“Whenever I saw a sponsored athlete from Nike, my mind screamed “fraud” as I thought they were bought to promote the Nike brand without an authentic belief in the product. Wilson, Chip. Little Black Stretchy Pants (p. 114). Time is Tight Communications Ltd. Kindle Edition. but then he becomes the fraud: I looked like a grandpa and they might automatically reject whatever I showed them just because it was designed by an old man. I wanted them to test the products, tell me the clothing was awesome, then talk it up amongst their friends. I imagined these young guys acting as ambassadors and helping sell the line they’d tested. I was an inauthentic manipulator. But, as the first focus group went forward, something happened that I didn’t anticipate. When I presented our riders with the clothes, they were not excited. They took one look at the line and, instead of telling me how impressed they were, their eyes told me they had different ideas. It was a hard thing to hear, but I knew it was crucial for me to understand this demographic, so I set about listening to what they genuinely wanted. The snowboarders told me to make the apparel “fat,” or oversized. Hip-hop-inspired, gun-hiding clothing was developing as an underground trend. These riders knew what they wanted, and they were clear in their advice. I was skeptical, but I took them at their word. I was astute enough to know I wasn’t listening to teen music and I wanted to see the world through their eyes. I made the changes and redesigned everything to be “super fat.” Wilson, Chip. Little Black Stretchy Pants (p. 115). Time is Tight Communications Ltd. Kindle Edition. Wilson, Chip. Little Black Stretchy Pants (pp. 114-115). Time is Tight Communications Ltd. Kindle Edition. ”
