Common Projects Founders Talk Brand Origins with Business of Fashion

The good folks at Business of Fashion (BoF) recently sat down with Peter Poopat and Flavio Girolami, the founders of Common Projects, and discussed the inception and growing success of the New York-based footwear brand. Poopat and Girolami came up with the concept in the mid ’90s when the sneaker market was saturated with casual footwear and lacked more refined sneakers. Together, with seed money coming from their own pockets, they teamed up on a mission to create a clean-cut, high-quality sneaker made with fine Italian leather. Common Projects footwear stand out for its visually clean aesthetic, save for the small gold numbers stamped on the heel of each shoe (and to which correspond to size, style and colour). This subtle detail has now become its signature branding, and the shoe’s simple design does not take away from the fine craftsmanship; rather, the understated simplicity enriches its elegance. With the Internet propelling awareness and purchases, and the following surge in the luxury sneakers market, Common Projects has flourished, even bringing about collaborative projects with fashion designers and an expansion into new silhouettes. Here are some excerpts from the BoF interview below, and you can check out the full story here.

As it happened, Girolami had a base in the hills of the Marche region of Italy, a manufacturing hub specialised in footwear, and he soon challenged a local factory, which had been making formal dress shoes for over a century, to make him and Poopat their perfect pair of sneakers: a shoe that was comfortable but could be dressed up, offering a balance of quality construction and understated style, something that bridged the gap between the Guccis and Nikes they mutually adored.  The idea for a brand was born.

Tokyo-based Ships was the first international retailer to place an order, but they weren’t the only ones interested in the line. “Everyone was interested right off the bat,” recalls Poopat. Demand for the product doubled every season. But Poopat and Girolami made a loss for their first couple of years. “We didn’t charge the right price,” admits Girolami. The company entered the market with product priced at $265, but were forced to recalibrate, raising prices gradually, so as not to shock consumers. (Today, the basic white Achilles retails for around $400).

In the sneaker world, resale value is a common indicator of a brand’s cachet. Depending on their rarity, ‘deadstock’ trainers from Nike’s Jordan brand can easily fetch 300 percent more than their original retail price on sites like eBay, where buyers paid $338 million for sneakers last year. Interestingly, there is a fertile resale market for second-hand Common Projects sneakers, too. Arun Gupta, the founder of Grailed.com, an online marketplace for fashion, says shoes by Common Projects are always in demand. “There is just so much hype around them; the Achilles almost always resells for $250-plus” even when worn.