16 July 2006
Henry Mitchell Interior Design
Interior Designer Henry Mitchell (a long-time friend of STRIVE) recently took time to discuss with us his NEW design for a fashion-forward store in the heart of Harlem, "N"; as well the career he has built designing some of the most fabulous spaces in New York and trhoughout the country.
It's actually the perfect store for the "STRIVER" crowd. the new york times will have a blurb about it in today's (3/30/06) Thursday styles section...N a new upscale boutique at 116th and Lennox Ave carriesmens and womens wear, skincare, housewares, bags and jewelry... some brands they carry: tracey reese, byron lars, denim factory, siatta styles, g star, hugo boss, juicy couture, velvet - it is a beutiful store - the hours areSu & M 12 - 6, T - Th 11:30 - 8:30, F & Sa 11:30 - 9pm. come be a part of the renaissance.
| Harlem's N Store: |
On Henry: AN ADMIRER OF ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL, HENRY FIRST EXPRESSED HIS INTEREST IN DESIGN AT THE AGE OF 16 BY PAINTING HIS BEDROOM AND ALL OF ITS CONTENTS bLACK, MUCH TO HIS MOTHERS DISMAY. HE BEGAN HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER AT JACK tRAVIS aRCHITECTS AND IN 1995 OPENED HIS OWN PRACTICE , HENRY MITCHELL iNTERIOR ARCHITECTURE. QUITE RELIEVED, HIS MOTHER CELEBRATED WHEN NEW YORK MAGAZINE LISTED HIM AS ONE OF NEW YORK’S 100 "BEST" INTERIOR DESIGNERS. HENRY MITCHELL INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE ESTABLISHED IN 1995 IS A RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL DESIGN FIRM. AT THE HEART OF OUR PHILOSOPHY IS THE TENET THAT DESIGN IS LESS ABOUT IMPOSING DESIGN CONCEPTS ON A CLIENT, AND MORE ABOUT TRANSLATING EACH INDIVIDUAL’S VISION OF THEIR PERFECT ENVIRONS INTO ITS MATCHING PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION. THROUGH THIS PHILOSOPHY WE PRODUCE SPACES THAT ARE NOT ONLY BEAUTIFUL TO LOOK AT, BUT THAT ARE ALSO A PLEASURE TO BE IN ADDING TO OUR CLIENTS QUALITY OF LIFE. HENRY MITCHELL INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE’S DIVERSE AND DISCERNING CLIENTELE RELY ON OUR PROFICIENCY IN INTERIOR AND ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AS WELL AS EXPERTISE IN THE CUSTOM DESIGN OF FURNITURE, LIGHTING AND SITE-SPECIFIC HARDWARE. OUR DESIGN AESTHETIC SKILLFULLY BLENDS ELEMENTS OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN WITH ELEMENTS OF CLASSIC DESIGN. HENRY MITCHELL INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE IS RECOGNIZED FOR ITS DETAILED SIMPLICITY, FUNCTIONALITY, AND ELEGANCE AS WE STRIVES TO RENDER INTERIORS THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE, RATIONAL, AND PURE. OUR CREATIVE PROCESS INCORPORATES THE CONCEPTS OF MASTERFUL SPACE PLANNING AND AN INSISTENCE THAT THE INDIVIDUAL BE REFLECTED IN THEIR OWN ENVIRONMENT. HENRY HAS BEEN FEATURED ON tHE OPRAH SHOW, HE REGULARLY SERVES AS A DESIGN CRITIC AND JUROR FOR STUDENTS AT THE PRATT INSTITUTE, FIT, AND PARSON’S SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND IS A CONTRIBUTING EDITOR AT BUDGET LIVING MAGAZINE. HIS WORK HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN DESIGN BOOKS AND PROFILED IN NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS. HENRY EARNED HIS BFA IN INTERIOR DESIGN FROM THE FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (FIT). HENRY LIVES AND WORK IN NEW YORK CITY. HE NOW ONLY OCCASIONALLY PAINTS A ROOM BLACK.
STRIVE: What is success to you?
HM: Success is identifying your niche and honing it to
the point where it is not only marketable but also
profitable. It is of paramount importance that in
addition to identifying your strong suit that you also
identify areas where you are weak - fill those gaps
with strong people and you willl certainly get in the
"stride" for success.
STRIVE: What do you do in your spare time?
HM: I work hard and therefore I play hard. Usually I
simply enjoy the offerings of NYC; concerts,
lounges, restaurants, galleries, plays. But i have
no problem taking a quick trip to south beach, a
weekend in the country, a plane ride to the carribean
for a few days or hell... even an trip to europe.
