Perspective | He saw the realities of the fashion industry — and he wasn’t afraid to talk about them

  • 📰 washingtonpost
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 63 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 28%
  • Publisher: 72%

Business News News

Business Business Latest News,Business Business Headlines

Perspective: He saw the realities of the fashion industry — and he wasn’t afraid to talk about them

The finale of the fall 2018 Nicole Miller fashion show. By Robin Givhan Robin Givhan Fashion critic Email Bio Follow Fashion critic April 19 at 8:00 AM Every industry has the people who understand how everything works now, as well as how everything used to be. The fashion industry had Bud Konheim. He was the chief executive of Nicole Miller, which he founded in New York in 1982 — named after the young designer he’d hired to work alongside him.

You might expect that what would come next in this appreciation would be a lament about how so much institutional knowledge died along with Konheim. But that would not be true. Because while Seventh Avenue has lost one of its most buoyant and charismatic business executives, Konheim was generous with what he knew. He doled out wisdom and expertise in great heaping helpings.

He didn’t rely on publicists to vet and massage his every statement. For one thing, he was too cheap to employ a fancy communications firm. But his was a private company that did not have to answer to investors. He was sure in his point of view, willing to admit when he was wrong and curious to hear what others had to say. Konheim didn’t just answer your questions; he engaged with you. Just a few minutes of conversation with him could make a story more nuanced and thoughtful.

Nicole Miller was not an agenda-setting behemoth. Most consumers probably associate it with the novelty tie craze of the early 1990s, when business executives wore four-in-hands printed with everything from playing cards and slot machines to calculators. But the brand also produced sexy — but never vulgar — party dresses. They had a big moment on the prom scene.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

19:26 - 19 апр. 2019 г.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 95. in BUSİNESS

Business Business Latest News, Business Business Headlines