What was KITH’s most memorable moment of 2017?

I believe our most memorable moment was the fashion show. It’s been something I’ve been working on since the day after last year’s show. The team and I spent a lot of energy on that one. The opening of the flagship in SoHo was also the biggest moment.

Where do you plan do to take KITH in the next 5-10 years?

I don’t think of our business that way. When I think of KITH, I think of the next year or year and a half, and trying to maximize the potential by doing it as easily as possible, and not tarnishing the brand in any way. I’m just not able to think that far out because I don’t want to overdo it with the brand so I’m trying to grow it in the most organic and strategic way to make sure the brand’s integrity is strong.

What’s something about the fashion industry you didn’t know that you wish you did know when you started?

I wish I knew how to make apparel when I first started. Having to learn the brand’s path to start making apparel at the end of 2012, you come a long way in five years and I feel like I've gotten really really good at making apparel now. I wish it was something I learned back in school or back in business management, which was the class I dropped out one semester before graduating.

Can you share a crucial piece of advice that you’ve learned working in the industry?

I always say this whenever I can: I think it’s very important to start at the very bottom of whatever business you want to do, learn the business from the bottom up, and understand the way the business works. Knowing how it works from the bottom up really helps because kids nowadays just want to start high up and not put the work in, and that’s impossible. You have to put the work in to get to where you go. You can’t go from A to Z without going through the alphabet. It’s really important to understand that.