《i-D》专访 Band of Outsiders 创始人 Scott Sternberg - 回首品牌创立初始，并畅谈最爱联名企划

2014 年正值 Band of Outsiders 创立 10 周年，这个由 Scott Sternberg 创立的洛杉矶时装品牌以「叛逆理念」重新定义了现代美式风尚。无论是用 Polaroid 即时成像相机拍摄由 Frank Ocean、Jason Schwartzmann 和 Kirsten Dunst 等巨星出镜的宣传大片，还是在品牌位于纽约 Soho Wooster 街道的旗舰店设立 Momofuku 甜点食坊， Sternberg 总是特立独行，以天马行空的创意惊艳公众的眼球。近日，这位随性不羁的时尚设计师接受了知名时尚杂志《i-D》的专访，Scott Sternberg 回首了品牌从 2004 年创立至今的一路走来，畅谈自己最爱的联名企划，并在最后展望了品牌未来发展方向。感兴趣的朋友可以前去《i-D》官方网站在线阅读专访完整内容。

What was the climate like for an upcoming designer back in 2004? How do you feel that’s changed?

It felt like there were less young brands in the market at that time, especially in menswear. It also felt like there weren’t very high barriers to entry. Magazines were excited about new brands, not that they aren’t anymore, but I think now it’s a much more dense and cluttered environment. It’s become sort of a cottage industry, harbouring young designers’ careers. And that’s a good thing, because it keeps those barriers to entry equally as low as when I started. But it’s certainly more noisy and cluttered now.

What have been some of your favourite collaborative projects?

I loved working with Sperry Topsider back in the day. Not by design but just by chance, I really had a strong instinct that I wanted to make boat shoes – sort of fuck with them and bring something new to it. It opened up a whole new audience well beyond the core skinny preppy guy and expanded people’s perception of the brand. It was also really fun! We made some super imaginative product with them. They really gave us carte blanche to do whatever we wanted.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in the past decade?

I think the most important thing is to stay focused on a very clear message and very clear product. It’s so easy to be seduced by everything in the fashion conversation: other designers, what’s in stores, what’s selling, what might be a trend, what might not be, and everything in between. There are a lot of brands out there, a lot for a customer to buy, a lot of messages for them to take in and process and try to understand. So focusing and keeping things simple is the best approach for sure.