Acre Presents: Bottom Line with Chris Black.

Photo: Hudson McNeese

Chris Black (@donetodeath) needs no introduction. As co-host of the popular podcast How Long Gone, partner at Public Announcement and brand consultant at Done to Death Projects, Chris is at the forefront of culture today. We sat down with him to talk about what he does, providing powerful experience, and the bottom line.

Josh: Can you just introduce yourself to our customers?

Chris: Yeah, yeah, sure. My name is Chris Black - I work in fashion mostly as a consultant on marketing and strategy. I also co-host a podcast called How Long Gone.

 Josh: To me, it seems like one of the reasons that people like to listen to you is because you have good taste. How did you develop that?

Chris: I mean, I would say it's more point of view than anything else. But I think the reason that stands out is that people are just sort of afraid to be declarative in any way, you know, saying this is good or this is bad, or I like this, or I don't like that. Like that's just not as common as it used to be. Nobody wants to ruffle any feathers, you know? People are a bit wishy washy. But overall, I would say that it's just experiences, a combination of all the things. And when you live a certain kind of life, I think that creates a certain kind of taste. But I think it all stems from point of view - what you really bring to the table as far as your experiences go. You know, it's simple.

Josh: Your work is pretty diverse - I mean, from Stussy to Thom Browne to J. Crew - what's the connecting line that enables you to go from luxury to streetwear to prep?

Chris: It's all the same shit. That's the thing. It's all the same, it really is. The way that you disseminate information and talk to people and share things is like a universal language in many ways, even as we become more fractured. There are so many ways to receive things. And I think it's all kind of the same in reality. You have to understand the brand, and what it means, and who it's for, but the methods, almost no matter what you're selling, are very similar.

Josh: Right. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you used to work retail, right?

Chris: Oh yeah, all my first jobs were retail.  From 16 until I was like 22, 23. Yeah. I loved it.

Josh: Did you go to school?

Chris: No, no, I dropped out of high school. That was part of it. I always had a job. I joke about it all the time, but I don't trust people who never worked retail or never worked in a restaurant. You had to do one or the other. I think it just teaches you how to deal with people in a way that you're just not gonna figure out otherwise - you're forced to. You learn about people's insecurities and how things make them feel, all of the stuff that seems maybe a little, you know, extreme, but those situations are, that's what it's like sometimes. I think we've been going through a slog where nobody wants to work retail - even high-end. Hopefully, that changes. There's a guy at The Row in LA that's just amazing. I look forward to seeing him there. I look forward to talking to him. And that's what I remember. That's what I tried to be. I just think it's so important, you know? It's so important. It's kind of a lost art.

Josh: Oh, totally. I mean, that was kind of the bet I took on opening a brick and mortar - my whole work experience has been retail and service. It seemed a bit easier to do brick and mortar than to do online because there are so many people online now.

Chris: No matter what you're selling, it's like it legitimizes you. It makes it real. When a brand is just online, it's like, oh, that's cool. I think that the era of online being the dominant retail is going to shift. I think to some extent, people crave an experience. With retail and brick and mortar, you can really control the experience in a way that you just can't online. You can have some cool UX, but that ain't the same as having the best music, the smell just right, the temperature just right. That stuff is so important. I think that we've forgotten about it for a number of years.

Josh: At the end of the day, this shit is intimidating for consumers. And that's the thing that we forget about is there's nothing worse than going to a store and having some 21-year-old dude just be like, “I don't want to talk to you,” you know?

Chris: Yeah, I think that's over. I think people realize that's actually not cool. And it's not good for the bottom line, which is even more important, you know? You’ve got to keep the doors open. I'm not saying you’ve got to be so friendly that It feels sugary sweet - but there is just a level of humanity that needs to be exercised.


Josh: What are some brands that have stood out to you recently?

Chris: The new Auralee show is really good. That brand is really great. I think it's going to be like a Lemair level thing. I like Lemair obviously too. But yeah, I look at everything, and I like a lot of stuff, but I don't shop that much if that makes sense. You guys carry Carter Young, right?

Josh: Yeah, Carter's the man. I love his brand.

Chris: That suede shirt he did - I love that one. That's a very special shirt, it’s really sick.

Josh: Anyone else?

Chris: These guys in Stockholm make my suits for me. They're called Saman Amel. They have this beautiful Atelier in Stockholm. Talk about an experience. It's unbelievable, you'll spend whatever money you have there. It doesn't matter. But I think The Row retail experience is like that, too. Their stores are so beautiful, it's gonna take the money out of you.

