Coach, for instance, is well-managed, but it hasn’t “spread as a lifestyle brand,”

When I was in grad school, the unstated assumption in most of what we were taught was that the sole point of a business (or any institution, really) was to grow. To grow, grow, grow, to as large a scale as possible. To build an empire, take over the world. My classmates — tycoons in waiting — lapped it up. “Lifestyle businesses”? Nah! Those were fo... See more

If PD should ever end up in someone else’s control, it would certainly make me sad, but I can do it again with a different name. I don't think the brand is good just because of the name — it’s about ethos and ideas. I don't even think of PD as my own name anymore. When I look at the label inside the clothes, I don't think of myself. It is lot of th... See more