Change can be good or bad, depending on how you look at things. I tend to err on the side of embracing change. Being a designer, I find it to be a good thing. Although, some things may not need to change. But change is how we improve and get better.

Some people do not like change and complain when their favorite artist's new album doesn’t sound like the old one. Take Kanye West, for example. He is the epitome of change and pushing the boundaries to the future, and I believe because of that he is still relevant today. Love him or hate him, he is pushing change and is a true trail blazer and maverick of our time. So some say they want the old Kanye, but that wouldn’t be very Kanye to be the old Kanye, if you know what I mean. There are a lot of so-called one hit wonders or artists whose albums sound the same as the last album and where are they today? Either not around or waiting 20 years until people want to feel nostalgic about it. Even Jay Z said in a song on Blueprint Three if you want the old me, buy my old album, and the song was aptly titled ‘On To The Next One.'

I think this is true for me. A lot of people loved our Knomadik line back in the day and still ask for it. Fashion, in a sense, is cyclical. So what goes around will come back around, but for me there were brands that were around when I first started that are no longer. Being an artist is about creating the future, in my opinion. I feel that pivoting at the right time and in the right and meaningful way that still stays true to your DNA and doesn’t alienate those fans of the things that brought you success is the key to sustained success. It’s an interesting balance one has to strike and one that I am constantly working towards. Because I do take the feedback that people loved that old line, so it is my challenge I guess to deliver something new in that regard that satiates the appetite of those individuals. So if you look closely, the elements are there from our DNA. Take our best-selling Roaming Cloak - a fresh take on an old classic of ours - or our Loop Terry Roaming Sweatpants. These contain an element of Knomadik, as well as our luxury sport aesthetic. People also asked for our denim to return. For the longest time, I wasn’t interested to bring that element of the business back. But now I am working on that and have a renewed desire to do so and a newfound love of denim. It’s a constant evolution in my mind and one that keeps me going and gets me out of bed in the morning.

The thing also about change is that the more I evolve as a person, my perspective on life changes and so do my needs and I think that is reflected in the clothing I make. People want to chastise others for changing by saying “Oh, you’ve changed." And perhaps when they say this they do tend to mean in a negative sense, and people can change for the negative. But if one truly becomes true to oneself and changes for the better, that is the kind of positive change I am talking about. Also, I don’t think one can grow and learn and experience things without it having some sort of profound effect and change upon them.

So in summary, change is not all bad and is indeed necessary to push the culture forward to new heights. Like all things though, there are good changes and bad changes and I am looking at the positive change.