Business of HYPE

Around a month ago we featured our special Stay @ Home series, with former guests of the show and today we’re back for another special episode with Andy Fallshaw, Co-Founder and CEO of Australian accessories brand, Bellroy. Founded in 2009 alongside Matthew Fallshaw, Lina Calabria and Hadrien Monloup, Bellroy was the answer after the four realized there was a gap in the luxury carrier space. A certified B Corporation, the company only uses functional and durable material all made  with the intent of sustainable efforts.  What started as a meticulously well-designed wallet became so successful that Bellroy now carries various travel bags and tech accessories in their line.  In this episode, Andy details how he went from designing for Rip Curl to starting nine self-funded startups in an effort to "create something that brings value to people"—one of which became Bellroy. He later discusses how his business has managed to stay afloat and reprioritize workflow during COVID-19. Thank you so much for tuning into our special Stay @ Home Series. As always, thank you for tuning into HYPEBEAST Radio and Business of HYPE. Please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe to our other show. For more info: https://bellroy.com/ http://www.instagram.com/bellroy https://www.carryology.com/ https://www.instagram.com/carryology/

Hommyo Hidefumi is the founder of legendary Tokyo-based sneaker boutique, atmos. The store is more than a retail space, but a cornerstone of streetwear culture that helped cultivate the early sneaker scene in Japan. Many attribute the store to having not only the best collection of sneakers to date, but also having some of the best collaborations of all time—most notably with Nike and their ever popular Air Max 1's.  With more than 30 stores globally, Hommyo opened atmos in Harajuku in 2000 after the success of his first retail store Chapter. Soon after, young kids all over the world were traveling to atmos, and it became the mecca of sneaker culture in Asia.  Atmos is a reflection of Hommyo's ability to personify every sneaker that comes through his space. He is in every right an auteur, being able to create a unique narrative whether it's through the sneaker accounts at his store or the variety of collabs atmos has worked on.  Hommyo's penchant for sneaker collecting began in the early 90's while attending college in Philadelphia. Soon enough, he was driving along the East Coasting copping sneakers at a fraction of the price they were sold overseas. The rest there on after would become streetwear history. While businesses are focusing more digitally, Hommyo still emphasizes the importance of a retail space, being that "we are humans, not robots" and that all the "f***ing talking, bulls*** talking" is an absolute necessity when it comes to sneaker culture. In this episode, he breaks down the early days of atmos, what it takes to survive in this competitive market, the future of streetwear culture and more.  Thank you so much for tuning into the Business of HYPE. As always, thank you for tuning into HYPEBEAST Radio and Business of HYPE. Please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe to our other shows. This episode was recorded prior to COVID-19 with the interludes recorded during. We hope you guys stay safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing and find ways to still stay inspired during this time. For more info: https://hypebeast.com/2020/6/atmos-interview-founder-hommyo-hidefumi-business-of-hype-jeffstaple-episode-76 https://www.instagram.com/atmos_japan/ https://www.atmos-tokyo.com/ https://atmosny.com/

Sébastien Kopp is the Co-Founder of popular French footwear brand Veja. The brand is known for its slate canvas body with a distinctive “v” logo, which has been worn by numerous figures from Meghan Markle to Eddie Redmayne, and sold in stores across the globe. Alongside François-Ghislain Morillion, the two founded Veja in 2004 with the intent of finding economic balance within their business. Kopp, a former investment banker, quit his job to work with nonprofits only to discover the dark side of globalization. This prompted Kopp and Morillion to challenge themselves with creating a product that could be made without greenwashing. What became months of searching the Amazon for agro-ecological cotton, respectable factories and raw rubber, Veja was born.  More than 15 years later today, the company operates globally with over 180 employees worldwide. Their team is still heavily involved in the process from working out of Brazil to source natural materials all the way till the end where they are distributed online or in various retailers. Kopp tells us that he has never been in a rush to accelerate his business, but rather focuses on a slow growth where he can maintain the business from managing complex human relationships to  creating a business built on Fair Trade and economic balance. Keeping transparency in mind, he details issues of deforestation, ecological impact, partnering with NGOs, economic disparity and much more.  No advertisements, no sponsors, no investors and only 12 simple styles, all made with economic justice in mind, Veja stands as one of the forerunners to fashion's ever-growing sustainability movement. Despite all his merits, Kopp reminds us that "[Veja isn’t] changing the world, but just proposing a small solution to this disparity.” Thank you so much for tuning into the Business of HYPE. As always, thank you for tuning into HYPEBEAST Radio and Business of HYPE. Please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe to our other shows. This episode was recorded prior to COVID-19 with the interludes recorded during. We hope you guys stay safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing and find ways to still stay inspired during this time. For more info: https://hypebeast.com/2020/6/veja-interview-founder-sebastien-kopp-business-of-hype-jeffstaple-episode-75 https://www.veja-store.com/ https://www.instagram.com/veja/ https://www.instagram.com/vejakids/ https://www.instagram.com/sebastien_kopp/

Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki are the Co-Founders of the popular french fashion label, Maison Kitsuné. Since 2002, the pair have been reinterpreting French classics through a chic and modern take with a nod to Japanese fashion. What most may not know is that the two joined forces in affiliation with famed electronic duo, Daft Punk, where after a trip to Japan with the music group, they decided to start their music & fashion brand, Maison Kitsuné. Under the music label, they've birthed numerous musicians such as Phoenix, Kilo Kish, Two Door Cinema Club, La Roux and more.  But alongside their music ventures, the night life, the DJing and worldwide traveling, Gildas and Masaya were slowly building connections to eventually build their fashion counterpart. Now more than 15 years later, the brand is a full functioning label with retail stores worldwide, a ready-to-wear collection, unique collaborations under their belt and hundreds of employees. In addition to all this, the duo have also opened their cafe division, Cafe Kitsuné, where they showcase their love of interior design, food and coffee culture. In this episode, the two detail the transition from the early days of working at a local thrift shop and record store to managing musicians and eventually forming their own clothing brand. Remaining as a stronghold in today's line of successful lifestyle brand, Gildas and Masaya emphasize the importance of the art of the slow grind when it comes to running a business. Thank you so much for tuning into the Business of HYPE. As always, thank you for tuning into HYPEBEAST Radio and Business of HYPE. Please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe to our other shows. This episode was recorded prior to COVID-19 with the interludes recorded during. We hope you guys stay safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing and find ways to still stay inspired during this time. For more info: https://hypebeast.com/2020/5/maison-kitsune-interview-masaya-kuroki-gildas-loaec-business-of-hype-jeffstaple-episode-74 https://maisonkitsune.com/us/ https://www.instagram.com/maisonkitsune/ https://www.instagram.com/cafekitsune/?hl=en

Ronny Chieng is comedian and actor. By day he's the Senior Correspondent for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, by night he's a stand-up comedian, with sold out shows worldwide and also an actor, having recently starred in the box-office hit, Crazy Rich Asians. His list of accomplishments are impressive to say the least. Born in Malaysia, Ronny grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire and Singapore, but attended law school in Australia. It was during his time there where he got an itch for comedy and from then on began pursuing it professionally.  In this episode, Ronny breaks down his career from law student turned comedian and how he managed to defeat the odds going against him. Rather than changing his brand or style of comedy to fit the mainstream mold, Ronny chose to be unapologetically himself by using unfiltered comedy because "authenticity resonates." Despite having been on The Daily Show since 2015, Ronny has had incredible success in his solo career, coming off his recent hit Netflix special: Asian Comedians Destroys America. He details moving to NYC in pursuit of comedy, the smoke & mirrors in Hollywood, being an asian comic in the U.S. and much more.  Thank you so much for tuning into the Business of HYPE. As always, thank you for tuning into HYPEBEAST Radio and Business of HYPE. Please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe to our other shows. This episode was recorded prior to COVID-19 with the interludes recorded during. We hope you guys stay safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing and find ways to still stay inspired during this time. For more info: https://hypebeast.com/2020/5/ronny-chieng-interview-business-of-hype-jeffstaple-episode-73 https://www.ronnychieng.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ronnychieng/

Tim Brown is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO alongside Joey Zwillinger of footwear company, Allbirds. In just under a five years, the company has amassed over 500 employees, 17 retail locations and over a billion dollars in valuation.  What most may not know is that this idea was the brainchild of Tim's for years while he was a professional soccer player.  Having played for the Newcastle Jets, the Welllington Phoenix and the 2010 World Cup, Tim began designing sneakers and visiting factories to create more than hundreds of variations for a prototype shoe all during his offseasons. What started as just a fun idea for the athlete transformed into a successful Kickstarter campaign which eventually led to joining forces with his Co-CEO Joey in creating one of the most popular shoe brands today. In this episode, Tim breaks down his transition from professional soccer to brand building and how despite the doubt, these challenges empowered the CEO to bring his idea to fruition. He also highlights the importance transitioning Allbirds into a sustainable product using merino wool and recycled plastics to leave a carbon neutral footprint—because for Tim,  a product can only be great if it is sustainable. Thank you so much for tuning into the Business of HYPE. As always, thank you for tuning into HYPEBEAST Radio and Business of HYPE. Please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe to our other shows. This episode was recorded prior to COVID-19 with the interludes recorded during. We hope you guys stay safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing and find ways to still stay inspired during this time. For more info: https://hypebeast.com/2020/5/tim-brown-allbirds-interview-business-of-hype-jeffstaple-episode-72 https://www.allbirds.com/ https://www.instagram.com/allbirds/?hl=en

