Phil Russo

Cole Haan’s Creative Director, Phil Russo, talks to us about the excitement around the brand’s latest designs, and about the world’s renewed interest in all things fashion

From Puma to Converse and Now Cole Haan,

Phil Russo has designed for some of the the world’s most beloved fashion brands. These days, he can be found leading Cole Haan’s entire design process and direction as the brand’s creative director.

And lead the charge he certainly has: from dads to the most stylish Manhattan fashionistas, Cole Haan seems to be everywhere these days. So much so, that we’ve seen brand after brand release copycat designs trying to capture some of the brand’s enviable steam.

We sat down with him at his New York City design studio to chat process, inspiration and the art of modernizing a brand without losing what makes it great.

How Did You Discover You Wanted to Pursue a Career in the Creative World?

I always knew that I wanted to be in the creative field, but it took me a bit to actually get there.

I have an undergraduate degree in psychology, and a minor in biology, but I was always pursuing creative hobbies on the side. I was constantly drawing, sketching, woodworking, doing jewelry design...constantly reading on architecture and art.

As I matured, I knew I had to pursue design as a passion, and “come out” as a true creative, rather than forever being stuck in something I was interested in, but in my heart, wasn’t completely into. So, What fuels my fire is really making things and bringing compelling ideas to life.

Why Did You Decide to Make the Move to Cole Haan?

That was an easy decision—the scale of the opportunity seemed pretty incredible.

I was at Converse doing fantastic work there, I loved being a part of that brand. This seemed to be almost a bigger opportunity in that Cole Haan was resetting itself, and there was an opportunity to be part of a team that was modernizing a classic brand. I wanted to be part of that brand refresh, and also creating a landscape that would allow Cole Haan to come to life in a fresh, relevant way. To celebrate Cole Haan’s past while innovating toward its future—basically creating a modern interpretation of the brand.

Can You Walk Me Through Your Approach to the Design Process?

We think about who we are as a brand, and think about our consumers, and figure out what’s still relevant for them, but we also want to have a fresh perspective on that through innovation.

To get there, we focus on three things in the design process: 1. Craft: We have decades in proven methods of craftmaking and telling authentic stories 2. Innovation: We push to the edges, and try something new. We have a willingness to take risks and to get us someplace new.

3. Style: We combine craft and innovation, which then informs our style. When we do it right, we do it in a way that feels timeless and classic.

What Are You Seeing in the Fashion & Design World That You Love?

At the macro level, I love that people are gravitating toward the classic silhouettes— that’s fantastic. The loafer, the oxford, the chukkuh boot, the pump, the right sandal, things like that.

Specifically, I really love loafers right now. It can really be a simple silhouette, but if you look at it, there are so many variations: a penny, a venetian, a driver, a boat shoe...there’s so many treatments you can do to keep it interesting. And I think to me, that’s a great challenge, in terms of restraint sensibility. You can take it to such an interesting place, you just have to really pause the impulse to go nuts with it, and you have to really think it through. Guys are getting in the game heavily. Men are carrying totes—that’s awesome. The first time you see it, it’s like “Huh, a guy carrying a tote.” But then it’s just awesome. And it’s been happening in some places for awhile now, but there’s a new renewed excitement around accessories in general, and fashion in general, which is really cool.

What’s Next for You and Cole Haan?

For us as a brand, it’s the never-ending quest to bring the brand to life at every place we touch people, in the same way, through a cohesive and consistent story, through product design, experience design and brand design, to keep people inspired. It’s our job to connect with people and keep them coming back. —ms