In order to know where you are going, you need to know where you come from. History matters, because it is only once we know our roots that the correct seed can be planted. Co-Founder of a footwear brand, THEY, Jack Lin grew up in an industrial family. Despite his rejection to adopt a business education, he pursued the design “root” to learn the required fundamentals of footwear.

As a sneaker obsessed city, we, New Yorkers, all own a pair of walking shoes stashed in our totes for our morning commute. Riding the high tides of the white leather sneaker game down to the Nike and Adidas rivalry, finally, there is an option for the others. You know, the ones who appreciate the empty space, the posters on the billboards, the art at The Armory Show and the simple things in life that are sometimes too simple to even take notice. But “THEY” take notice and this one is for you.

“I was always into drawing and design. Even in high school, while others were playing sports, I was very much into the arts.”

We were able to sit down and chat with Jack Lin, co-founder of a footwear brand, THEY, at their current pop up located at 224 Mulberry street in NYC. A sibling duo like some of our other Makers, Jack and his sister Angela were two seeds planted from the same tree that ultimately grew into their own forest. “I grew up in Taiwan where back in the day, it was known for manufacturing 80% of the world’s umbrellas and footwear. My family was part of that revolution. My grandfather started his own footwear factory when he was in his 20’s and would produce products for Japanese clients such as Asics (you know since Taiwan was a colony of Japan).”

Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, Jack always knew that he wanted to do something on his own. Despite popular demand to pursue a business education, Jack decided to attend the School of Visual Arts (SVA) as an advertising major and worked with an ad agency for a year before launching THEY and running it full time.

The Aha-Moment

“I wanted to create something that brings out the aesthetic of a new style that I really enjoy. I designed the first pair of shoes with my family’s factory overseas and was heavily inspired by playing with negative spaces as followed by Muji’s creative director, Kenya Hara. I also looked at architecture and interior design to craft the aesthetic of the brand. Once I received my first sample in July 2016, my sister encouraged me to grow this into something bigger.”

As self-funded entrepreneurs, Jack and Angela Lin currently reside together in New York where Jack handles production, design and creative direction while Angela overseas public relations and brand communications. Unlike most sneakers (where the upper portion and the sole are created separately and then pieced together), THEY sneakers are crafted by hand-aligning the shoe’s upper half with its custom-made bi-color rubber sole, for the perfect uniform connectivity. Not to mention, their leather is the softest we have ever witnessed!

“We wanted to create a high-end, luxury, minimal sneaker. Not just another shoe that you put in your closet, but a piece of modern art that could be framed.”

Speaking of modern art, does anyone remember seeing celebrities, Jamie Dornan or Jordan Peele wearing a pair recently? By partnering with celebrity stylists and a PR agency, THEY has managed to increase its exposure in a very short amount of time. However, when it comes to Instagram (12.2K followers), Jack tells us that “we don’t do a lot of paid social due to budget constraints and only post twice a week or when we have something to share.”

The Challenges

As newbies to the fashion industry, Jack and Angela are on a steep learning curve as they tackle new challenges every day. Their main concern: how to keep the conversation going each season? While stock management and inventory control have been one of their key challenges, the siblings have just been accepted into FIT's entrepreneurship program where they will be exposed to mentors who have been in the industry for over 20 years.

The Advice

Always use professional models, despite your budget constraints. This will make all the difference!
Engage in pop-ups as you will be able to gauge who your customer is and receive first-hand feedback.
Use all of your resources wisely; Jack reached out to his college friend to come onboard as their photographer and used his campus’s studio room for their photoshoot.
Start off selling via wholesale to increase reach, but know that your margins are going to be very low. Hence, write this off as a marketing cost and don’t sweat it!

Interested in trying on a pair of sneakers? Priced between $285 - $359, mention code: radiche for a 20% discount or visit their Pop Up at 224 Mulberry St, in SoHo. Let them know we sent you over! Offer expires on March 31st, 2018.

Photo courtesy of THEY.