AskMen (AM): How did you start your career in fashion?
Simon Spurr (SS): After having made a mental commitment to start my own company in search of a more balanced work environment, I started it with three pairs of denim. It was a strategic decision, as I thought that denim was a commonly purchased product that was an entry vehicle into building other product categories and ultimately into building a strongly rooted brand.
Having worked on the initial designs in my spare time from my apartment (which would become my office for the next four years), I set out developing and sampling the product using the best quality denim and manufacturing available in the USA. My first and biggest foot in the door experience was having Bergdorf Goodman be the first store to carry the denim. Tommy Fazio, the then-fashion director of the men's store, bought the jeans on belief in the product and belief in me to grow the brand. Tommy is now the president of SIMON SPURR.
AM: What is the appeal of working in the fashion industry as a man?
SS: I think it really depends on what you do. I'm not sure that being a man in the industry has any advantage over being a woman. Why would it? Having the English accent is probably my biggest advantage. I mean this only in the sense that people don't expect to hear it when they meet me. And it's almost become a distinctive point of difference for people to remember me by.
AM: What are some non-glamorous skills required in your field?
SS: Honestly, there are so many daily activities in the job of building a brand that are far from glamorous.
Math for sure: import/export duties, freight charges, fuel charges, pick tickets, costings, basic accounting, cash flow, etc. Retail headaches: RTVs (return to vendor, when someone sends a product back from the store. Thankfully, this doesn't happen that much), packing product, shipping product. I'm sure most designers started by doing everything themselves in the beginning, and I'm no exception.
Travel: It sounds exciting, and it is in some ways, but to fly 10 hours to Italy (in economy), get off of the plane and go straight to a factory to work another 10 hours is tough. Then to drive to the next factory, work again, sleep, work, sleep, work. Stamina definitely comes into play here. When you're the only one there, you just have to get it done!
AM: How do you see your specific field within the industry evolving in the next five years?
SS: I actually see menswear as one of the most exciting categories in fashion. In conjunction with the economical bounce back that we are experiencing, we are also witnessing a period where men are really starting to take a different approach to their own personal style. Men are dressing in a far more sophisticated way (physically and metaphorically). As the spotlight shifts from womenswear onto menswear a little more, the possibilities of growth are enormous. Seasons are becoming less important. Men are traveling more, and between varying climates, demanding more trans-seasonal product.
How things are made, the quality of the components being used in the garment or having the product "Made in Italy" are all becoming important factors again when considering clothes. Aesthetically, I would love to see more individuality at a mass-market level. More creativity and a better understanding of the garment from the average consumer. I really think the internet, fashion forums and blogs will educate the consumer and help make these changes for the benefit of us all.
