How A Chance Encounter With A Sales Associate Gave John Elliott The Confidence To Build His Brand

The current fashion landscape is such that the athleisure market is booming and luxury shoppers don’t bat an eye at spending upwards of $800 on a designer sweatshirt. But when John Elliott launched his label of elevated, well-fitted basics for men back in 2012 — the foundation of which was a slim sweatshirt with zippers up the sides — many thought he was crazy. Flash-forward to today, and his eponymous brand is nominated for the prestigious CFDA Swarovski Award for Menswear and carried in a number of the world’s most respected retailers, including Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Steven Alan and Mr. Porter. He’s also become a prominent figure in the menswear space, with editors at Complex, GQ, Hypebeast and the like singing his praises, as well as one rapper-cum-designer in particular (that’d be Kanye West) showing him unwavering support. This may all sound too good to be true for a company that’s barely four years old, but Elliott’s road to success was a rocky one — and required over a decade of heads-down hustling behind the scenes in order to learn the ins and outs of the industry. Read more at Fashionista.