Business of HYPE is back for a special one-off episode with none other than comedian, producer, writer and political commentator, Hasan Minhaj. From being the senior correspondent on The Daily Show, to speaking at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, to his own comedy special and weekly Netflix show called Patriot Act, to even being named TIME’s 100 most influential people in the world, Hasan Minhaj is a pioneer. Hasan worked alongside jeff's creative agency, Reed Art Department to create his first footwear collaboration with Cole Haan. This partnership comes just in time before his next drop, releasing on December 3 and brings to life Hasan’s personal journey of breaking rules and writing new ones. Recorded in Hasan's hometown of Davis, the episode uncovers the early days of his career to his current days of working through COVID-19. As things continue to be unpredictable during this time, Hasan reminds that for him "it's about understanding and embracing the unknown." Thank ...
For our season 8 finale, we bring back our "Stay @ Home" series with French fashion designer and creative director of Balmain, Olivier Rousteing. In 2011, at the age of 25, he took over the luxury fashion house and for nearly a decade held this title. The brand has gone under what many would call a Renaissance, as the haute couture brand has smoothly moved into the digital age while still adhering to its iconic roots. Nowadays there is no area in modern day fashion & pop culture that the brand hasn't touched. From it's numerous collabs with brands to working with A-list celebrities from Kim and Kanye to Beyonce & Jay-Z, Olivier Rousteing has pushed the agenda of the Balmain. In this episode, Olivier reflects on his decade at Balmain and the new perspectives he's gained during COVID-19. He tells us why he is "less scared of tomorrow" and how he believes this time right now is a "revolution that will bring a better future." Thank you so much for tuning into the Business of HYPE. As al...
While we're coming to a close on Business of HYPE S8, we'd like to bring attention to another show, Asian, Not Asian podcast by giving you a preview of their episode Comedians vs Asian Audience Members. Hosted by comedians Fumi Abe and Mic Nguyen, Asian, Not Asian is a weekly comedy podcast where "two asian guys NOT from Asia talk about American Issues that no American cares about." There is no topic that goes uncovered in this podcast from politics, model minority myths, sex, race, funny stories and more. They cover it all and in the most honest way possible. Guests of the show feature people who are killing it in the industry from writers and stars on The Daily Show, SNL, Comedy Central (Ronny Chieng, Bowen Yang, Karen Chee & more) and famous authors like Min Jin Lee (Pachinko) to former Business of HYPE alum, Asa Akira and more. Be sure to check out a preview of their episode. You can catch them at a live at Hack City Comedy or at a live podcast recording at Canal Street Market i...
On today's special episode, jeff hosts a live panel discussion from OMEN with two key players in the progressive gaming industry. Nikan Nadim aka FaZe Nikan plays a large role in shaping the creative concept for major esports organization FaZe Clan. Daryl Butler is a marketing guru with over 25 years of experience and currently serves as Head of Marketing at HP (Hewlett-Packard). In recent years esports has skyrocketed into popularity, now becoming a billion dollar industry and soon to surpass more viewership than the NFL, MLB and NBA. Gaming is no longer a "basement activity" but a cultural norm. Companies like HP have developed a product line called OMEN, which focuses on laptops, desktops and accessories for the intent of gaming. Meanwhile groups like FaZe Clan have their own massive social following, marketing agency, apparel line, in-house production studio, talent management business, sales team and much more. Together they are both pushing the agenda of esports, especially du...
Alexandra Hackett is the founder of Studio ALCH (short for her name: Alexandra Louise Champion Hackett) and also known by many as "Mini Swoosh." In just a few short years, the brand has shown at London Fashion Week, partnered with global retailers and worked with numerous celebrities from Kendrick Lamar to Frank Ocean. The Australian-born, London based creative creates one-of-a-kind articles of clothing from deconstructed pieces of found material from Nike duffel bags to NASA space foil. Studio ALCH is the overarching brand that gives fuel to her mission of "exploring the process of deconstruction and reconstruction to extend the lifespan of pre-existing products." Her personal brand, Mini Swoosh, dives into the more experimental side of her deconstructive projects, whilst giving homage to the brand Nike—which has heavily inspired her design career. In this episode, Alex details her early career from working in the sneaker retail space to participating in 2017's Nike Vote For You c...
