"Creatively" In Control

In early March, I and a small group of fellow travelers in the Menswear Zeitgeist had the opportunity to attend the “Creative Control” event: A lecture hosted by “Real Black Menswear Media Group (IG: @rbmmediagroup) and led by the legendary John Vizzone. John, a trailblazer in the menswear industry, previously served as the Creative Director at some of the most renowned heritage brands such as Ralph Lauren and Cifonelli.

During the session, John shared both his insights and lessons learned throughout his decades-long career, which included his contributions to the wardrobes seen in Hollywood films such as “Wall Street”, among others (the iconic image of Michael Douglas’ “Gordon Gekko” standing in his office, clad in a sky blue shirt, braces, red tie, and pleated, gray windowpane trousers immediately comes to mind), and providing practical advice to those audience members who were looking to break into the industry, worked for heritage brands themselves, owned their own label, or who were simply mere enthusiasts (like Yours Truly!).

Michael Douglas as “Gordon Gekko” in the iconic film “Wall Street”, in which John Vizzone assisted in creating the outfits, which centered on the “Power” look prevalent in Corporate America at the time, seen throughout the movie

John also shared his perspective on the evolution of the menswear industry since the time he started as well as how he’d approach the market were he to start today. This included commentary on the gradual shift away from the “Runway” model of promoting collections in favor of the more streamlined approach of squarely focusing on showcasing Capsule collections both in-Store and online. And with the least amount of expense as possible in terms of inventory in order to maximize one’s chances of meeting consumer demand while remaining profitable.

John Vizzone being presented with a drawing of himself by the owner of RBM Media Group.

The last portion of the lecture included a Q&A session, wherein we peppered him with questions ranging from the future of the menswear industry to the maximum number of colors to incorporate into any one wardrobe to - a topic which will be debated for centuries after we’re all gone - how wide one’s trousers should be!

After the lecture, the group retreated Tara Mor, a local bar across the street, to network, get to know each other better, and to further discuss our experiences and perspectives on this menswear/sartorial space we love so much!

With John Locust, owner of RBM Media Group (IG: @rbmmediagroup)

My main takeaway from the lecture was: Regardless of your passion to succeed in a given industry, don’t do so at the expense of selling your soul to the highest bidder. Be true to yourself to the extent possible.

A thank you to John Vizzone and RBM Media Group for this unique opportunity.

With John Vizzone, former Ralph Lauren Creative Director (IG: @john_vizzone)

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By Yacoub Soumahoro

IG: @yaqdiesel.ii