Max Shen of S-H-E-N: 5 Things You Need To Create a Highly Successful Career In The Fashion Industry

You have to be kind of shameless — Although it does not come naturally to many of us, you will end up having to promote yourself and will find yourself saying many things that feel quite shameless. But because you’re trying to cut through the cacophony of information overload and the massive number of fashion brands out there, this is unfortunately necessary. I will say, though, that you can still be a kind person and be a successful designer who self-promotes. I’ve met Rick Owens in person and exchanged messages with Mike Amiri, and they are incredibly real and nice people who are very giving with advice and help. Yet they promote themselves in a pretty direct manner that could be considered “shameless.” It’s just the nature of the business, and it’s important to become okay and at peace with this.

As part of our series about the 5 things you need to succeed in the fashion industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Max Shen.

At 17 years old while attending Hollywood High School, Max founded gender-neutral streetwear brand S-H-E-N in a small studio in the Hollywood Hills. Dedicated to radical craftsmanship and sustainability, S-H-E-N makes all pieces to order with elements such as handmade, upcycled leather patches, low-water air-spray dyeing and bleaching techniques, and repurposed clothing sourced in Hollywood vintage shops. S-H-E-N produces wearable art in collections called Narratives, each focused on a story of social, political or cultural significance.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

We moved a lot when I was a kid, from New Hampshire to New York City, Shanghai, the Bay Area, and all around Southern California. Everywhere my mom and I lived, the one constant was that we went to museums all the time, since I was really into art and architecture. In middle school, I was very quiet, so it wasn’t easy for me to show my true self with words. Then we moved to Hollywood. I figured, new place, new me. So I started to dress more as my inner self. This seemed to make people see me more for who I really am. This was a big deal to me, and I saw the power of fashion. Since I was a child, I wanted to start my own brand.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started?

When I was 16, I had the chance to study fashion design at Parsons Paris in the summer. Designing and making pieces there was a total dream come true. I am still close with the great friends I made, who came from all over the world (Hong Kong, Turkey, France, Egypt, Italy, etc.) and are dedicated to fashion. Paris was also important to me because I was introduced to the amazing underground network of vintage shops there.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I had this idea to make jeans with a bleached Jesus face, using a stencil, kind of a Shroud of Turin jean. But it came out looking like an art restoration project gone very wrong. Jesus looked deformed. For a long time, this really bothered me for some reason. But I’ve come to realize that it was an experiment, and it’s really important to try all of the weird ideas because you don’t know which ones will ultimately turn out to be spectacular. Many times, in fact, unintended outcomes end up being some of the most beautiful creations.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

While we have a strong focus on sustainability, craftsmanship and slow fashion, I feel that these should just be minimal requirements for all fashion brands. Where we do stand out is in the striking look of our pieces, which feature bold and literal designs, for example UFOs invading Los Angeles on the back of a flannel hoodie, or a massive yet subtle crystal skull of hand-placed crystals across a black sweatshirt. We also stand out because of our tight adherence to telling a specific story with each Narrative collection, and each story is intended to compel people on a personal level. Our Narrative “Extraterrestrial” is based on my dad’s story of a close encounter with a UFO that he saw in China in 1976, and all of the pieces have something UFO-related.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Our brand has taken the approach of releasing collections when it feels right. By not following the usual seasons, we have found it easier to navigate the creation of each collection. This allows us to produce quality designs and never feel worn out or rushed in the process. And it has the added benefit of sustainability.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

It’s very satisfying creating new pieces from upcycled vintage clothing and dead stock fabrics that become these heirloom level pieces that hopefully will not end up in landfills. So this end-to-end process helps to minimize climate impact. We are also bringing good by highlighting socially important stories, such as sea level rise in our next Narrative Inundated, and donating to a directly related cause. For Inundated, we are donating 20% of profits to the United Nations Adaptation Fund for their efforts to help communities affected by climate change.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that was relevant to you in your life?

Great movements start with one person. It takes a lot of confidence to try to create something meaningful and extraordinary in the highly competitive fashion industry, so I always go back to the idea that the greatest brands were literally just started by unknown but driven people.

Do you see any fascinating developments emerging over the next few years in the fashion industry that you are excited about? Can you tell us about that?

I believe the metaverse will be a very interesting market to explore. There will be so many possibilities in how people may use and interpret fashion through this newly-developing space. I’m also interested in developing modular fashion, which allows for reuse of core pieces with changeable embellishments and components. This is highly sustainable and exciting.

Thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Top 5 Things Needed to Succeed in the Fashion Industry”. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Do things at your own pace — While twice to quadruple yearly fashion collections have been industry-norm, this is not necessary. Trying to push out too many collections causes mediocrity, waste and stress. I highly recommend the approach of top streetwear brands that do drops of collections when they are ready.
2. Take inputs from others, but ultimately follow your own vision — Check in with friends and customers, but ultimately your brand is your own personal statement. You have to believe in your ideas and creations. This is ultimately what people are coming to you for. Your designs will speak to the people that they’re right for.
3. Communicate your vision clearly, both visually and verbally — Our designs clearly articulate the story of the Narrative they belong to. Visually, each design needs to make sense to the person wearing it, and to the people who see them wearing it. Your designs need to visually communicate a clear message, on topics that mean something to people. And when you speak about your brand and designs, you need to be able to clearly articulate in words the meaning and significance of it all.
4. You have to be kind of shameless — Although it does not come naturally to many of us, you will end up having to promote yourself and will find yourself saying many things that feel quite shameless. But because you’re trying to cut through the cacophony of information overload and the massive number of fashion brands out there, this is unfortunately necessary. I will say, though, that you can still be a kind person and be a successful designer who self-promotes. I’ve met Rick Owens in person and exchanged messages with Mike Amiri, and they are incredibly real and nice people who are very giving with advice and help. Yet they promote themselves in a pretty direct manner that could be considered “shameless.” It’s just the nature of the business, and it’s important to become okay and at peace with this.
5. Only make wearable statement pieces — Brands will make a couple of statement pieces and then have many wearable designs that are not very special, to fill out a collection. There are too many brands with too many unmemorable pieces. Success and sustainability can come from only producing statement, outstanding designs. Yet the designs also need to be wearable, to meet the need of the customer to clothe themselves in real life. You want people to see your collection on your website or Instagram and literally want every single piece on offer, because each one is to die for.

Every industry constantly evolves and seeks improvement. How do you think the fashion industry can improve itself? Can you give an example?

I believe that environmental impact is the most significant problem the industry faces. Through sustainable efforts, both by brands and consumers, there will be more pieces made from recycled materials, with timeless designs intended for long-term wearability.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would start a dialogue, an online place where people can put their ideas about how to be more sustainable and more kind and helpful to each other. Great ideas would be amplified by being upvoted, kind of like on Quora. But just like in an online discussion for school classes, everyone has to make a thoughtful and constructive comment to at least two other people, so that everyone is seen and heard.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can follow us on Instagram @s___h___e___n

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!