Around a month ago we featured our special Stay @ Home series, with former guests of the show and today we’re back for another special episode with Andy Fallshaw, Co-Founder and CEO of Australian accessories brand, Bellroy. Founded in 2009 alongside Matthew Fallshaw, Lina Calabria and Hadrien Monloup, Bellroy was the answer after the four realized there was a gap in the luxury carrier space. A certified B Corporation, the company only uses functional and durable material all made with the intent of sustainable efforts. What started as a meticulously well-designed wallet became so successful that Bellroy now carries various travel bags and tech accessories in their line. In this episode, Andy details how he went from designing for Rip Curl to starting nine self-funded startups in an effort to "create something that brings value to people"—one of which became Bellroy. He later discusses how his business has managed to stay afloat and reprioritize workflow during COVID-19. Thank you ...
Hommyo Hidefumi is the founder of legendary Tokyo-based sneaker boutique, atmos. The store is more than a retail space, but a cornerstone of streetwear culture that helped cultivate the early sneaker scene in Japan. Many attribute the store to having not only the best collection of sneakers to date, but also having some of the best collaborations of all time—most notably with Nike and their ever popular Air Max 1's. With more than 30 stores globally, Hommyo opened atmos in Harajuku in 2000 after the success of his first retail store Chapter. Soon after, young kids all over the world were traveling to atmos, and it became the mecca of sneaker culture in Asia. Atmos is a reflection of Hommyo's ability to personify every sneaker that comes through his space. He is in every right an auteur, being able to create a unique narrative whether it's through the sneaker accounts at his store or the variety of collabs atmos has worked on. Hommyo's penchant for sneaker collecting began in the ea...
Sébastien Kopp is the Co-Founder of popular French footwear brand Veja. The brand is known for its slate canvas body with a distinctive “v” logo, which has been worn by numerous figures from Meghan Markle to Eddie Redmayne, and sold in stores across the globe. Alongside François-Ghislain Morillion, the two founded Veja in 2004 with the intent of finding economic balance within their business. Kopp, a former investment banker, quit his job to work with nonprofits only to discover the dark side of globalization. This prompted Kopp and Morillion to challenge themselves with creating a product that could be made without greenwashing. What became months of searching the Amazon for agro-ecological cotton, respectable factories and raw rubber, Veja was born. More than 15 years later today, the company operates globally with over 180 employees worldwide. Their team is still heavily involved in the process from working out of Brazil to source natural materials all the way till the end wh...
Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki are the Co-Founders of the popular french fashion label, Maison Kitsuné. Since 2002, the pair have been reinterpreting French classics through a chic and modern take with a nod to Japanese fashion. What most may not know is that the two joined forces in affiliation with famed electronic duo, Daft Punk, where after a trip to Japan with the music group, they decided to start their music & fashion brand, Maison Kitsuné. Under the music label, they've birthed numerous musicians such as Phoenix, Kilo Kish, Two Door Cinema Club, La Roux and more. But alongside their music ventures, the night life, the DJing and worldwide traveling, Gildas and Masaya were slowly building connections to eventually build their fashion counterpart. Now more than 15 years later, the brand is a full functioning label with retail stores worldwide, a ready-to-wear collection, unique collaborations under their belt and hundreds of employees. In addition to all this, the duo have a...
Ronny Chieng is comedian and actor. By day he's the Senior Correspondent for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, by night he's a stand-up comedian, with sold out shows worldwide and also an actor, having recently starred in the box-office hit, Crazy Rich Asians. His list of accomplishments are impressive to say the least. Born in Malaysia, Ronny grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire and Singapore, but attended law school in Australia. It was during his time there where he got an itch for comedy and from then on began pursuing it professionally. In this episode, Ronny breaks down his career from law student turned comedian and how he managed to defeat the odds going against him. Rather than changing his brand or style of comedy to fit the mainstream mold, Ronny chose to be unapologetically himself by using unfiltered comedy because "authenticity resonates." Despite having been on The Daily Show since 2015, Ronny has had incredible success in his solo career, coming off his recent hit Net...