STRIVE: What's your definition of a STRIVER?
HM: A striver is someone who refuses to let a "no" stop
them.
STRIVE: Who has influenced you the most during your career?
HM: Jack Travis (professor, practitioner, consulant on Spike's
Jungle Fever) influenced me the most.
STRIVE:What's your advice to those in puruit of their dreams?
HM: My advice to those in persuit of thier dreams is to
never quit. And when you fall (because you will)
DUST YOURSELF OFF and try AGAIN!
STRIVE:When will you consider yourself having made it.
HM: I will consider that i've made it when my money starts
working for me and I'm not working for my money.
STRIVE: When hiring new talent what do you look for in a person?
HM:When hiring new talent, I look First for talent and
skill set - and how well the person will fit into the
scheme of Henry Mitchell Interior Architecture
STRIVE: What's the first thing on your mind in the morning
and the last thing on your mind at night?
HM:The first thing I think of in the morning is "my thanks
for being given another day." the last thought of the
day is "what lessons did i learn in hopes of becoming a
better person.
STRIVE:What do you know for sure?
HM:I know for sure that caring about people and humanity
is more important than anyrthing.
STRIVE: Where are you from?
HM: I'm from Oakland, CA. I come from a large family; 4 brothers
and 4 sisters. I've always been creative and a go
getter. You have to be when you are from a large
family, otherwise you get lost.
STRIVE: Who do you look up to?
HM: I admire the routes taken by Reginald Lewis, Bob
Johnson, Sean Combs, Russell Simmons, Jay-Z; brothers
who persued thier passion to profitablity.
STRIVE: What sets you apart in your industry?
HM: I'm set apart from the crowd because
architects/designers are known for pushing thier style
onto a client... my works are always collaborations
with the clients and that's why I'm on top of my
game... when you do that folks seek you out... that's
why oprah came calling.
Henry's work, in order of appearance:
The New "N" Store in Harlem (116 and Lennox),
Gordon Chambers residence Bath,
Gordon Chambers residence Kitchen.
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DETNY by Shawn and Shane
Arguably one of the best new footwear and soon to be apparel companies on the East Coast: Detny by Shawn and Shane has taken great strides due to its Co-CEO's Shawn and Shane Ward. The awesome twin team has mastered everything from college Omega-Psi-Phi frat boy life, (college Division 1) football, engineering, and design. And now with projected sales in 2006 soaring towards 1.3 million, its safe to safe say, the footwear industry has been taken by storm.
Shawn and Shane sat with STRIVE to give us the story on the making of a successful design company.
STRIVE: What do you do?
SHANE: I am 1/2 of the twin design duo that are responsible for Detny by Shane&Shawn. I am officially the Creative Director/CO-CEO of our company which means I am in charge of all of the shoe designs, the brand imaging, and development of product overseas in our China factories.
SHAWN IS THE PRESIDENT/CO-CEO OF DETNY BY SHANE & SHAWN. I OVERSEE ALL FINANCE, MARKETING, SALES AND OPERATIONS INITIATIVES.
STRIVE: and how have you done it so well that you are a STRIVER?
SHANE: Though a lot of hard work , networking, and faith. Owning your own business is very difficult. Our three biggest challenges have been...
-how do we differenciate ourselves from the competition?
-how to we get in front of the key retailers/buyers to try and sale-in our product to them?
-and biggest of all, how will we raise the funds to keep our business afloat?
These are all very difficult questions to answer, and the answer is a lot more complicated, and fluid than one could imagine. When I Say fluid, I mean that these questions do not have answers that are precise and you can put a date on them. As an entrepreneur, you are always trying to make your product stand out from others, but stay marketable, trying to sale , sale, sale, and you are constantly trying to find more creative and smart ways to make money.
All of this takes a ton of hard work, an extensive amount of networking, and never giving up by having a tremendous amount of faith in a higher power and what you are doing.
SHAWN: I HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB BY TAKING OUR COMPANY FROM SALES OF $300K TO OVER $1.3MILL (PROJECTED FOR 2006). IT HAS BEEN A TEAM EFFORT, BUT, WE HAVE GONE FROM 12 ACCOUNTS IN OUR 1ST SEASON, TO NOW HAVING PRODUCT SOLD IN NORDSTROM, ZAPPOS.COM, BELLAGIO HOTELS, SHOEMALL.COM, AND MANY FINE BOUTIQUES IN THE US, CANADA, AND NEW ZEALAND.
