Circa 1978 - Yep, that was me back in the day. I could have been the inspiration for the Napolean Dynamite movie. In my youth, I was inspired by architecture, fashion and music. The architecture math was intimidating, the music business was full of rejection and so was the fashion industry, but I had more resilience when it came to rejection in the fashion world. I mean, look at that picture - who wouldn't think I wasn't a fashion authority!
After earning a fashion merchandising degree in college and having success in sales, management, and buying for a men's store suited for shopping malls, I decided to apply to a very upscale men's designer boutique located in downtown Seattle. This legendary space stocked Giorgio Armani, Issey Miyake, Versace, Zegna and many other luxury, mostly Italian, brands, and they were the first to do so in the Pacific Northwest.
I received a very kind rejection letter from that store owner which I still have today. It was initially, pretty disappointing news, but I didn't let that stop me. A few years later, I opened a store with different, mostly European, brands and a unique point of view just around the block.
It's been an amazing 30+ year ride at David Lawrence, but one I couldn't have imagined if I hadn't been resilient enough to understand that rejection is just part of the process.
David of David Lawrence