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Modern Fashion: Mark Kohlenberg of Moral Code On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Have a bias for action. Speed matters. Tenacity matters. You can win business and customers just by executing correctly when your competitors don’t. Master the simple things.

Many in the fashion industry have been making huge pivots in their business models. Many have turned away from the fast fashion trend. Many have been focusing on fashion that also makes a social impact. Many have turned to sustainable and ethical sourcing. Many have turned to hi tech manufacturing. Many have turned to subscription models. What are the other trends that we will see in the fashion industry? What does it take to lead a successful fashion brand today?

In our series called, “5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today” we are talking to successful leaders of fashion brands who can talk about the Future of Fashion and the 5 things it takes to lead a successful fashion brand in our “new normal.”

As a part of this series I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Mark Kohlenberg.

Mark Kohlenberg is the founder of Moral Code and Milwaukee Boot Company, as well as the founding partner and CEO of WDM Footwear and Accessories. He is a veteran of multiple start-ups and has a long entrepreneurial history with leading consumer brands in the fashion and footwear arena.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

I grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. We were a lower middle class Jewish family in a blue collar community. My dad was a plumber and my mom was a housewife. Most of my classmates chose not to go to college, but my parents instilled the value of a great education and also giving back to others. I saw how hard my Dad had to work to earn a living — manual, dirty, physical work, oftentimes outside in the winter. This convinced me I needed to get a good education and find a future outside of my hometown.

Can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?

When I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the job market was terrible. I had a Political Science degree. The only companies recruiting were Department Stores. The May Company was recruiting at Big Ten schools and offered me a position in their Executive Training Program.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

There have been many. I think one that stands out is when I had been trying to get the attention of “The Sharper Image” catalog when I was running Elefanten. In those days it was the pinnacle of Conspicuous Consumption and really put a brand on the map. I had contacted them many times and got nowhere. Eventually, I found out the name and phone number for the CEO, Richard Thalheimer’s assistant. After several calls to her, she got to know me and started to think I was one of Richard’s friends. One night I was in New York in my hotel room for the FFANY show and my phone rang. It was Richard Thalheimer talking to me like we were old friends. A week later I flew out to San Francisco, met with his team and my shoes ended up on the cover of the Sharper Image catalog.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

  • Integrity — I think nothing else matters if a leader lacks integrity. Even if my customer over orders, over pays, makes a mistake in my favor — I have a responsibility to be truthful with them and make them aware of any errors.
  • Tenacity — Tenacity is something I live and breathe. In all of my jobs I have always had to prove myself. Nothing was ever easy and I was never handed anything. Tenacity is a trait that is an equalizer. If you continue to push and persevere even when you have self-doubt or don’t think you can continue, you always have an opportunity to compete and win.
  • Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable — My old friend from Green Bay, Harvey Kanter wrote a book with this title. It took me a long time to do this but it has served me well. Be comfortable asking the hard questions. Be comfortable speaking up when others won’t. Be comfortable asking for the sale.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

My current company is a bit unusual in the footwear/accessory world in that we are vertically integrated and produce all of our own products in our own factories on site. 95% of the footwear and accessories produced in the world are done by third party manufacturers. This is a big advantage as we can be faster and more efficient than a contract manufacturer and control our own quality. This has been a big advantage in our Private Label business.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that was relevant to you in your life?

I try to live by Never Give Up. I have pioneered a lot of brands trying to enter the US market. There is no lack of anything in our market so you have to have a great brand with quality and workmanship. Every day there are doors slammed in my face but if you have confidence in your product/service-tomorrow is a new day with a new door.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Do you see any fascinating developments emerging over the next few years in the fashion industry that you are excited about? Can you tell us about that?

Brands that stand for something and take a position on issues. Being able to select a brand that have values that align with your own.

Can you share how your brand is helping to bring goodness to the world?

We have taken steps in the Sustainability area that are meaningful. We pay our workers fair wages and provide a safe and comfortable environment for them to work.

Can you share with our readers about the ethical standards you use when you choose where to source materials?

We operate our own tannery, our own outsole factory, our own footwear and accessory factories so many oft he materials that most brands have to source from third parties, we are able to manage internally. When we work with outside suppliers we build long term relationships with ethical suppliers that produce safe materials.

Fast fashion has an advantage, that it is affordable for most people, but it also has the drawback that it does not last very long and is therefore not very sustainable. What are your thoughts about this? How does your company address this question?

We don’t produce fast fashion and never will. This type of fashion is the equivalent of plastic grocery bags. They end up in landfills and never go away. We produce long lasting products that can be used for years (and oftentimes even reconditioned for many additional years). We believe in buying less quantity and higher quality to avoid filling landfills with cheap footwear or accessories.

Thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand”. Please share a story or example for each.

  • Have a great product. Without a quality, compelling product-nothing else matters.
  • Tell your story. You have to work to separate your brand from the pack and differentiate your story.
  • Actively manage your supply chain. Know your factories. Build relationships with them. Make them want to do business with you. When times get tough, relationships can save you.
  • Hire for passion. Skills and knowledge can be taught. Passion from your team is something they have or they don’t.
  • Have a bias for action. Speed matters. Tenacity matters. You can win business and customers just by executing correctly when your competitors don’t. Master the simple things.

Every industry constantly evolves and seeks improvement. How do you think the fashion industry can improve itself? Can you give an example?

Diversity/Inclusion. Go out of your way to mentor others. Help people find jobs. Make introductions and open doors for people. Pay it forward.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Kindness. Tolerance. Acceptance. I am very concerned about the polarization of people, opinion and viewpoints in our country. Notably LGBTQ rights, Women’s‘ right to choose and Voting Rights. Diversity, inclusion, equality and tolerance should be pillars of business leadership and are under threat in our country.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

They can follow me on my LinkedIn!

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Modern Fashion: Mark Kohlenberg of Moral Code On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.