The 10 Defining Moments of jeffstaple's Career

Few people can say they’ve had an impact on streetwear the way that Jeff Ng a.k.a. jeffstaple has. But he will never tell you that because he is way too humble. After creating Staple Design in 1997 as a three-tier design consultancy, it has since flourished into what is now one of the most well-known establishments in the game. But Jeff’s road to success wasn’t paved with gold; it has been filled with trials and tribulations that have taught him many lessons he tries to instill in others to this day. And it’s these moments in his career, from dropping out of college to the aftermath of 9/11, that he attributes to defining his career. Take a journey into the past of a streetwear legend--in his own words--inthe last in a series of seven “Arrival” features made possible by the new Heineken Star Bottle.

“When I was in high school, I was a pretty forward fashion kid. Mind you, growing up in the middle of New Jersey, that’s not saying much. It started with the music. I was listening to music that no one else was really messin’ with back then. While my friends were listening to Debbie Gibson and Tiffany, I was listening to Johnny Gill, Sounds of Blackness, Loose Ends and Arrested Development. (Thanks to the fact my parents worked in downtown Manhattan and I had to take frequent trips with them.) So that led to a more open view on fashion as well. I remember rocking bright suits to school with full tie and vests on some Boyz II Men steez. Then there was the fact that I was one of only a handful of kids who cared about the sneakers on their feet. (Shout out to Darrin Hudson!) Kids wore sneakers for sports, that’s it. Kids didn’t wear sneakers to be fashionable. So ridicule was often and common. And one time, it led to a physical altercation. After the dust had settled and I was sitting in detention, it dawned on me that I had just gotten into a fight over fashion. But more important than fashion, it was a fight over my beliefs. I learned early on that you must be ready to fight for what you believe in. And you can guarantee people will try and always stop you along the way.”

“If you’ve seen any of my interviews, the story goes like this. I’m attending Parsons School of Design and I’m breaking into their silkscreen lab with my friend to print t-shirts all through the night. (The lab prohibited students from printing on tees back then—only paper.) The process of printing your own shirt is amazing. It’s a long multi step process (at least back then it was). It’s also messy and very hands on. But as you pull that squeegee down and see your design magically appear on the front of shirt…it’s like magic! I still remember my first pull to this day. It changed the course of my life. The t-shirt would become my magic carpet that took me around the entire world.”

“Early on in college, I knew the importance of work. I just instinctively knew that the education I was getting in school was not going to cut it in the real world. So I always had a ton of odd jobs. Everything from selling rollerblades at Paragon Sports to sweeping hair at a hair salon. Internships were also key for learning and it was dumb luck to have applied to join PNB Nation as an intern. PNB is one of the forefathers of street culture. Thing is, I applied for the job not really knowing what PNB was all about. I was a sneakerhead that liked hip-hop. Today that pretty much qualifies you as being into street culture. But back then, there was no such category yet. But working at PNB Nation changed my life profoundly. Not only did I learn about work ethic, teamwork, entrepreneurism, and blood/sweat/tears. But I also learned about street culture, independent/creative thinking, and provocation of thought. The Founder, Brue McHayle taught me that everything you create must provoke thought—otherwise, you've failed as a creative. ‘Love me or hate me, but I will not tolerate indifference.’ It's here that I planted the seed for Staple's motto: A Positive Social Contagion.”

“Bobbito Garcia was my college hero back in the day. He was a b-boy, a DJ, had the greatest hip-hop radio show of all time (89Tec9) and had a clothing store in the East Village called Bobbito’s Footwork. I just started Staple. That is to say, I hand printed some tees at school and made a line sheet at Kinko’s using fancy paper I bought at PearlPaint. (laughs) I built up the courage to go to meet with Bobbito and present him with the collection in hopes he would sell it at the store. I waited three hours for him to finally come to the shop. He took four minutes and then flat out rejected the whole thing. ‘Nah, not really feelin’ any of this.’ I left and literally cried. When your hero tells you the hard work you did ain’t that good; you have two choices: Give up. Or go at it again and bust your hump even harder. Guess which one I did.”

