[S1E5] Cult Of WeWork
Bloomberg News reporter Ellen Huet felt the show was inaccurate in portraying WeWork co-founder Miguel McKelvey as "a clueless punchline", when in reality "many former employees saw him as a key architect of the company culture".[29]
[S1E5] Cult of WeWork
For our Season 7 opener, Jeff sits down with Edson Sabajo and Guillaume "Gee" Schmidt, Co-Founders of Dutch streetwear brand Patta. For the past 15 years, they've built a cult following where they've pioneered the movement of streetwear becoming architects for other upcoming brands to make way. Started in 2005, the two met working at popular vinyl store, Fat Beats, where they bonded over their love of hip-hop. The two eventually turned their hobby into a business and began traveling to cities worldwide to collect sneakers unavailable in Europe. Years into this business model, they eventually acquired accounts and have worked on popular collaborations with Asics, Nike, Mephisto and much more. Today they have a popular clothing brand, brick & mortar store, running team, foundation and music component.
Nowadays there is no area in modern day fashion & pop culture that the brand hasn't touched. From it's numerous collabs with brands to working with A-list celebrities from Kim and Kanye to Beyonce & Jay-Z, Olivier Rousteing has pushed the agenda of the Balmain.
In recent years esports has skyrocketed into popularity, now becoming a billion dollar industry and soon to surpass more viewership than the NFL, MLB and NBA. Gaming is no longer a "basement activity" but a cultural norm. Companies like HP have developed a product line called OMEN, which focuses on laptops, desktops and accessories for the intent of gaming. Meanwhile groups like FaZe Clan have their own massive social following, marketing agency, apparel line, in-house production studio, talent management business, sales team and much more. Together they are both pushing the agenda of esports, especially during a time where people are finding more relevance in online communities.
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.
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.
His work has had an impenetrable mark through multiple generations, defining the rich Chicano and lowrider culture of Los Angeles. He's been a professional since high school, claiming success prior the existence of the internet, cellphone and social media. For Mister Cartoon, gigs relied on the word of mouth and the close-knit community of Los Angeles that he grew up in.
In this episode, Drieke tells us how Nike has stood the test of time, becoming sneaker culture's dominating force. Having worked with Mark Parker, Fraser Cooke and Sandy Bodecker, she shares with us immeasurable words of advice from the \\\"Five Fundamentals Behind a Great Collaboration\\\" to the importance of cross-pollination and story-telling. Later on she discusses that despite sneaker culture's current popularity, there's much more opportunity to be made. She emphasizes that \\\"this is just the beginning\\\".
Kerby Jean-Raymond is the Founder of Pyer Moss and Artistic Director of Reebok Studies. Merging luxe and streetwear, Pyer Moss is the mens-and womenswear label changing the fashion industry by storm. Since 2013, Pyer Moss has had an impenetrable force gaining favor from notable celebrities, winning the CFDA Fashion Fund Prize, being named Forbes 30 under 30 and Times Next 100 List and much more. Despite his wild success, Kerby admits that his journey was riddled with failed investor relationships, battles of negotiating power, difficulties finding proper factories and more. Through it all what remained constant was his fervent passion for good design and a natural eye.
Recorded at the Parker New York, the two talk asian representation, anecdotal stories about Mike Tyson, the inspiration behind naming Reed Space, their respective paths to a million dollars, the current state of sneaker culture, and so much more. As the host states, this is a show by \\\"Ben Baller, not Ben Humble,\\\" so in this podcast you'll get to know a deeper side to the polyglot entrepreneur. Whether it's guests like jeffstaple and The Shoe Surgeon or Jordyn Woods and George Lopez, Ben leaves no room for a topic to be left behind.
Despite her wild success, Melody may just only be getting started. The designer is challenging norms in streetwear whilst also paving the way for women to have a place in a frequently male-dominated industry. So revisit our episode with the culture-shifting leader as she takes into her early beginnings from living in China for five months to eventually launching her own label and collaborating with Reebok.
Our latest show, The Anthropology, dedicates each season to one brand where our host, fashion journalist Tiffany Godoy, takes a deep dive into the companies, brands and people shaping fashion and culture today. Each season focuses on a different topic that criss-crosses borders, languages, genres and eras to tell the story and break down the ethos of these key figures.
Finally, we'd like to announce our newest podcast, The Anthropology. where we take a deep dive into the companies, brands and people shaping fashion and culture today. Each season focuses on a different topic that criss-crosses borders, languages, genres and eras to tell the story and break down the ethos of these key figures.
In its first season, Fashion Anthropology, journalist Tiffany Godoy talks to the artist, designers and original street scene makers that surround the brand Slam Jam. It serves as not only a distributor, retail space and online store, but also a cultural hub for art, fashion, music and much more. Slam Jam holds on strong to its underground roots, pioneering the wave of streetwear in Europe before it became mainstream. Founded by Luca Benini in 1989, it started as an Italian distributor of Stussy, Carhartt WIP and Nike. In 2018, they opened the art cultural space Spazio Maiocchi in Milan and Luca Benini alongside Matthew Williams created the brand Alyx. In this five episode series we immerse ourselves into the culture of Slam Jam.
Miki Agrawal is the founder of Wild, Thinx and Tushy. On the season 4 finale jeffstaple sit down with the entrepreneur and author to discuss how she started her three companies: Wild, a gluten-free pizza restaurant, Thinx, period-proof underwear and Tushy, an affordable clip-on bidet. She tells us why she loves shifting culture through the lens of products; and the importance behind constantly challenging social norms.
Eric Koston is a skateboarding legend, labeled often as the \\\"Michael Jordan\\\" of skateboarding. In this live recording, he details on his early rise to the sport, the complexities of sponsorships, creating his own brand and the interwoven cultures of streetwear and skate culture
Yassine Saidi, head of PUMA's lifestyle and collaborations division, details his exciting career path with some stellar advice along the way. On the Season 2 finale of Business of HYPE With jeffstaple, you'll hear Jeff address in his opening, the success of any sportswear brand relies on a recipe of history, legacy, cultural authenticity and potential, and the chef that brings it all to the table. In this episode you'll meet PUMA's Executive Chef. 041b061a72