Ronnie keeps the brands integrity and how he can dominate the marketplace without scaling he says,
“The idea is not to compete. The idea is to maximize the potential of what I’m doing.”
This comes with making “tasteful” decisions and choosing what is right for the brand at that moment.
Saying “No” More
As someone who is constantly collaborating and growing, he notes that he has to say “no” a lot more to now that Kith has blown up to the massive success it is. These decisions however, don’t come without internal team discussions and a look at where the passion lies.
He then goes on to give us a synopsis on how his thought process works when he is making “yes” and “no” decisions.
1. Is it missing in my closet?
2. Can he tell a real story?
3. Will people want to learn and absorb the story being told?
4. Will it be authentic?
5. Is it going to sit well in the companies timeline? Will it have an impact when the companies milestones are examined?
Finally, to end the interview, Ronnie articulates maybe my FAVORITE quote in response to how he handles natural capitalistic competition.
“There is no competition … nothing stems from competition. It all stems from wanting to do something …. if I was watching what people were doing…. then it would not be fun for me, it would be a job.”
This is such a good reminder to be aware of comparison between yourself and others and what they are doing. That will only lead you down a path of distraction. That doesn’t mean isolate yourself and ignore current trends or neglect networking. But rather be the trendsetter, be the creator and listen to what the followers and buyers are saying. How are these not to be considered?! He also mentions how he is supportive to his friends in the industry and wants to see them also succeed. So humble, Ronnie, so humble.
This entire video was obviously really inspiring because it was such a fresh perspective and genuine way to hear a successful business owner speak. To hear the entire interview, including how Ronnie got started in the business as a kid, you can watch the full video on YouTube.
