Men’s lifestyle brand John Ferdinand started with a jewelry collection. With a vision of looking at the radius of one foot around the man, two feet, to six feet around the man they are planning on broadening their range, but in the interim, their sleek clean soulful collection is essential for an gentleman’s wardrobe.
Lynn Furge: Why do you feel men's accessories have made such a splash in the marketplace?
Mark Armstrong: Men's accessories have been quite an ignored category. People think men don't wear jewelry, yet I'm constantly surprised to see what men are wearing. Men are finding ways to express their individuality and creativity and connect with meaning in their lives. We've found a niche for men who want something different from the ho-hum traditional cufflinks to the more gothic skulls and daggers stuff which you see everywhere. I guess we are known for clean and contemporary understated style for men.
LF: You work a lot in Ebony and Rhodium Plated silver... why these choices?
MA: Our first collection, titled Dreamer, is in ebony and sterling silver. We wanted materials which connect with meaning. Metal and wood are two ancient materials which have a very strong masculine association. Ebony is dark, mysterious and dramatic. Silver is affordable, easily worked and contemporary. The two materials have constrasting texture. Our pieces are designed for "heft".. that is they are deliberately heavy. We finish the pieces with rhodium plating to avoid tarnishing.
LF: Please tell me about the Socially Responsible aspect of your business?
MA: From Day One we set out with social responsibility in mind. When we launched in 2006 we were ahead of the pack.. designing for the "eco-chic" category which didn't really emerge until a year or so later. We're really committed to using materials which are sustainable. For example the ebony we use is actually offcuts from making furniture.. stuff that would normally be discarded. We have a workshop in Bali which pays its staff way above market rates and has clean air-conditioned premises. The silversmiths even get yoga classes.
LF: What would you love to see your jewelry styled with?
MA: I think the beauty of the collection is it works with jeans and suits and any open neck shirt. French cuff shirts of course for our cufflinks. The gear looks great on men or women. While we primarily set out to design for men, about half our customers are women.
LF: How do you see your brand growing in the future?
MA: We're in no rush.. one day at a time. We like things to grow organically. We also want to enjoy ourselves and try not to stress ourselves too much. We'd like to be the best kept secret in men's accessories in 2009. Our focus is on expanding distribution into Europe and the US markets. We need to get a beachhead into retail into LA and NYC. And Spain, Italy and Scandinavia would be good markets for us given the styling and materials. There's a lot of ways we could go. What's important is we want to be true to ourselves, to maintain the passion and integrity in what we do.
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