REED KRAKOFF X FIAFNY

Anyone in today’s industry has the same reaction when they hear the name “Reed Krakoff”: a grin of undeniable admiration. The man who took Coach from a $500 million handbag company to an almost $5 billion American fashion house. The man who also created and maintained a beautiful womenswear collection bearing his own name. The man who, despite his extremely demanding career, still manages to be an avid art collector, husband and father of four.  Every now and then I ask myself, is there anything he can’t do?

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of sitting in on an interview with Reed Krakoff at the Fashion Talks: FIAF 2012 event here in New York. Introduced by Roberta Myers, editor in chief of ELLE, Reed spoke about everything from how he created the infamous Boxer bag for his own line “RK”, as he calls it, to the trials and tribulations of his first years at Coach.

Lew Frankfort, chairman and chief executive officer at Coach once described Reed as having “the ability to blend art and commerce”. Perfectly stated, Frankfort depicts the exact blend that Reed has mastered over the years. When asked about how he manages to keep Coach and RK so separate all the time, Reed simply states that the two keep him balanced and keep him on his toes.  “When you look at a collection you’ve seen so many times, you need an outlet for creativity and RK gives me that.”

Reed states that the most important thing you must understand is that everything takes “time” and you must be allowed to fail in order the succeed. He claims that his failures (and almost being fired multiple times) at Coach were what truly molded his success.  Reed goes on to express his compassion for young designers, identifying with the struggles they face in today’s industry. “I feel a lot for designers today, they don’t get time. They get two collections and they have to redefine a brand, get great reviews, be commercially successful and have an iconic handbag. It’s just not possible. And I think unfortunately that’s what people expect these days.”

I think it is safe to say that everyone left that evening completely mesmerized, Reed has such a confident yet humble air about him.  For me, the most encouraging words from Reed were those in which he described his insatiable appetite for learning. I was so impressed by the fact that he strives so hard to put himself in a space that allows him to do what he does so well but still pushes him, challenges him and forces him to study and understand something through different eyes. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Reed Krakoff; he is a force to be reckoned with in today’s ever-changing industry and his success proves that there is an agreeable harmony between the imagination of fashion and the business of entrepreneurship.

 images: www.reedkrakoff.com, Getty Images