JIMMY CHRABIEH

Differio CEO, New York

Why I love the brand: It’s different. It speaks to men of all tastes and styles and it makes individualized, avant garde fashion accessible to anyone with a wifi connection.

When was the first time you noticed that fashion was something someone created rather than just something you bought and put on?

The moment I started appreciating art is the moment I started appreciating fashion. I grew up in a family of artists, which is where I found a true appreciation for the power of art. Fashion is art. When a person can look at fashion from an artistic perspective, it becomes more than just a material thing.

What brought you to Differio?

Because we believe fashion is art, we realized most of the companies that sell fashion only sell it from a commercial point of view forgetting that it is also art. We wanted to create our menswear online shopping platform based on the idea of delivering art to our consumers. This is also where our motto, “Fashion Different”, comes from.

How do you find the designers you feature?

Finding designers is like finding the best painting for your home. We try to discover these secret gems that no one else has found. Fashion is something that is relatable internationally, like a really good song. When we find good designers we’re not limited by the boundaries of color and shape. Most websites bring in brands that are famous with very popular trends. At Differio, we don’t follow these “rules”. We look at pieces as beautiful creations before limiting ourselves to only stylish menswear that’s “in trend”. Our fashion buying team spends time researching and travelling to find these beautiful pieces that will speak to our customers.

What are you looking for when it comes to the designers/clothes you feature on the site?

We look for pieces that are unique, adventurous, edgy and beautiful. We look for pieces with personality. So if you’re a certain personality, we want that piece to speak to you and your character. We avoid mass production brands. When a designer approaches us, we always ask if it’s a unique creation, where the inspiration is from, and how many pieces are being produced. We’ve even been approached by some big-name brands, but rejected their offer due to their lack of exclusivity and originality. We try to offer not only exclusivity to our customers, but also rare designs that are being sold on a small scale.

I’ve seen a lot of your ads on Facebook. How has social media influenced the way you market your clothing?

Since we are always in line with technology and try to stay ahead of the game, we are constantly active on all platforms. We’re available on all social media networks because this is the way people communicate today. Nevertheless, since we have unique pieces, like modern kilts, our pieces tend to go viral without even actively promoting it. When you have a beautiful work of art, everybody talks about it. This is why we attract people from all over the world that want to buy clothing from our menswear online shopping store.

Fashion blogs and style bloggers are front row at Fashion Week, something that didn’t happen ten years ago. Ten years from now, what do you hope the fashion industry looks like/is headed?

Individuality is something that is on the rise. This is why as technology advances we are seeing more fashion blogs and bloggers appearing as well. Consumers are identifying themselves with these bloggers. They trust their opinion and follow what these bloggers are buying from stylish mens jeans to mens trendy shoes. Unfortunately, (because money rules) we find that today some bloggers are being sponsored and aren’t necessarily giving the right advice or image to their audience. We hope that in the future people will proudly embrace their individuality. People will wear what they want to wear simply because they like it. More people will broadcast their individuality instead of getting their inspiration elsewhere.

Are stores like Differio the future of fashion? What are you thoughts on the tactile quality of shopping in a physical store?

We hope that Differio is portrayed as the future of fashion. We believe that what we are doing is one of the first steps towards creativity and uniqueness in fashion. We became one of the top online menswear stores in the US, but we still have a long way to go. The future is evolving at a fast pace, so we always try to keep up with it in every aspect. From the development of technology to the evolution of trends, we always aspire to stay ahead of both categories.

We still believe that getting your clothes from a retail store is practical. However, we noticed that the convenience of delivering anything you want right at your doorstep is in-demand for the millennial generation. People have less time for in-store shopping. We try to develop our online technology so that our shopping experience is just as close to the experience of being in an actual store from the pictures we take to the delivery speed we offer to the fashion advice we give. The customer can still feel the product once they receive it and return it if they don’t like it. We have fashion stylists available via phone or live chat, so customers can ask about our products as if they were in an actual store. Our products are measured meticulously, so you know exactly what you’re getting. We even note the fit style of our products, so sometimes we even go beyond what a store can offer. Moreover, the availability of retail stores is only limited to a specific location, while we have the advantage of delivering our New York menswear to anyone in the world.

There’s a lot of competition out there. How do you separate yourself from the pack?

We don’t feel there is competition for us. The current competition is actually competing against each other by offering the same products, same brands, same colors and same fit. We try to sell stylish menswear that nobody else has. Therefore, the competition for us is very low. Since we’re growing at a fast pace and grabbing attention in the fashion scene, we believe these competitors will eventually try to copy us in the future. Even if our strategy is reproduced, we believe our artistic vision and brand message are unique to us.

What’s it like to see your clothes on men around town?

We not only feel proud that these men are wearing our products, but also identify with these people. This is the next generation of Differio. We are proud of them for being different and creating their own world with our fashion. We hope the future will have more people like this!

Head over to http://www.differio.com today to order your new fall looks today!

Interview by Ryan Brinson