When Rebecca Minkoff first moved to New York City, the then-18-year-old was making $4.75 an hour.I just kept working for this designer and someone was telling me what to do every day.
I just didn''t like that.
And I thought if I&m going to work as hard, it going to be for myself and I want to call my own shots,& she said.
&I didn''t want to be told what to do, frankly.Self-employment for Minkoff turned out just fine; in 2001, she redesigned the iconic &I Love New York& shirt and it appeared on The Tonight Show.
After a shout-out from Jay Leno, Minkoff spent the next eight months making T-shirts on the floor of her apartment and quit her job to start designing full time.We caught up with Minkoff to learn more about how she grew her brand into a global fashion company with the help of her brother, her problem with the unicorn mentality and why she thinks the &invisible barrier& is the future of retail tech.This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.TechCrunch: What gave you the energy and drive to become an entrepreneur?Rebecca Minkoff: Long story.
My mom would sell these cast covers, like decorative covers for people with broken arms at the flea market.
And I was like, I am going to have a booth here.
So I made all these tie-dye shirts and no one bought anything but it was just this idea of like, I can make something I can sell.
My mom always taught that.
When I wanted a dress, she taught me how to sew a dress instead of buying the dress.
And so, I just got this bug for creating things out of nothing.The constant thread was, &I&m not going to pay for this.
You&re going to learn how to do it.