STRIVE: How did you get started? Is the shoe company something you always wanted to do?
SHANE: Actually, as a kid, I never thought of owning my own shoe line, I always thought I would design cars. Cars have always been fascinating to me. However, my life was changed in my senior year at the University of Michigan when a friend of mine (who was designing shoes at adidas) called me up and asked me if I wanted to interview for a shoe design job at adidas (in Portland, OR). Now, up to this point, I had worked only in very serious environments as an intern (General Motors, Steelcase, and Cadillac), so when I visited the adidas offices, there where tons of young-recent graduates, a basketball court in the middle of the office, and people wearing shorts and t-shirts, I was blown away. And on top of that, they paid WELL. So, the decision was pretty easy as to where I was going after I graduated. I ended up working there for four great years, and after, a one year stint at "and1" in Pennsylvania.
My brother and I always have had an entreprenureal bug inside of us, but we never knew what and when we would start our own company. However, after partnering with Shawn in New York to begin our freelance design company (sw2design), we pretty much knew that footwear was going to be the most fun and financially rewarding path we could take for owning our own company.
SHAWN: NEVER THOUGHT I’D BE IN FASHION. RECEIVED MY BACHELORS AND MASTERS DEGREES IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, AND WORKED IN AUTOMOTIVE FOR DAIMLERCHRYSLER FOR 5 YRS. AFTER THAT, I DECIDED TO RESIGN, AND MOVE TO NYC AND WORK FOR MYSELF ON THE STOCK MARKET AS A DAY-TRADER. AFTER DOING THAT FOR 2 YRS, I PARTNERED WITH SHANE AND LAUNCHED SW2DESIGN. THEN, DETNY BY SHANE & SHAWN EVOLVED AFTER THAT.
STRIVE: Who influenced you the most in your career/life when you were starting out?
SHANE: I would definitely say there were three people. My mother of course, because she has always been our biggest supporter in everything we have done. She has also always kept us spiritually grounded when we needed it.
I would then say it had to be our Grandfather. He actually had his own shoe shop when he was raising his family in Williamson, West Virginia. He has always taken destiny in his own hands and will always be the epidamy of a great leader and father.
Last but not least, I would say it was one of our mentors by the name of Peter Moore. He is a legend in the athletic shoe industry. Not only did he design the first two Jordan shoes, but he also designed the Jordan logo, the current adidas logo, and was the creative director at adidas when I arrived there in ’96.
SHAWN: MY BIGGEST INFLUENCE HAS TO BE MY MOTHER. WHEN I LOOK AT HER OR THINK ABOUT HER, I ALWAYS WANT TO DO BETTER.WHICH IN THE END, WILL MAKE HER LIFE BETTER.
STRIVE: What jobs ! did you hold before the DETNY?
SHANE: I worked as a shoe designer at adidas for four years in Portland , OR, then at And1 for a year in Pennsylvania, and finally Shawn and I started our freelance design company sw2design in New York in 2001.
SHAWN: DAIMLERCHRYSLER FOR 2 YRS AS INTERN, DAIMLERCHRYSLER FOR 5 YRS AS EMPLOYEE, SELF EMPLOYED TRADER ON THE STOCK MARKET, FINALLY SELF EMPLOYED WITH SW2DESIGN.
STRIVE: What advice would you give others attempting to make their dreams come true?
SHANE: This one is an easy one, but one that needs to be taken very seriously. There are 3 recommendations I would make that I think stand apart from a list of probably15 that I could give total. They are…
A. Make sure you raise A LOT of money before you take on your venture. When I say a lot, I mean double of what you find out through your research (because all industries are different) is needed to start your company, then spend it as if you only had a 1/2 of what you raise. This will make your life a lot easier 2-3 years down the road.
B. Have a TRUSTWORTHY partner. When I say trust, I don’t only mean with the finances, the business, or how much work they put in. But also the fact that you trust them to be there through thick and thin, because there will be times you will want to quit or you may even have a breakdown. You will need a partner who can reciprocate the trust and support that you are willing to give them when they are down.
C. LOVE what you do. If you don’t love what you are doing, it will be very hard to succeed. Because it will only take the love of that industry that you are venturing into that will keep you going every day, working day and night, and sacrificing some of the lifestyle you had before the company began.
SHAWN: NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!
STRIVE: "Making IT" is not definitive, yet when will you consider yourself as having made it?
SHANE: There will be one of three things in my mind. One, when I have a million dollars in the bank account. This will mean to me that our brand has such a significant share of the market, that even me, as an owner has a great saleary. Two, when we are able to buy our mother her dream home. And Three, when we are on Oprah!!!