“My first ever order of Staple was the Triple Five Soul store on Lafayette St. It was March 7, 1997. I remember it like it was my birthday. Oh wait, it was my birthday! From there, Union in SoHo placed the second order. Mind you, I’m still hand silk screening tees while breaking into school at this point. My friends were helping me sew labels in and hangtags were made with Super 77 spray adhesive and rubber bands. My third order, just a few months in, was from Gorie in Japan. He ordered 1000 tees! I will never forget this dude. Little did he know, but he just made Staple international in a month. And not just any city in any country. But the most culturally refined and groundbreaking city in the world at the time—BOOM—I was there. I know brands that spend over 10 years trying to figure out a way into the Japanese market. I was there on my third order. Japan has showed Staple mad love ever since. And for the fact that I was now doing business in Japan, I had to go there often. I’ve now been to Japan well over 75 times in my life. It’s my second home. And the influence it's had on me both professionally and personally is immeasurable.”

“If you were a sneakerhead growing up, Nike was your thing—probably still is. Nike became a religion for me. It transcended a ‘brand.’ Every religion has its holy place. Mecca, Vatican City, The Red Sea, etc… For me, that mythical holy land was Beaverton, Oregon, the world headquarters of Nike. I remember when I visited the first Niketown Store, I imagined that maybe Nike offices just might look like this! So the first time I was invited to go to Beaverton for meetings, it was like God had asked me to come to the pearly gates. I would have gladly paid top dollar plus the price of admission to visit Nike. But they were paying me to go! Honestly, it was lunacy to me. But it was a defining moment and testament to where I was in my career. I wasn't a footwear designer. I wasn’t press. I was and still am a passionate fanatic for sneakers and design. Probably... much like you.”

“Sometimes mentors can be mentors without even knowing it. John Jay is Executive Creative Director of Wieden+Kennedy. If you’re a sneakerhead and know anything about Nike, then you’ve read John’s words, seen his images, and studied his commercials. Nike made the brand but W+K communicated that brand to the people. All throughout middle school and high school, I was ripping out Nike ads from newspapers and putting them in my locker. I was studying John Jay’s ways without even knowing it myself. When I went to Parsons, I learned what an ‘ad agency’ was and I learned about W+K and then about this guy by the name of John Jay. I still collected ads…even going so far as stealing them from NYC subway trains. On a visit to Beaverton, I had the chance to attend a function at the W+K HQ. I was sitting in a chair watching the festivities and started having a conversation with a slightly older Asian man. We talked causally and eventually talked about what we did. I explained Staple and he said he was a fan of what we were doing. I asked ‘John’ what he did and he said he was the Creative Director of W+K—that John Jay! I knee jerked and said, ‘But you’re Asian! Jay isn’t an Asian name!’ He replied, ‘Neither is Staple!’ And from there; we’ve forged a great friendship. I came a long way from ripping out his ads and putting them in my locker. Being able to now call on him as a friend is one my favorite achievements—both professionally and personally.”

“When the tragedy of 9/11 occurred, it changed the course of my business. Our office at the time was in the shadows of the World Trade Center. Right outside our door were the Twin Towers. After 9/11, we were prohibited from going to the office for weeks. After we were allowed back, the power was spotty at best. If the lights were on and you printed something and someone called at the same time, all the power would go out. We had to move. It was important we move north of Canal Street which was the Red Zone for post 9/11 activity. I found a spot at 156 Allen Street. It was big for what we needed but I felt like this was the location where we could operate Staple and at the same time, experiment with a retail concept that I was toying around with. My rent was about to quadruple, but I pushed all my chips in and gambled. Reed Space was born in December 2001. 9/11 was a tragedy I will never forget, but I didn't allow it to beat me. Life is really about turning lemons into lemonade.”

“I’m a two-time drop out. I went to college for four years (two in NYU and two in Parsons) with no degree to show for it. Now I teach classes at NYU, Parsons, FIT and Columbia…even in the Executive MBA Programs. I do guest lectures all around the globe and I'm about to embark on a major deal with Skillshare which democratizes specialized education. I want to emphasize the importance of education to young people. But where it comes from is up to you. I think you can get an incredible education from Yale. But you can also get an incredible education from driving a NYC taxicab. It’s all about what you want to do in life and what you want to get out of life. The worst thing to do is prescribe yourself to a plan that was dictated by someone else…or what society thinks you’re supposed to do. Get educated from where you can best learn on your terms and your conditions.”