This is about how Ronnie Fieg built Kith by understanding what people want before they know it themselves, using 29 years of retail experience. He sells everything from $10 ice cream to $130,000 BMWs. His key insight: make everyone feel welcome, not excluded. Key mentions: ASICS (2007 collab sold out in a day), BMW (120 cars sold in 11 minutes), and Giorgio Armani ($6,000 suits, called the greatest tailor ever).
Ronnie Fieg, founder and CEO of Kith, shared his career journey on the Invest Like the Best podcast. Starting at age 13 working at the New York shoe store David Z, he collaborated with ASICS in 2007 to launch the Gel-Lyte 3 series, which sold out within a day, was covered by The Wall Street Journal,
Ronnie Fieg, founder and CEO of Kith, started working at the New York shoe store David Z at age 13, and founded Kith in 2011. It has since become one of the most influential brands in footwear, fashion, and culture. The core insight of this issue: Fieg believes that the foundation of a brand's success lies in "understanding what people want before they know it themselves" — an ability derived from 29 years of frontline retail experience and consumer insight, rather than market research or data models.
Ronnie Fieg believes that true product capability is not about design, but about "understanding what people want before they know it themselves."
This ability stems from his 13-year experience at David Z—working his way from the warehouse to sales, and then to assistant buyer, where he helped "thousands of customers," including Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Jay-Z, Fat Joe, and others. He observed the purchasing logic of different groups: dog walkers in the Lower East Side preferred green suede sneakers, Japanese tourists bought Red Wing boots, and drug dealers purchased New Balance 1300s (because standing on the street required comfort). "I got inside people's heads and understood why they liked certain products."
Key mechanism: Fieg believes his taste is "a synthesis of New York's various cultures"—not a single aesthetic, but a composite distilled from the purchasing behaviors of different groups. This allows him to anticipate trends: at age 14, he was mocked for wearing Wallabies on the school bus, only for classmates to come buy them a year later; when he wore New Balance, he was asked, "Is that Nike?"—which later became a trend.
Inference: This ability cannot be acquired quickly; it requires "decades of accumulated experience." Fieg emphasizes that "you can't skip from A to Z in the alphabet"—you must start from the ground up and understand every aspect of the company.
Fieg's direct trigger for founding Kith was an experience of humiliation—he brought his father into a high-end store, and the staff turned off the music until his father left.
"That was the fire I needed." The name Kith comes from "Kith and Kin" (friends and family), with the core philosophy of making everyone who walks in feel welcome. The first store was in Soho, where he deliberately transformed an abandoned driveway into a courtyard—"People started hanging out there, not to buy things, just to chat." This became the prototype of a community.
Key turning point: Customers began requesting clothing with the store's name on it—"They wanted to represent the store." Fieg realized that people were "tired of being snubbed by certain brands" and craved a sense of belonging. This drove Kith's transformation from a multi-brand retailer to its own label.
Data support: Kith now sells products spanning an enormous range—from $10 ice cream to $6,000 Armani suits and $130,000 BMWs (120 units sold out in 11 minutes). Fieg emphasizes that he gives "the same attention" to both ends of the product spectrum.
Fieg believes that the core of every collaboration is not the product itself, but "educating consumers on why this product matters."
Take the BMW collaboration as an example: In Chapter One, he tells the story of the E30 M3—originally a race car, not a production vehicle. He brought in former racing driver Johnny Chakoto and his son to race the E30 M3 and M4 on the track, "showcasing the heritage of the DNA." Chapter Two marked BMW's 50th anniversary of electrification—he found the 1602 concept car (the first electric vehicle, with a range of 27 miles), which served as the marathon pace car at the 1962 Munich Olympics, converted it into an electric vehicle, and displayed it alongside the i4 to show "the past and the present."
Key principle: Collaborations must "celebrate the heritage of the partner brand, rather than imposing one's own version on top of it." Fieg says, "When I sit down to discuss a collaboration, they have no doubt about my passion."
On the Armani collaboration: Fieg calls Giorgio Armani "the greatest tailor in human history," and the collaboration left him with "nowhere to go"—this is the highest standard.
Fieg believes the core of maintaining quality is "everyone leaves their ego at the door"—if the work does not meet the standard, it goes back to the drawing board.
He describes the team culture: "The brand is bigger than all of us." The decision-making criterion is "what is good for the brand," not "what is good for me." Over time, these two become aligned.
Key mechanism: Consistency. Fieg says consumers can see the brand "grow through a consistent lens"—each quarter and each collaboration evolves in the same direction, rather than making abrupt leaps.
Personal discipline: Fieg does not drink, smoke, or stay up late. "If I am going to make good decisions, I need to be in the best state." He compares decision-making to a free throw—"with practice, it becomes second nature."
Fieg admits that every day he thinks, "Can I maintain the same influence over the next three to five years?"
"I can't keep doing what I'm doing today—it has to become bigger and better. The story has to be better, the product has to be better. Otherwise, I don't want to do it. I don't know what it feels like to stay the same."
A double-edged sword: This anxiety means he "can never fully enjoy the present moment," but it also drives him to keep evolving. He notes that his travels to Japan and Italy each account for 50% of his aesthetic influence—"My style will never change, but it will continuously evolve."
| Position | Guest Attitude | Key Data |
|---|---|---|
| ASICS | Partner (Historical) | 2007 collaboration on Gel-Lyte 3, minimum order of 252 pairs, sold out in one day after Wall Street Journal coverage |
| Adidas | Partner (Historical) | Black belt Superstar, paired with a tie |
| BMW | Partner (Ongoing) | E30 M3/M4 collaboration; 1602 electric vehicle conversion; 120 M4 units sold out in 11 minutes |
| Giorgio Armani | Partner | $6,000 suit |
| Nike | Partner | LeBron 15 (worn by LeBron James during the All-Star Game, where he won MVP) |
| On | Partner | Roger One (Roger Federer's first signature shoe) |
| New York Knicks | Creative Director | City Edition jersey design; Kith Night |
| M.A. Leondor | Admiration/Friend | No specific collaboration disclosed |
| Kith Treats | Own Brand | $10 ice cream |
| Andkin | Own Brand (New) | Higher price point, higher quality fabric |
1. "Understand what people want, before they know it themselves" (Ronnie Fieg) — This is the core of Kith's product philosophy, rooted in consumer insights accumulated over 29 years on the retail front line, not data models.
2. "You can't skip from A to Z in the alphabet" (Ronnie Fieg) — You must start from the ground up, understand every aspect of the company, to make the right decisions.
3. "The brand is bigger than all of us" (Ronnie Fieg) — The key to maintaining quality is for everyone to leave their ego at the door, with the decision-making criterion being "what is good for the brand."
4. "The core of every collaboration is to educate the consumer on why this product matters" (Ronnie Fieg) — Collaborations must celebrate the heritage of the partner brand, rather than imposing one's own version on top of it.
5. "If I want to make good decisions, I need to be at my best" (Ronnie Fieg) — No drinking, no smoking, no staying up late, turning decision-making into "second nature."
6. "I can never fully enjoy the present moment" (Ronnie Fieg) — Constant anxiety about the future is a double-edged sword, driving evolution but also preventing relaxation.
7. "Kith Treats and Giorgio Armani have the same impact on the brand" (Ronnie Fieg) — A $10 ice cream and a $6,000 suit receive the same level of attention; this is Kith's "unicorn" trait.
8. "People are tired of being snubbed by certain brands" (Ronnie Fieg) — Kith's core philosophy is to make everyone who walks into the store feel welcome, stemming from his experience of being insulted when bringing his father into a store.