Cool Cleveland's CIO gets some answers, has more questions

George Nemeth: Jay Yoo is a Clevelander, a father, a husband, an engineer by training, but that's not why I'm interested in his story. I'm interested because he's an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur in the fashion industry. OK, he's an entrepreneur in clothing for a digital lifestyle. Disclaimer: I'm a huge fan. It started with a BlackCoat. Then the AirGo, followed by a Slimmy wallet. I can't remember whether it was a BlackCoatT or the Branie belt after that. If you check out KOYONO's About page on their website, you'll find a brief explanation of why their products resonate with me: "[I]n 2000, the company began to explore the changing habits and lifestyles of professional adults, [with] the primary goal of creating a new brand of apparel and accessories for the 'Mobile Professional' with the ability to transport and easily use the things that allow these people to 'stay connected' (i.e. cell phone, PDAs, laptop computers), while looking good..." On a fall afternoon, Jay and I visited the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and started talking about blogs. Sales of the BlackCoatT skyrocketed when when it was reviewed by Gizmodo.

George Nemeth: "So what is it about blogs that are different from other PR?"

Jay Yoo: "A recent Business 2.0 article points out that blogs can reach the unreachable. Males 18- to 34-years-old (KOYONO's demographic) aren't watching TV anymore, but spending 18-35 hours on the internet per week; 9 of those hours are spent reading blogs. Why? Blogs are honest, authentic. People will talk about the product if they love it, or hate it."

GN: "Blogs are usually supported by ads. If a blog reviews you, do you advertise with them?"

JY: "We decide that on a case by case basis. Much of the decision depends on volume. There's a fine line between ads and PR on blogs. If you get good PR, you should advertise."

GN: "Looking back on your PR strategy, what did you do wrong?"

JY: "We weren't ready for the mainstream, because we didn't go after the early adopters. Someone like Josh Spear."

We switched from blogs to combining electronics and clothing textiles, a recent topic of conversation on my blog, Brewed Fresh Daily.

JY: "Everything is hinging on power. Laptops have crappy battery power. What percentage of people need to send an email by typing on their shirt sleeve?"

GN: "So the digital lifestyle of the future isn't about smart clothing. What is it then?"

JY: "Take a look at the iPod Nano. Stuff is getting smaller, but not embedded in fabric. But, all the convergence of stuff on a phone is crap. If I want good pictures, I need a camera with a good lens. Can I get that on a phone? No. The benefits of a phone and a good camera are mutually exclusive. Although it's a clever way to market, embedding tech in a jacket is far off."

GN: "So what are future KOYONO products going to be if not embedded tech?"

JY: "We're focusing on the hybrid lifestyle. Beach to work. Office to evening. These shoes by Keen are a great example. They're great for hiking, summer, wading."

Shortly after I talked to Jay, I spoke with a friend of mine who's a stage manager. She spends 12-14 hours on her feet getting ready for a production. She loves her Keens.

GN: "What isn't KOYONO going to do?"

JY: "We're not going to do pants. May resell. It's hard to get a correct fit on jeans. Shirts generally fit and so does outerwear. I took Haviland on jean shopping experience to the Jean Shop. They only have one store and their stuff is super-customized. He looked and felt different in the jeans he got there."

GN: "What's the KOYONO experience?"

JY: "Minimalism and entrepreneurs go together. Keep it to a minimum if you're going on a 2 day business trip. Not looking like a corporate dork. But not looking like you've done an all-nighter. But you've got to be thinking of a digital lifestyle. Not more pockets. Focusing on what's important. Sport coats with PDA pockets is boring. The other half of design is function."

GN: "How has Apple aesthetic affected your designs?"

"Brand is about the music. MTV, VH1. One of my heroes in life is Jimi Hendrix. If you hear his music even today, it impacts you. Any industry leader is like that. I don't necessarily like the brand, but I love the story of Michael Dell."

This is the part of the interview where I usually switch from asking questions of Jay to asking questions to be answered by all of us. But this time, Jay's been thinking about some things that he'd like to ask all of you.

JY: "One question I've been asking a lot lately is 'What was unusual 30 - 50 years ago that's normal today?' Then I ask 'What's exceptional now that in 30-50 years will be normal?' Working with young people will reveal your paradigms. Normal for buiness in 20 years? Gay rights. More corporations providing benefits. Politicians are fighting about it, but we can't afford to exclude them. Another question: When was the last time a 10-year-old taught you something? I had a kid teach me to skateboard recently. I think he had as much fun teaching as I did learning. I was trying to get over this little ramp, but I kept falling. He told me that it was the fear that made me fall. His advice to me, "Just skate better." I finally did it once, but according to the adage, you're not an entrepreneur unless you've succeeded 3 times. I did it 5. The experience changed my relationship with my daughter. Final question: Can Cleveland be successful at innovating?

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Photo and Interview by Cool Cleveland CIO George Nemeth georgeATcoolcleveland.com (:divend:)