It Matters... It All Matters...

Occasionally I have the great fortune of running into one of my supporters or well-wishers on the streets of New York City, but very rarely am I as surprised as I was the other day when I heard someone scream “Malcolm – Malcolm Harris”. At first I thought it was an old schoolmate, as no one actually calls me by my first and last name these days unless it is a telemarketer or bill collector. Therefore, when I turned to see who this could be, I noticed this frantic young woman who had begun making a beeline towards me. She begged that I wait a minute while she got herself together so I immediately grabbed her and gave her a big bear hug, if not a tether, for fear that this young woman would float into the stratosphere.

Now I will admit that I have been “hood-famous” for quite some time now (that’s not bragging – it just is what it is), but this young woman with her British accent left me scratching my head and wondering, “What the fuck have I done?” There was also a bit of fear during this initial exchange and therefore my bear hug was also an attempt at restraining my new friend from reaching for a deadly weapon (just in case she was truly a psycho – of course I’m kidding – just a bit…) But it turned out that this young woman was not a psycho at all. This young woman, like many others, has now become an intregal part of my inner voice that whispers to me, “Keep on pushing forward Malcolm - the work that you are doing really matters… It all matters…”

One of the loudest voices in my psyche comes from my spiritual advisor Deepak Chopra

It turns out this young woman by the name of Courtney had actually used yours truly as a case study for her entrance application in order to attend Parsons School of Design. With Courtney’s permission, I have attached a copy of her subsequent email addressed to me along with her Parson’s essay and photo. The subject line in her email reads (in her own words not mine): CRAZY GIRL ON THE STREET YESTERDAY:

Hey Malcolm,

It was amazing meeting you yesterday. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. I'm sure I seemed quite manic at first so I appreciate you just waiting a moment for me to calm down. I've attached a copy of my essay for you to read if you have a moment to spare. I just wanted to thank you again for doing all that you do. You're truly inspirational and I would love to work with you some day. Do you offer internships? I understand that you're a small company but thought I'd give it a try any way.

That Crazy Parsons Girl - - Courtney

Below is Courtney’s Essay:

To Blog or Not to Blog? There is no question.

In the wake of the Web 2.0 innovation, the design world must take into consideration the benefits of the internet. Not only does it make design more readily available, it is also a crucial business tool. Tim O’Reilly describes, “Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.” Last year the design world took note of the “business revolution” of Web 2.0. The Tech Luxe: Web 2.0 & Beyond held by Walpole Group and the World Luxury Congress were two conferences that thoroughly discussed utilizing the many possibilities of cyberspace with in the design community. Malcolm Harris is one that has fully employed the phenomenon of Web 2.0, although done so in a more socially adept way than someone like Natalie Massenet.

Malcolm Harris, a dress designer based in New York City, has fully taken into consideration the phrase “Don’t fight the internet”. As soon as one clicks onto his website http://www.malsirrah.com/ ,one is displayed a plethora of avenues to discover the universe that is Mal Sirrah. There are the links to his Cut, Sew & Blog, his Myspace page and his own YouTube broadcast channel, which culminate to give an in depth look into his life of fashion. By doing so, Harris gains world wide exposure and customer based feedback on the designs he creates in the most cost effective manner, for free.

Cut, Sew & Blog is by far the best example of this. Through daily blogs that are both personal and fascinating, Harris engages the fashion world and a global community. One blogger commented, “Hey I don't believe you have any idea how famous Cut, Sew and Blog has made you, especially here in the U.K.” Harris reflects this by saying “we started receiving attention from the international press… The New York Times, or The Herald Tribune or The Washington Post…”. Without spending a cent, Harris gained exposure and notoriety globally on a personal level.

Through the customization of his blog Harris has been able to receive immediate reactions from his collections. Harris explains, “if I am toying with a silhouette I do a focus group online … and I ask them, “Is this something that you as a woman would wear?” By doing so Harris is able to almost tailor his designs to his target market, thus maximizing profitability with low opportunity cost.

This is the brilliant element of Harris’ embracing of the improved form of the World Wide Web. Through the use of “social software” Harris has been able to market his designs competitively to larger companies, who spend millions to advertise in official publications. Harris explained, rather endearingly, in his blog to “be this great little marketing tool which would allow me to virtually connect to my brand’s growing customer base.”