***Important Note:  We excuse the audio quality of Jeff's interludes as they were recorded during COVID-19. CJ Hendry is an artist who's work blur the lines between art and photography. From still life and portraits to abstract ideas, CJ's drawing are hyperrealistic all through a million scribbles made from colored pencils. The Australian artist is based in New York where her work not only sells out in seconds, but she's had world-wide immersive exhibitions. While the art world nowadays is a breeding ground for conceptual and experimental based artworks, CJ keeps grounded by using the bare bones of her fine skills and extreme level of detail to create masterpieces. Alongside these works, are the interactive exhibitions she puts together that she says do more than "just put artworks on the wall." While the artist can easily show off her impeccable talent, it’s really her forthright and earnest approach to the art industry that's allowed her to successfully navigate this world in what she calls “the longest con game ever”. In this episode she breaks down her career, why money doesn't mean much to her and why she isn't intimidated by the art world. Thank you so much for tuning into the Business of HYPE. As always, thank you for tuning into HYPEBEAST Radio and Business of HYPE. Please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe to our other shows. This episode was recorded prior to COVID-19 with the interludes recorded during. We hope you guys stay safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing and find ways to still stay inspired during this time. For more info: https://hypebeast.com/2020/5/cj-hendry-interview-business-of-hype-jeffstaple-episode-71 CJ Hendry https://www.instagram.com/cj_hendry/?hl=en https://cjhendry.live/

Daniel Arsham is a prolific artist who blurs the lines between art, architecture and fashion. From creating eroded casts of contemporary objects to designing dystopian future spaces under his architecture firm, Snarkitecture, Arsham is renowned for his relentless experimentation of shape and form across diverse genres of work. His artistic worldview is what separates him from his fellow contemporaries, ushering an indefinable world filled with Future Relics that blend the past, present and future. Straddling this concept of complex futurism is what has transformed Daniel Arsham into one of today’s most influential, interdisciplinary artists. In recent years, he's collaborated with KITH, Dior, Porsche, COS, Pokémon and many more brands, further pushing his work into a complex and multi-dimensional space where his art has reached audiences worldwide. In this episode, we dive into the mind of this complex artist and discover Arsham's central theme recurring through his artwork—the ethos of being able to float in time.  He also discusses his three entities: Snarkitecture, Editions and his art production studio and how more than just being an artist, Arsham is a full on business man, operating many hats. Thank you so much for tuning into the season 8 premiere of Business of HYPE. As always, thank you for tuning into HYPEBEAST Radio and Business of HYPE. Please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe to our other shows. This episode was recorded prior to COVID-19 with the interludes recorded during. We hope you guys stay safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing and find ways to still stay inspired during this time. ***Important Note:  We excuse the audio quality of Jeff's interludes as they were recorded during COVID-19.  For more info: https://hypebeast.com/2020/4/daniel-arsham-interview-business-of-hype-jeffstaple-episode-70 Daniel Arsham: https://www.instagram.com/danielarsham/?hl=en https://www.danielarsham.com/ https://www.danielarsham.com/shop snarkitecture.com

Today's "Stay @ Home" series is with Round Two Co-Founder and vintage aficionado, Sean Wotherspoon (previously S4, E7 & E8). Calling in from Los Angeles, he updates us on the many projects he's been working on from opening his first web shop and delaying numerous collaborations to dealing with his new restaurant partnership and more. He also tells us about the importance of making conscious decisions. Thank you so much for tuning into our special Stay @ Home Series. We hope you guys stay safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing and find ways to still stay inspired during this time.  As always, thank you for tuning into HYPEBEAST Radio and Business of HYPE. Please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe to our other show. Sean Wotherspoon: https://anchor.fm/businessofhype/episodes/Sean-Wotherspoon---Part-1-e3hbeb https://anchor.fm/businessofhype/episodes/Sean-Wotherspoon---Part-2-e3jbl2/a-a1l7n0n https://www.instagram.com/sean_wotherspoon/ https://www.instagram.com/roundtwohollywood/

Today's "Stay @ Home" series is with Errolson Hugh, Founder of Acronym (previously S3, E3). Calling in from London, he updates us on how the climate has changed in Europe. Despite the current crisis, Errolson tells us that Acronym "operates outside the existing system"  and how their atypical business has managed to stay afloat. Thank you so much for tuning into our special Stay @ Home Series. We hope you guys stay safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing and find ways to still stay inspired during this time.  As always, thank you for tuning into HYPEBEAST Radio and Business of HYPE. Please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe to our other show. Errolson Hugh: https://anchor.fm/businessofhype/episodes/Errolson-Hugh-e2jse0/a-a1l7n0n https://acrnm.com/ https://www.instagram.com/erlsn.acr/