A Continuous Lean

Tracksmith is interesting to me because of how it has managed to take inspiration from history —to embody the aesthetics of a heritage brand— while simultaneously being completely forward-looking and modern. I’ve seen a lot of brands try to do this and it almost never feels right. Tracksmith took the good parts of archival running and modernized it to create an inclusive, fun, New England-centric brand that seems to know itself (and its customer) very well.

I would guess that everyone wrote-off the brand initially when they considered it was going up against Nike and all of the massive companies that dominate athletic apparel. What was obvious to the Matt Taylor, who founded the brand in 2014 with Luke Scheybeler, was that there was an unrepresented group of runners who didn’t seem to connect with the big brands. That’s where Tracksmith’s boutique approach fit right in.

Matt Taylor ran track & field at Yale. He later worked on running for Puma. Scheybeler is also a Rapha co-founder and he helped both brands establish a strong initial visual and creative presence. Tracksmith pairs technical details with classic Ivy-inspired design elements in a way that’s easy to describe, but hard to actually execute. Beyond design, the focus of the product is highly functional for both the casual and elite runner.

Matt’s collegiate running experience and the brand’s New England roots have both shaped what Tracksmith is today from a design perspective. Tracksmith fills a void for amateur runners with a technical yet classic aesthetic.

It’s important to disclose that I do marketing consulting with Tracksmith. I want to be completely transparent about that and it’s not something I am trying to hide. Doing this story was my idea and no one at Tracksmith pushed for this even a little bit. I have been pressured by clients in the past to write stories and I have always politely declined. That’s not what I am about and if you look back at the partnerships I have done in the past I am extremely transparent about conflicts of interest. I work with Tracksmith for the same reason I did this story, because I like the brand and believe in the people there.

Tracksmith is a DTC brand that’s going for longevity and quality first. In that regard, it’s one of the exceptions to the rule when it comes to DTC companies. So many start-up brands solve no real problems and seem to only exist because of performance marketing. Matt talks about that a little bit in this interview with Colin Nagy on LeanLuxe.

The way Tracksmith’s product, image and core values align in such a cohesive way stands out to me. That’s why the brand has activated such a passionate community in the same way that Rapha does. That’s a massive accomplishment especially in the face of the competition that exists in running.

We recorded this chat in the fall and our conversation was wide ranging. We did cover a lot of important stuff like how to build a brand, sustainability in fashion and who makes the best pizza in New Haven. It’s all in there, I hope you enjoy.

The ACL Podcast is more of an add-on to the newsletter than a full fledged podcast. You can listen in Spotify or on Apple Podcasts directly if you prefer that to Substack. If you enjoy this edition, please consider subscribing and sending to a friend who you think would like this. I appreciate your support.

Thanks to Al James for lending me his music. The song is: Hard Working Dogs by Dolorean.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.acl.news/subscribe

Today I’m not shopping for stuff on sale, I’m asking myself the big questions. Why do I own all of this stuff? How did I get to this point? Should I be buying stuff on Black Friday?

Since I am committing to downsizing 60% of my possessions in the next 12 months I wanted to talk to Sean Hotchkiss about how he did it. I also wanted to ask him how it feels four years on. That’s the basis for the conversation above.

He sent me this photo. These are his clothes. He told me that this is 75% of what he owns. His goal is for all of his clothing to fit on this one rack.

He said he has more stuff than just this, but what is pictured is the bulk of it. I’m sort of shocked and at the same time impressed. This is the same feeling I have when Coggins tells me he travels with one pair of pants. Why does having less stuff seem so difficult?

The more that I have thought about divesting the more I have generally struggled with the anxiety around the idea. It’s not just the difficult mechanics of getting rid of stuff, but I’m also feeling so much emotion around the process. The questions in my head go like this. What if I need XY or Z in the future? Am I a fool to get rid of so much stuff that has so much value? Why do I feel like this is so difficult?

On the flip side, I think that if I would have put all of the money I spent on all of this stuff into the stock market I would have made a killing. Instead I’m in a room with a bunch of things I don’t want and I’m facing a lot of work to get rid of it. This is equal parts depressing and uplifting. It’s a strange emotional paradox that I haven’t previously encountered on this level.

I also want to say that this is just my process. I’m not trying to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do with their money. I am not saying that I know better or Sean knows best. This is just how I feel and I want to share with the hope that perhaps people will find a connection for themselves. All of this thinking about simplifying has actually reinforced my belief in buying less but better things. If I would have stuck closer to that belief I would probably not be in this position in the first place.

