Ronnie Fieg Talks What Inspires Him to Create, Tommy Hilfiger & More
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During the FN exclusive interview with Ronnie Fieg, the Kith leader spoke at length on several topics that were compelling that didn’t make the cover story. Here are several notable quotes from the designer and collaborator on inspiration, his parents, Tommy Hilfiger and more.
On notoriety:
“The legacy and what people think of me is secondary to what people think of the brand — and most importantly, the product. Product is what I’m constantly worried about most. I’m always trying to make sure the consumer sees and understands the thought process, effort, quality and value.”
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On why he creates:
“Today, there’s no room, nobody needs more s**t in their closet. What people do need is emotion. They need to feel like they are part of something, part of a vision — and then buy into [something] that is tangible, something they can touch and feel and say, ‘This is something I appreciate.’”
On never settling for less:
“Dropping the ball is not what we do. I’m not saying it’s always perfect, but if you don’t strive for perfection, then you end up falling to the bottom. I will never work on a product that won’t feel good after consumers make the purchase. There are some purchases I’m sure you made where you get home and you’re like, ‘Did I make a mistake? I don’t know if I should have done that.’ I want to make sure that never happens here.”
On learning from his parents:
“My mom and dad are opposites. My dad hates materialistic goods, my mom loves them. My dad only sees value, and my mom is the opposite. My whole life has been the balance of hearing both of them — which is why my goods come with value.”
On choosing collaboration partners:
“It’s a bucket list of the brands I care about the most, that have helped me become who I am. I work on product I would want from those brands that they don’t necessarily make. We [also] try to educate the consumer about the history of the brand and what was inspiring about them.”
On Tommy Hilfiger’s influence:
“He built the world I lived in through the product I was buying. He also taught me kindness. He’s always willing to lend a hand and is extremely bright and kind. And as a collaborator, he’s very knowledgeable about our world and connected to culture. He also taught me you could do this for a very long time and still be passionate. I look up to what Tommy and Ralph [Lauren] were able to do in the ’90s. I was never the Rick [Owens] and Raf [Simons] guy or the Karl [Lagerfeld] guy, I was more the Tommy and Ralph guy because they brought me into a world without speaking to me directly. That’s what I love most.”
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