SHAWN: WHEN SHANE AND I ROLL UP IN A NICE CAR TO MY MOTHER’S CURRENT HOUSE, TELL HER TO GET IN REAL QUICK, AND THAT WE ARE GOING HOUSE SHOPPING FOR HER.
STRIVE: When you are hiring new talent, what do you look for?
SHANE: Good question. We are looking first and foremost for enthusiasm and belief in what we are doing. If a person has a ton of energy and believe in what wer are trying to build, then they will fit the personality of Detny by Shane&Shawn, and will bring their A-game every day.
Secondly, their experience and leadership. We will want someone who has a strong enough background so that when Shawn and I are away, we know that the business is being ran with an extreme amount of professionalism.
SHAWN: I LOOK FOR A PASSION FOR FASHION, A FRESH ATTITUDE, ENTHUSIASM, AND I LOOK FOR HOW THAT PERSON WILL MIX WITH OUR HIGH PACED, YET YOUTHFUL ENVIRONMENT. IF I SEE ALL OF THIS, I AM GOOD!
STRIVE: What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning and what is the last thing you think of at night.
SHANE: 1st thing is “Thank you Jesus for another day of health’!! And when I go to sleep, I am thinking about issues I have to address the next day.
SHAWN: THE FIRST THING I DO IS HIT THE SNOOZE, SO I CAN SLEEP SOME MORE. THE LAST THING I DO IS SAY MY PRAYERS FOR ANOTHER DAY ON THIS EARTH, AND PRAY FOR ALL OF MY FAMILY, AND THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD.
STRIVE: What do you know for sure? (Oprah question)
SHANE: I know that we will be the next big Lifestyle brand on the level of Kenneth Cole, Deisel, and Camper.
SHAWN: THAT DETNY AND ‘SHANE & SHAWN’ WILL BE HOUSEHOLD NAMES BY 2009.
STRIVE: Is there anyone's path that you particulary admire and would like to emulate?
SHANE: I would say Kenneth Cole. Although he had a much smoother transition into starting his own brand (his family has been in the industry for years) , I think that he has not only found new, creative ways to expand his fashion empire (Kenneth Cole, Kenneth Cole New York, Reation, Unlisted) but he has always stayed socially and politically aware with what is going on in the world.
SHAWN: P.DIDDY. HE IS A SELF MADE MAN, AND HE HAS OPPORTUNITIES COMING TO HIM EVERY DAY. TO GO FROM AN INTERN/PARTY PROMOTER, TO A FRANCHISE IS VERY INSPIRING.
STRIVE: What makes DETNY and YOU original? Sets you apart? Why are you on top of your game?
SHANE: What sets Detny by Shane&Shawn apart from everyone else is us. Shawn and I are probably the only two young designers who are not only the customer but the maker as well. We target our shoes for the Internationally minded Jet-Setter who wants the latest in fashion and uncompromised comfort. And that person is us, and these are the people we hang out with. Most of the other brands are owned by people who don’t necessary reflect the image they are portraying. For this reason alone, I think we can directly connect with our customer better than other brands.
Secondly, we have a unique background for someone who is creating fashion products. Our background is athletic shoes. This give us a unique perspective on how shoes should be constructed and put togher to ensure that our product fit and lasts better than your average shoe on the casual shelf.
SHAWN: WE ARE SET APART BECAUSE FOR THE MOSTPART, WE ARE ONE OF THE YOUNGEST FOOTWEAR BRAND OWNERS IN THE WORLD. WEARE TWINS ALSO! OUR PRODUCT IS A STEP ABOVE BECAUSE OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE TO MIX GREAT DESIGNS WITH THE MOST COMFORTABLE BOTTOMS IN THE WORLD!!!!!
STRIVE: What's next, and what can the STRIVE readers do to support you.
SHANE: Whats next is the launch of our high-end collection called SHANE&SHAWN. This collection will not only consist of shoes, but also of hand bags, jackets, belts and hats. This Collection will launch in Spring 2007.
STRIVE readers can support Detny by Shane&Shawn by BUYING SHOES!!!! Our shoes can be found at around
-10 Nordstrom’s across the nation (Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, DC area, and Seattle
-PriceGrabber.com
-And about 40 Independent boutiques around the nation (you can go to www.detny.com to find a boutique near you
-And on www.detny.com
LOG ONTO WWW.DETNY.COM, CHECK OUT OUR PRODUCT. IF YOU SEE ANYTHING YOU LIKE, BUY THEM, AND YOUR FEET WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!!!!!!