Interview: Profound Aesthetic – “Staying Alive”

Fashion, Featured — By JGM Staff on August 7, 2012 at 1:25 pm

We’ve already introduced you to the young and progressive brand Profound Aesthetic through numerous entries on our site, we recently got the chance to have an in depth talk about their survival within the clothing industry. Since 2008 they’ve consistently executed new designs and deliveries. Elegant, sophisticated, and classic is the best way to describe their potent style, their ivy league sense of fashion has remained relevant throughout the times of change within street clothing switching over to casual and upscale garments. Profound’s popularity and hard work has gotten their brand into retailers like Urban Outfitters and Karmaloop. Read our interview below, Profound tells us about the up’s and down’s in the industry and how they stay alive in it.

Words by Logan Jean

Photos by: Profound Aesthetic

Interview by Logan Jean & Zo Magic

JGM: How long has profound been around?

P.A: The idea of creating a brand was floating around for quite some time, but we officially came up with a name in 2008 and that began the journey.

JGM: What were your main goals when you started, and how have they changed since?

P.A: Our goals have always shifted with our success, as is natural with growth. When we first started, we aimed to build our social media presence without a single product offering, just a concept. After that we wanted to build appreciation for our brand without any concern of generating revenue. Naturally, as things began to progress we sought out ways to be relevant in an industry that is constantly changing. That has remained our biggest aspiration and we strive for that every day.

JGM: How do you guys gain clientele and how do you stay relevant amongst so many brands?

P.A: The biggest thing is to remain true to who we are as a brand and not create just for the act of generating sales. That is a surefire way to have a very short run in the industry. For us, the best way to gain clientele and stay relevant is to give our customer something more than a piece of clothing, hat or accessory. It is about supporting the idea of finding meaning and purpose behind every design concept, with a distinct focus on quality and craftsmanship.

JGM: Is Profound Aesthetic more of a lifestyle brand than street wear?

P.A: It is very much a lifestyle brand. We as humans are programmed to put everything into categories, but we feel that Profound Aesthetic transcends such boundaries. We once got an email from a high school teacher in his mid-forties expressing his admiration for our brand saying, “this should tell you how widespread your outreach is”. It’s true. We have products that appeal to every single demographic from every single part of the world. You can’t put that into a box.

JGM: What makes a brand Street?

P.A: The word “Street” is very subjective, but in general it is about reaching out, specifically, to a certain demographic, portraying a certain city inspired lifestyle, with design concepts that are lured by popular culture and music. We certainly have hints of that, but we cannot say it encompasses everything that we are.

JGM: How do you feel about the current state of street wear?

P.A: In our humble opinion, it lacks substance, overall. It has become very much a fight to constantly release product that doesn’t necessarily translate into quality thought-out designs. That is sheerly an opinion though.

JGM: What’s the hardest part about the selling and manufacturing clothes as a independent brand?

P.A: You never really know how a product will do until it is released. You may think a certain item is going to be a banger and that does not necessarily turn out to be the case. On the other hand, you may underestimate the popularity of a product that instantly sells out and now you have a stock issue on your hands (not necessarily a bad problem to have haha). The very fact of the unpredictability of the success or lack of success is very challenging.

JGM: What’s more important keeping up with what’s in demand or pumping out what you’re about?

P.A: Both. It is very important to understand what direction the industry is going in and be able to incorporate portions of that into your design concepts, however it’s essential to make that your own.

JGM: Is it healthy to compete against other brands?

P.A: Competition is natural and healthy to keep you ahead. The desire to outdo your completion evokes motivation to always be a step ahead. There is no shame in that, especially in an industry that is constantly changing every season.

JGM: What will Profound Aesthetic be in the next 5 years?

P.A: If you asked us this question 5 years ago we wouldn’t have imagined it would have panned out the way it did. If there is anything we can hope for in the next 5 years it is to continue to make quality products with a growing fan base of people that appreciate everything we stand for. The combination of both is what every brand can hope for.