BRENDA’S BUSINESS with PETER DO

I don't know if we were financially ready for our show, to be honest. I was impatient. I was ready. If you asked Vincent, our CEO, would probably say “No,” we shouldn't have done a show. I want to do all these things, but he is better with money. But that's why we work as a team. I am an emotional designer

In the fashion industry, gatekeeping is an unspoken rule. Which sets many up for failure, burnouts, or debt. If you’re extra lucky, everything combined. This closed-door policy is a cynical paradox, considering fashion lives off the public. And yet, we are all guilty of spreading glittery narratives, differing from the notably less sparkly reality.

BW: We’ll say “in his private life he is taken. In business, he’s on the dating apps.”

PD: Open marriage.

Think of Margiela in Paris, that was a Golden Age in fashion because you could show in an alleyway, and there's kids around. Next to a dumpster. Maybe it was dangerous, but back then no one had to care about safety hazards. But now that's not safe anymore. You can't recklessly do that.

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

Do we need more show reviews or do we need to know how much the show cost?

None of them. No Birkins, no SoHo loft, no drivers. I still meal prep every week. I still bring my own lunch. I take the train. Sometimes when I'm really stressed, I indulge myself and take a cab with UNI.

Merely stocking us, or any young brand, in your store doesn’t equal support. As a young designer you need structures and advice. Stores often have an ego because they stocked you first. But they need to do more. Where is the storytelling? How do you help us grow? Stocking a young brand is a huge responsibility many stores take too lightly. We, desi... See more

Fashion runs on these really strange net 60, net 30, net whatever, store pay payment terms. We didn't understand all of this at first. When we first started PD, we asked for a deposit when someone placed an order, that helped at the beginning. But over time, stores overturned those rules. No one really pays on the dot. The reason a lot of brands do... See more