On paper it would seem as a huge disadvantage, I agree. As odd as it sounds though, this is actually a huge advantage, providing you have the knowledge and expertise to operate this way. It is amazing how much more you are able to produce with less, when focused and efficient minded. I feel that this is one of our biggest advantages and makes us unique as a company. Sometimes less resources is easier for maintaining consistency in fostering initial concept to final product. We don’t have to deal with layers of corporate bureaucracy, draining meetings that suck the life out of you and ultimately the creative process. This is exactly the culture you’ll find with the larger brands. Believe me, if any competitors are reading this they know exactly what I’m talking about. If a creative idea emerges and makes sense for our brand we are off to the races. As you mentioned, we do have 3 collections. The reality though is despite my performance based background building footwear for world-class athletes, we are only producing a fraction of performance related product compared to our competition. For us, the performance category is primarily used as vehicle that’s two fold; use athletes to gain brand credibility and establish Pony as a knowledgeable, reputable footwear manufacturer (separating us from hundreds of lifestyle brands) and help set up future revenue streams when the performance pendulum begins to swing back towards a consumer driven opportunities.
I can understand what you said regarding the difficulties in maneuvering the corporate landscape at times. Many industry friends often echo the same sentiments regarding getting anything done, big or small. However as Pony grows, how do you minimize, or better yet, eliminate the growing pains that comes with a company that’s becoming larger and larger, or will by virtue of being made up of a “new guard” of management and approach, everything from the top to the design team can be stream-lined into one cohesive unit?
I’m not sure you can prevent this transition from happening. I saw this happen first hand during my days with adidas. It was almost as if a cultural shift happened over night. I guess being wide eyed to this potential phenomenon as we continue to grow will hopefully act as checks and balances in helping control a complete shift. And just to clarify, I wasn’t necessarily knocking the corporate giant infrastructure as a whole, just trying to express how both scenarios are diametrically opposed and this new landscape is a refreshing change from a designers perspective.
With the lifestyle component of products all too often involving collaborations, how have you approached these scenarios and marketing tools? I know that you’ve put together a select few collaborations, what are some of your criteria for moving forward with a collabo?
There was clearly a time when collaborating within the footwear industry was a very progressive, impactful marketing strategy. Recently though, I think this concept has become very watered down and has even reached critical mass to some extent. The consumer has come to expect this marketing angle, ultimately putting more pressure on the actual product resulting from the collaboration. With that said, collaborations can still be very effective in growing brand awareness if done strategically with a level of caution. Our primary objective for collaborating is obtaining access to a consumer base and distribution channel that would be difficult to crack independently. We do however try and limit the number of c-labs because we are still in the initial phase of the Pony re-launch and it is extremely important not to confuse consumers with too many mixed messages that could potentially overshadow our own brand message. This can be a slippery slope and ultimately be more detrimental than effective in gaining consumer confidence. As our brand position continues to become more understood and accepted, we’ll look at pursuing more collaborative opportunities that are business responsible for Pony.
For the 2010 spring collection, what can we expect? For the 2010 What sort of inspirations are integrated into this season? Do you often come across interesting concepts but have difficult converting them into shoe form?
As I touched on earlier, our SS’10 collection is a continuation of our FW’09 styles with more understated, versatile color and material stories appropriate for the spring season. Vintage and Vintage inspired designs make up the bulk of our offerings. 3 overall themes “Perfect Imbalance,” “Throw Forwards”, and “Suitable” primarily drove the collection. The inspiration for the Perfect Imbalance theme is primarily based around the historic and influential Bauhaus design movement from the early 1900’s. Bold, stark color blocking combined with radically simplified forms communicates harmony between the function and the uniqueness of the design construction or material. This theme is all about the balancing of capturing attention without screaming too loud. The throw forwards theme is all about celebrating our authentic sports brand roots. PONY Throw backs from vintage catalogs are the driving inspiration behind these “restored” products. Nostalgic, athletic inspired color and material stories from yester-year reemerge on these fresh yet subtle classic updates. Throw Forwards offer a glimpse of our past while maintaining relevance for today. The “suitable” theme is built around versatility and subtle sophistication. In this theme you will find subtle, fresh updates of traditional, classic materials such as canvas, suede, and plaid integrated in understated, but smart combinations. Whether the occasion requires dressing your attire up or down this collection is versatile and suitable for any social setting.
