🚀 Launchin' a Brand. Just ain't easy
IF IT WAS EASY - EVERYONE WOULD DO IT
One of my heroes is Steve Jobs (OK he has very little to do with clothes so I understand if you are immediately confused) I worked under Steve (not directly but in his direct organisation at Apple) and had what I consider the privilege of listening to his ideas on a few occasions.
Steve didn't shy away from a challenge and also he employed people who strived for better but at the same time didn't mind 'sweeping the floor'.
One of the things that sticks with me almost everyday is how he handled criticism. In response to one such criticism, Steve responded with:
“As for us, we’re just doing what we can to try and make (and preserve) the user experience we envision. You can disagree with us, but our motives are pure.
By the way, what have you done that’s so great? Do you…just criticize others work and belittle their motivations?”
He said, loud and clear. "We know why and what we are doing. It's not easy and we aren't perfect. But we put our work out there and are prepared for the feedback. BTW - when did you last do something so visible and honest or do you just like to say something negative when someone else does"
Steve didn't even have the challenge of Social Media and the immediacy of negative feedback to deal with when he said that but it's even more true in 2020 than it ever was.
When you think about putting something 'out there' and you think about publishing a book or an image or some new technology or a garment or even if you want to start a shop selling the most obscure thing, you put you heart and soul into it. You DO worry about what people might say and how you'd deal with negative, sometimes overly vindictive and faceless commentary (it's so easy to be horrible these days right?). Likewise, you worry about someone starting a full-on attack blaming you in public for things that may or may not be accurate or honest or anything.. and you have to think about how would you would deal with that. Sometimes (really) that keeps you up all night. When your intentions are always honest, you can't comprehend why you are a target for doing nothing by saying something.
So yeah - "IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE" and "HAUTE KINDNESS" might really be something we need to think about.
It's easy to say something negative about something you've never tried before but thank god for those people who want to put their view, ideas, emotions and energies out there. Those people who spend hours making, thinking, planning, refining, trying again and again and investing and then seeing what happens.
You can criticise if you want but if you are not prepared to better the effort then just ask yourself "why would you do that".
As my mother says: "why would you say such a load of drivel if you can't offer anything better". I think Steve and her would get on.
New Day Originals is just such a thing. It took work, effort, money, arguing, trial and error and we've only just started. Sticking our head over the parapet just means we expect and welcome feedback.
We aren't perfect, we might never be. In the meantime, we are proud of what New Day Originals is and what it says about our customers who love our garments.
Over and out.