LIM College’s Class of 2022 got a very special send-off at Monday’s  commencement ceremony.

“I really appreciate, first of all, that the LIM faculty and Board invited me to speak before you. I have to say I’m a huge fan of this college [not only] for what it represents, but also for its location.

I think the thing that most of you have heard from your parents is how you need to work, how you need to show up and, and what you need to do in your life. For me, it was always about the experience. You have a huge advantage of being here in New York City. Number one, you’re local. Number two, being able to have real experience that relates to what you’re going to do is an incredible advantage.

I grew up in Iowa, graduated from Iowa State. This is in 1992. I moved to New York to try to get into this industry. I worked at great places like Ralph Lauren and J. Crew for free just to get my foot in the door. And that was all on my own.

You have a huge advantage today, standing here in New York, graduating from this amazing college, because of the people and the faculty that you know here at this college. It’s an incredible, incredible advantage.

And I have to say, being older now and reflecting on what it was like to be in your shoes, I wish somebody would’ve told me… what is it I need to do to be successful? And I’ve always come down to four simple things that you all need to master.

One is be creative, no matter what it is you’re doing. Whether you’re going to be a chef, whether you’re going to be a merchant, whether you’re going to be in production, whether you’re going to be a business manager… pushing creativity always pushes the boundaries. You don’t have to do things the exact same way they were done in previous times.

The second thing is curiosity. Make sure you’re curious. Don’t just take things on status quo. Always be asking questions, learning as much as you can along the way. I remember when I used to go on trips to Asia and I couldn’t wait to meet these factory owners and technicians to understand how something is made. It’s how I really got my craft and really mastered what I was doing. Understanding how something is made and how somebody is actually making it is incredibly important.

The third is be persistent. Never ever give up. I’ve been knocked down I don’t know how many times. I’ve been told “No,”I don’t know how many times… especially in fashion when someone’s telling you, “I don’t like that.” It’s really hard to take that criticism, but at the same time, it’s important for you to keep going.

The fourth thing, it’s the most important, and this is the one that most people screw up. Be nice. I know it sounds silly, but being nice is probably the most important thing out of all those three other things I just told you. Nobody in a job ever wants to promote jerks. You have to have the respect, not only of your boss, but of the people around you. It’s important for you to really understand what that person on the other side is saying to you and have the respect of that person.

And those are the things that really got me to where I am. I really focused in on making sure I could learn as much as I can. Also getting great people around me, understanding what it’s like to work with a big group of people. All of those things together really gave me the experience that I have and the ability for me to launch my own collection.

Many of you are probably like… ‘Who is this guy? I don’t even know who he is. Why is he up here talking?”

Well, I have been in the business over 30 years, and like you, I wanted to get into fashion. It was really important for me. It was my dream.

I remember growing up, I always liked clothes. I didn’t know you could be a fashion designer. I read Ralph’s book, I think in the 90s, and that was it for me. I wanted that to be what I became. And so I set on a path and really focused in on getting the best experience.

I still remember today, my father telling me, “If you want to be the best, work for the best.” And for me, that was Ralph Lauren. And the second was Mickey Drexler, who is a legend. And if you don’t know who he is, you should know who he is. He ran the Gap and also ran J. Crew. And he’s an incredible human being. Still today, I talk to him. He will call me occasionally and I’ll call him for advice.

Every person I know in this industry has been important for me to get to where I am today. And I would not be able to have launched my own company like I did 10 years ago if I hadn’t had those connections and those people that I got to know in this industry.

And that’s why it’s really important for all of you to really think about what it is you want to do, whether you want to be a production assistant or whether you want to be a tech designer, whether you want to be a designer or a merchant… really get to know the people around you and just own and love the industry.

I love what I do. There’s not a day that I’m not thankful for everything that I do. I remember saying, probably not a smart thing to say to your boss, but I would do this job for free, bar none.

Except living in New York is a little difficult to do for free.

But for me, growing up and then moving here to New York really taught me that having those connections just helps you get to bigger places.

So I’ll reiterate the four things that I want to leave you with. Creativity, curiosity, persistence, and being nice. And I’ll tell you, if you can at least get two of those things right, you’re going to be successful in this industry. If you get three of those things right, you’ll probably be working for some cool brand… and I’d love to do a collaboration with you at some point.

But if you get all four right, more than likely we will be working for you at some point. Those are the things that if you want to succeed in this industry, and you keep all of those front of mind, you will be successful. And I just want to say thank you for being here and for having me.

Go out there and do something with your career. Do something where you can really make a difference. I have an employee base of about over 50 people. And I can look at my team and really think I can change people’s lives.

And you can do the same thing. Whether you’re just an assistant, whether you’re a manager, whether you’re running a department, the people you hire and the community and the culture you build can change things. It truly can.

And it’s really important – especially for this generation going through everything we’ve all been through and are still going through — for you to be the change makers. You really have it in your hands. And I challenge all of you to make sure you deliver on that.

Thank you.”

Please apply the following photo credit: Photo credit: Thornton Studios.