Small Talk on our Awkward Orange Sofa with Ariel Nelson & Lane Gerson, Co-Founders of Jack Erwin
Vettery’s Clark Winter sat down with Ariel Nelson & Lane Gerson, co-founders of Jack Erwin, to discuss the changing landscape in men’s fashion, how millenials think about direct to consumer products, and why they love shoes.
Based in New York, Jack Erwin is a men’s shoe brand creating well crafted, honestly priced men’s dress shoes. While driven to keep their retail pricing down, they are unwaveringly committed to quality materials and to the labor intensive, age-old craft of fine shoe making.
I’ve heard this story before…top of the line product retails at $500+ with the alternative being a terrible quality option at bargain prices. In the shoe market, you are making shoes for $90-250 and selling them direct to consumer. Tell us the story here?
It was fall 2012 when Lane and I (Ariel) were walking in New York in need of a pair of dress shoes for a wedding. Everywhere we looked we were finding ourselves compromising on something; good quality – crazy price, comfortable fit – poor design. So we asked ourselves “how is there nothing out there that we actually like?”
So we decided to do it ourselves. The idea was to make beautiful men’s dress shoes for $100 and sell them for $200. We wanted to make shoes that were well made, beautifully designed, and not outrageously priced. So that’s what we did.
I’ve read that part of the inspiration for Jack Erwin was the question, “Where did the simple men's dress shoe go?" What do you mean by that?
At the end of the day we believe in great product. We have always been drawn to simplicity and elegance. There is true beauty in something made well, with the highest quality materials, with design audacious enough be simple and clean.
The men’s shoe market today is crowded. And as everyone tries to get involved we have seen quality and design suffer the most. As a result we are bombarded with over stylized, lower quality, bizarrely priced products that don’t actually reflect what most men want.
To date it seems you are focused exclusively on Men’s shoes. Is this an intentional brand angle or just phase one for the company?
First it is important to note that we also love women’s shoes. Women tend to appreciate great products and have actually responded quite positively to our brand. In fact, an interesting side note is that a significant number of women have bought our men’s styles for themselves.
However, remaining a men’s shoe brand is something we have been very intentional about. We believe men are caring more and more about what brands they align with and how it informs their personal style and identity. This is an exciting time to build a brand for men and the opportunity is only getting bigger. Our goal is to be a brand men can relate to that provides products they actually want.
A wise man once said, “You spend most of your time in your bed or on your feet, so it’s important to invest in both.” If we opened up your closet, what shoes would we find in your quiver?
Both Lane and I love shoes. For me, you would see 5-6 pair of Jack Erwins, my Chuck Taylors, and a pair of Nike running shoes. For me our brand provides the best option for almost any occasion outside athletics. However we are also inspired by those brands that we were brought up with. From Chuck Taylors to Stan Smiths to Nike trainers, between the two of us we cover each base.
How do you think about your competitive landscape-- is your target demographic currently shopping at the Cole Haans/Allen Edmonds of the world, or are you hoping to be the first foray into fashionable dress shoe for the guy who wears squared toed loafers?
We know this sounds like a phony answer but we really don’t look at any specific brand as direct competition. Here’s what we do know, that there are very few brands speaking directly to men in a way that truly resonates. We aim to be that company.
Men’s style has certainly has become more casual these days. How do you see that fitting in with the Jack Erwin brand? Do you envision me wearing your shoes with a t-shirt?
The short answer is yes. The more involved answer is a bit more nuanced. Personal style, especially for men, is evolving in new ways every day. We are challenging what it means to be formal vs. informal. We (men) are looking for products that allow us to be dynamic in life and in style. A beautifully made shoe can be worn with anything. It’s not our job to tell customers how to dress; it’s our job to make the best shoe that you can make you own. That’s our approach.
How would you describe your personal styles?
Lane: Classic, always classic. Usually jeans and a T.
Ariel: Classic, with an element of formal. I like a clean button down, jeans and great pair of shoes.
Branding is having an ever greater presence on our mind share of how we learn about things. You guys created a beautiful “How We Make Our Shoes” video. How do you think about this transparency and authenticity as a way to connect with your customer?
We are proud of how we make our product. We spend a tremendous amount of time and energy to ensure we practice what we preach. For us, the design, sourcing of materials and manufacturing process is baked into our brand DNA. So to let our customers see into that process is both authentic and, we believe, important to helping them understand who we are.
What is your favorite Jack Erwin shoe?
Lane: Joe in black (Oxford cap toe)
Ariel: Ellis brown suede (Chelsea boot)
Our favorite question: if you could combine two existing, but unrelated startups to make something totally ridiculous, what would they be?
Uber meets Open Table. Fully integrated restaurant booking and car service. This could/would pick up all attendees, book table, and return them home after.
What is favorite social media account to follow?
We are not on social media however we do check the Jack Erwin instagram account pretty regularly
Lastly, what does the name Jack Erwin mean?
The name is a combination of our fathers names. My dad’s name is Jack and Lane’s is Erwin. We thought, if we can make a product that both our fathers would buy, that would be a successful business.
Merry Christmas Tings w my youngin and gifts from @jackerwin , these Carter Wingtip Combat Boots are definitely a stylish way to help take on your favorite holiday event .. Thanks for the gifts and Happy Holidays to all my followers across the globe #jackerwin #walkwithus My Yeezy Boost 750 giveaway ends in a little over 1 hr and I will post my ticketed (5$/ticket) raffle later today which will give 3 winners a chance to win yeezys for the holidays Stay tuned
