Of Karma & Commodities

How ancient teachings keep business fresh in the house of Simmons

By Sobukwe Odinga

(page 1 of 3)

We marveled as he took an art form forged in the umbrae of the South Bronx’s shattered streetlights and molded it into a leviathan of global culture and commerce. All eyes were peeled when he waded into the morass of politics, dealt a series of modest blows to the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws and mounted a campaign, successful by nearly any metric, to encourage members of the Hip Hop generation to vote. We’ve watched him meditate, mediate, and stay afloat through waves of criticism and rumor-mongering. We’ve even seen him rummaging through his younger brother’s kitchen in search of a snack (vegan, of course) and interacting with his daughters, nieces and nephews. After nearly 20 years of exposure to one of Hip Hop’s most passionate emissaries the bottom line is: We all seem to think we know Russell Simmons.

so: Why did you wait until now, 15 years after the founding of Phat Farm, to release the Argyle Culture line? 

rs: Phat Farm was a public company looking for very high numbers so you have to be able to deliver what a great number of consumers wanted. A lot of consumers wanted Phat Farm to be more aggressive. And it was difficult to "grow-up" Phat Farm. It was a strong young men’s brand making a lot of money and they wanted to keep making that money. It’s very funny to find out that certain kinds of pieces that would sell for Phat Farm, but not that well, sell better for Argyle Culture just because of the positioning statement. So this allows me a chance to continue on my mission and not to have to adhere to corporate pressure or numbers issues.

so: The Argyle Culture line has been described as Aggressive Classics. What’s aggressive about it and what’s classic about it? And why does it “speak to your core,” as I’ve heard you say in the past?

rs: Well, it’s the stuff that I’ve been wearing all my life. And I’ve been buying from other designers all my life. I’ve aspired to make it. In some cases Phat Farm didn’t allow me the freedom to make it, and sometimes the costs were prohibitive. So Argyle Culture just gives me more freedom to do more stuff and to fully express myself. It’s classic because it’s inspired by the classics, aggressive because of the color choices and edginess. Its not aggressive in the same way some young men’s over-the-top fashion companies are, but it has its own personality. Phat Farm was the most mature young men’s brand and I always wanted to make it even older, more mature. Of the men’s brands I think we were the youngest, but of the young men’s brands I think we were the oldest.