What originally drew you to fashion, how old were you and how did you know this was the career path you wanted?
Honestly, it was always part of the plan. Growing up, my mother used to work at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City, and I used to head there every day after school and walk the racks of clothing in each department, studying them. I found it all to be so fascinating.

You have an MBA from Columbia, how has that education played a pivotal role for you at the helm of this brand?
I laugh now in hindsight as “the creative guy” in the group, but I always felt that my education empowered me to think structurally in solving creative problems. That program is best-in-class and I use my knowledge gained from Columbia every day of my life.

What is New Republic’s origin story? What makes the brand unique?
New Republic was originally incubated inside of the famed men’s subscription box, The Menlo Club, by my partners Dee and Andres, the founders of Five Four Group. They saw the opportunity to spin it off into a real brand and approached me to make it happen. Since then, we’ve built three brands together and do so while leveraging the broader resources of their fashion holding company. It allows us to be flexible, dynamic, and focus on building our brand versus having to invest our time in infrastructure or raising capital.

What’s the biggest difference between being the brand’s CEO and Creative Director?
I was always told growing up that you either have a right brain or left brain. I am constantly seeking to disprove that theory. I believe that function and design are synonymous with one another, especially with a consumer brand. I understand how to build, scale, and run our business, and I do so in a way that delivers a consistent, transparent, and aesthetically sophisticated message to our customers.  

Who are your inspirations? What designers do you admire and why?
Tom Ford will always stand out as an inspiration to me, as a true multi-hyphenate that can break down barriers by delivering incredible creative work in every capacity. He served as the creative director of famed fashion houses, launched an eponymous brand that holds the test of time, and is an accredited filmmaker. I do not believe in labels, or in placing ourselves in just one box. “I am a ___. I work in ___.” I believe that we are what we make, and we are how we spend our time.  

How do you come up with a design idea or style?
I often find design inspiration in tangential spaces such as art and architecture. I also admire couture designers that will construct multiple pieces with the same fabrics, patterns, or materials. We do that a lot with our brands, which is not only more efficient in the design process but also helps us move towards our aspirations in sustainability.

When monitoring fashion trends, how do you decide what current trends might influence your products? Whether that’s colorways, silhouettes, or fabrics.
I preach “effortless style” and “classic design” at our organization, which of course is subjective. I believe that certain designs that can stand the test of time are worth investing in. We consider this mantra in everything that we make. We only want to develop and release products that will be stylish forever.

What goes into the production of a specific shoe from inception all the way to the consumers feet?
How much time do you have? Ha, joking aside, I think that consumers have a hard time conceptualizing just how complicated it is to make a pair of shoes. Every one of our products is handmade, utilizing premium materials and construction. In its most romantic form, we start with an idea on a napkin and develop it into a shoe that will look great, feel superbly comfortable, and last as long as possible.

We heard you have a sister brand Melrose Place, can you tell us about that line and what it’s about?
If New Republic is my day job, Melrose Place is my passion project. I wanted to develop a brand that represented the uniform many of us in Los Angeles (and more specifically, West Hollywood) wear every day. Garment dyed sweatshirts, vintage-inspired graphic tees, and impossibly soft French terry make up much of our Melrose Place line and we are about to launch our third collection. It has been unbelievably fun to experiment with fabric, color and shapes that push the envelope on what some used to define as “basics.”

You launched a women’s collection, what makes the Venice Platform different from the other competitors out there on the market?
Our women’s collection represents the best of what we deliver for our best-selling products: comfort-first, effortless style, enhanced durability, and attainable price points. The quality of our women’s collection is on-par with shoes 2-5x the price, and they honestly look amazing.

What’s up next for New Republic, what can we expect in the future from the brand?
Our future is sustainable. Bar none. We are already investing in better practices, better materials and better partners that help us get to where we know we need to be. We still have a long way to go, but we believe that the road to full sustainability has stops along the way, and that it doesn’t have to be the flip of a switch. We encourage every brand, especially in the footwear industry, to follow the leads of innovators in the space as we have, and to move towards a sustainable future.

This story is featured in Glamoholic Magazine's 10th Anniversary-Special Issue. Order your copy here!