What the Founder of This Artful Denim Line Learned While Running His First Kickstarter Project
MVEC founder Grégory Gaydu shares advice he picked up while launching a line of upcycled, hand-painted jean jackets.
Kickstarter just turned 10. This essay is part of a series that celebrates past projects and introduces a few new ones. Read more here.
Grégory Gaydu is the French artist behind MVEC, a line of upcycled denim jackets adorned with paintings by contemporary artists. “We go beyond just being a clothing brand,” Gaydu writes on the MVEC campaign page. Instead of producing new textiles, the MVEC team hopes take a stance against fast fashion by breathing new life into existing items of clothing. “We view this project as a movement that represents a new, responsible generation, aware of the need to improve and have an impact on the world,” Gaydu says.
Here, he shares some of the things he’s learned from planning his Kickstarter project, which is live through May 29, along with a peek at some of MVEC’s bedazzled jackets.
You are the driving force of your project.
Your actions and attitude will motivate people to work with you. Clearly show your collaborators what you want from them in order to inspire them to follow and surpass you.
Privilege the collective instead of the individual.
Grouping several minds on the same project gives you the opportunity to develop talents and to have different visions of what you undertake.
Patience is sometimes difficult to apply, but it’s so beneficial.
It allows you to act at the right time so that your decisions have a stronger impact.
Surround yourself with talented people you trust.
The people you work with must be up to the potential of your project, and their integrity must be flawless.
Be open.
Working collaboratively means being open to different personalities. Learn how to listen and empathize in order to pull your project up.
Have fun and give everything you have.
It’s the perfect approach for developing new ideas. Having fun creating your project allows you to be more creative and to inspire your employees.
Take the time to listen.
Letting people share their opinions without interrupting can surface new ideas and questions that can help you with your own interpretation.
To build one’s experience is to know that we still have a lot to learn.
We will never finish learning because the world is changing. And if the world changes, our experience will allow us to change it as we wish.
Know how to get away from your project.
Take the time to think of something else and enjoy other important aspects of life. This allows you to evaluate your project with the gift of hindsight and make a more realistic judgment of your choices.
Stay true to your beliefs.
Maintain confidence in the philosophy of your project and do not allow it to be displaced by the ideas of others.