All those brands are of a certain caliber, I think. Take Noah, for example - going into their store, the experience is amazing. The guys that work there are all cool and friendly and actually helpful. It really works. And even with Bode, which isn't something I wear all the time. Their stores are insane. It's like Ralph - you're walking into someone's world. And I think that’s what really attracts me to something. It's almost like the clothes are kind of secondary to be honest. You know, it makes you feel like you want to be a part of something. And that is the hardest thing to do because it's so competitive now. Everybody is vying for a piece of your attention. And if someone can hold it, you know, that's powerful.

Josh: It justifies the purchase. 

Chris: Yeah, for sure. And it justifies the price as well. When I first started making money, I was in Atlanta. Neiman Marcus was like the nicest thing we had. But when I was 24, and they brought me a glass of champagne when I’d buy a pair of shoes - that blew my fucking mind. I didn't know that happened. I think that kind of thing is what will make you a lifelong customer. That's what I respond to.

Josh: On the note of Noah and J. Crew, what's it been like working with Brendan, someone who's so high-level, and in my mind, so highly regarded in the industry?

Chris: We go way back. He's just really good, man. He's really good at product and he's really good at styling. He knows what he wants. It's kind of the dream. He's older than me, but we have a lot of shared interests - musically especially, but even skateboarding. All of the counterculture kind of stuff. I think that you see that in both of his brands, you know?

Josh: Let's shift to your photography... 

Look man, It's my one true love. But there are so many people that are so good that it doesn't really seem reasonable to be in the same waters, you know what I mean? Even with the terminology. But I also think that if you're in my position, you kind of have to get over that. 

Josh: Your work toes the line of Eggleston or Winogrand a little bit. There's some grit to it. There's also a romantic nature to it. Who are a couple of photographers that have influenced you?

Chris: It's funny because I don't want any photos I take to look like this, but I’d say Juergen Teller, you know, Bruce - I come from the Bruce Weber, Terry Richardson, Ryan McGinley era, those names being the main fashion photographers. Also Corinne Day, Nick Knight - all the British stuff. I could go on forever. I think that those kinds of photos speak to me. Even like my peers, like my friend Eric Chakeen or my friend Cobey Arner. Those guys are good, and they do it in a very real way that I respect. 

Josh: Eric just posted a photo of Jeremy Allen White in his getup for “The Iron Claw”

Chris: Oh, my God. Yeah. So good. He went down there and shot the whole cast for A24. It's really, it's good. That's the thing - He and I are super close and we've been friends for a long time - we've worked together a lot. Eric is super technically proficient - he’s assisted so many people, he's really good. He can do everything. But he's even better at talking to and dealing with the subject, which can be the hard part. You can just pay somebody to do the technical stuff. In the end it's like bro, are you cool? Will this person relax? Will they give you what you want? That's what actually matters.

Josh: What cameras are you using right now?

Chris: Mostly the Fuji Auto medium format, the 645. Eric told me to get one because he knew I wanted to shoot medium format, but that I'm also not technically proficient by any means. That one and the Contax T3 and T2. I also use my Konica big mini all the time. I’ve probably had to buy 10 of them in the last 3 years because they break so often. It's a little faster than a Contax. I like to take it with me everywhere.

Josh: What film stock are you using? 

Chris: Just Portra 400 and some black and white Ilford. Pretty straightforward.

Josh: Why do you use film?

Well, that's the thing man, I'm not some weird diehard. When I got a Yashica T4 when I was 20, that's just what I always used. I've never had a digital camera. It’s just a hobby. I like to do it, so even though it's more laborious, that's fine. I know that there's a level of knowledge that I have to understand, but I also think I can get away without it for a long time. 

Josh: Totally - it's the same for me.

Chris: You can ruin anything by being a dork. You know, that's the bottom line. Especially with clothes, It's like, bro, I'm not going to talk to you about fabric. I don't care. Is it cool or not? It's binary for me in some ways. Of course, you want quality and you look for certain things, but I think that talking about, or dissecting that, if you don't do that shit for a living, if you're just a guy who wears clothes, you’ve gotta figure out your priorities.


Josh: You do a lot. Between writing, podcasting, Done to Death, being a gym fiend - how do you manage to do everything you do? What do you do to cut back and relax? 

Chris: I think when you work for yourself, it's all fun. I don't mind it. I want to be on 24 hours a day because I like it. It feels good to me. I go to galleries and museums, or to dinner, but I feel very lucky. I have a very rich life that I've been able to figure out and it's definitely not traditional. I don't need to escape anything or relax from anything. I don't feel that impulse the way you would working a corporate job that's really stressful. To be completely honest, I wake up every day excited to see what's next. 

Josh: Well, I think that's pretty much all that I had for you. I know you're really busy, but I just want to express my gratitude and you taking a little bit of time out of your day. 

Chris: Oh, dude, my pleasure. I think it's cool what you're doing down there. And I think there need to be more things like this in places like that. I know it's an uphill battle sometimes, but it's important.