The only thing I might buy this Black Friday would be a gift or because I want to support a brand I believe in and want to exist. I know a lot of small brands need help right now and those are the ones that I will be looking to this holiday season. I’ll get into this in a bigger way soon. I just don’t want people to forget that this is a strange time and small brands need help to get through it.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.acl.news/subscribe

The conversation that I had with Will Welch above would have been hugely satisfying if it were just him and I had it over a breakfast meeting at Lafayette. The fact that we could share it as a podcast really makes me happy. I greatly enjoy deep conversations with people where we go beyond the surface level small talk. Obviously, small talk is not the point of a podcast, but sometimes I think it’s difficult to truly get people to open up and be real. This wasn’t the case with Will and it never is. He’s the super talented guy who’s also loyal, kind, and accessible. As the person running GQ Will could be unapproachable and walled off. He’s the opposite. To say it’s refreshing is an understatement.

To me, it’s one of those situations where the person you want to get the big break gets it and you feel like a part of you won too. In the post-general-interest magazine era —where the publishing world is incredibly convoluted, I look at what Will is doing with GQ and it gives me hope. We need more good editorial in the world and less “content”. We need more people like Will and more of a focus on quality as the magazine advocates in the new issue. We need to be willing to accept the idea that hard decisions about our lives and to the fashion system need to be made if we are going to confront climate change. They are a fashion magazine advocating buying better but buying less. That’s a huge deal and any brand that has an issue with that is likely part of the problem.

As I said in the podcast, it’s cool to align with GQ on the concept of buy better, buy less. Despite all of the bad things that are happening in the world, I’m encouraged that some of the concepts I’ve been talking about since the early days of ACL are taking on a new form. It feels like the right time to be writing again and the perfect time to be talking to Will. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Related links:

* GQ October The Quality List

* Vermont in The New York Times

* The Conscience of Silicon Valley

* ACL in FADER in 2009

* Buying for Value in GQ Style

* The GQ Shop

* The ACL Podcast is also available on Apple and Spotify.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.acl.news/subscribe

Mickey Drexler is a product guy. He’s always feeling fabrics, talking about key items, and thinking about upcoming trends. He is obsessed with the details. Obviously he has excellent taste and is driven to keep pushing brands to new and better places. That’s why he is universally known as an incredible merchant.

We sat down to record this podcast in February, just before the pandemic really took hold, and he was as curious as ever. He’s a high energy guy and seems to always be moving a mile a minute. His pace and demeanor are very much a source of inspiration for me. I’m also a sucker for product people, so I suppose it makes sense that Mickey is someone that I really respect and look up to in the business.

The morning we recorded this in February Mickey and I met at the new Alex Mill store on Mercer. We were the first people to walk into the shop that morning. We went to the offices downstairs and we immediately start going through racks and looking at the clothes. Throughout most of my career meetings have involved looking at clothes and it felt normal to be going through racks with him. I’m not a merchant (and what do I really know?) but Mickey was asking me about sweaters and chore coats and overdyed wovens. He’s always probing and gathering intel on what’s cool. The Alex Mill collection seems to be a nice evolution of the stylish aesthetic that Mickey has championed for decades.

What’s happening at Alex Mill seems to be the culmination of everything Mickey has learned over the years. The collection is built around a classic core but has subtle design and playfulness that designer Somsack Sikhounmuong does so well. Things feel fresh and the brand seems free from any sort of preconceived notions of what it should be. Alex Mill has a restrained approach to opening physical retail (right now the 70 Mercer flagship is the only shop) and it is smartly emphasizing its own e-commerce channel. It feels different to me than other DTC brands— it’s much more product-focused, which makes sense considering who is running it. We spoke about this in the podcast, but this emphasis on the direct business helps Alex Mill price and position itself correctly.

I’ve been a fan since founder Alex Drexler started making woven shirts in 2012. The evolution of the Alex Mill from a tiny wholesale-focused business to more of what Mickey did with Madewell feels natural to me. I think the product is unique enough to differentiate the brand. The quality is good considering the price point and overall the spirit of the brand seems light. I get the sense that the people working on Alex Mill are making the clothes that they want to wear and doing things for the right reasons. Alex Mill 1.0 was great and the direction Mickey, Somsack, and Alex have collectively taken the brand in this evolution is impressive. It makes me happy to see a brand that makes good product and avoids falling into the hype and influencer pandemonium that has guided so many companies recently. There’s still a place for brands who make compelling product and Alex Mill is in the right place at the right time. This quote on the Alex Mill website says it all. “Nobody needs new clothes right now. But everyone needs the right clothes. So we make them.”

Programming Note

Mickey was the first person I thought of when I decided I wanted to record a few podcasts. He was the first email I sent, and he immediately replied with a yes. I was excited and a little bit nervous because I had no idea what I was doing, but I was on the hook with Mickey, so I had to just figure it out and move forward.

My plan is to publish podcasts when there are opportunities to talk to interesting people who I like. I want to try and remove the publishing constraints that might produce more “content” but at a lower quality. My goal is not to launch a full-scale podcast, but to add depth to the newsletter. Going forward these podcasts will be reserved for the paid subscribers. Thank you as always for the opportunity to tell these stories. If you have feedback or ideas for a future conversation, please reply to this email or comment.

A special thanks to Al James for allowing me to use his wonderful music.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.acl.news/subscribe