Josh Goot, 30, director/designer, Josh Goot
Who has influenced you most professionally?
Mark Vassallo, the [Sydney-based] stylist whom I met while working on Platform, my first label. I was 24 at the time and he was very instrumental in defining, capturing and packaging Josh Goot, the brand. I didn't see myself as a designer; I hadn't gone to design school and, so, I didn't really have the courage or foresight at the time to label my business that way.
Who has influenced you most personally?
My dad, Robert, who is a very hard-working man [a barrister] with a very strict moral and ethical code - an idealist, but he is also reasonable. I feel I have to respect my father. There is, however, a flip side to having a strict code, in that it can limit your own vision and your own experiences. When you come from a family ... where there has been a large degree of sacrifice [personal and financial] to grant you the opportunity to live your life, [you are] not entirely free.
What is your motto?
Be yourself and aspire to be the best version of yourself. Have courage to take that little step into the unknown; take the risk.
Whom do you most admire?
My mum [Roberta], especially her loyalty and modesty, and I also admire her doubts and her cautiousness. I am more reckless than her, much more. ... [My] starting a business could be an example [of that]. But all the important stuff, things like learning about human rights, civil rights, how to treat people and your fellow man, it has all come from my family, totally.
What has been your best experience?
The first time I went to New York by myself. It was in 1999, I was 19, and it was just wild, unrestrained, exhilarating, totally uncompromising. It was there and then that I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer.
What has been your worst experience?
The decision to enter the world of fashion could well have been the worst because it set me along a very distinct path and [closed off] the opportunity to explore anything else.
What has been your most formative experience?
There have been many moments that could be formative, but I really can't answer this question at this [stage] in my life.
What has been your greatest achievement?
I hope that it is to come.
What is your favourite book?
I am ashamed to say that I have virtually read no books in my life. Really, my mind wanders; I am impatient, lazy probably. I love to watch, to observe things ... anything ... people, conversations, the world. I think I will read one day but I need more inner peace.
What is your favourite viewing?
The straight lines of [Paris-based] Israeli artist Yaakov Agam. It is the rigour, symmetry, geometry and colour within his work. My parents have one of his pieces - a painting - so this was something I initially came into contact with through my family.
What is your favourite destination?
Diving off those rocks at North Bondi [Sydney].
How would you describe yourself?
Open-minded, ambitious about fulfilling my potential, honest, impatient. And I am a bit unresolved; I am searching still.
How do you present yourself to the world?
I really don't stray from [black] shorts and T-shirts [and] I rarely wear shoes. I love being barefoot.
What is your favourite place and time?
I am conscious there are so many places to go and see and to discover. But to go out and discover all these places, what does that really amount to in the end? So is that a bit of an empty aspiration?
What are you optimistic about?
There is so much possibility and potential and wonder and chance - and it is all in the future. I really believe in people and I really hope that people will exercise their ability to push the world forward in the most positive way possible.
What do you like to eat and drink?
New flavours, new textures, new scents, everything.
What is success to you?
Success is happiness, although it is a tricky one and hard to describe. On the one hand, it is totally elusive while, on the other, it is totally present. It depends on your outlook at that moment and how you are assessing things.
How do you stay up to date with ideas and trends?
Pretty much through relationships with people, in that they expose me to music, art, photography, film, food, architecture, travel - everything really. I am a very curious person, always asking questions and trying to extract information from people. This influences my collections in that I am always involved with the mysterious process of finding inspiration.
Greatest professional and personal breakthrough?
There has been a significant shift in my point of view in the last 12 months. To put it mildly, we were faced with some very serious financial challenges - we nearly went under - and it has led me to go back to designing the collections by myself, to opening our first store [Paddington, Sydney] and to becoming more financially responsible. I've come back to discipline and control in decision-making in the business, which improves creativity. Sometimes parameters are the best things for creativity. ... Going online is part of this, too. It is challenging, working out how to connect the virtual and physical [worlds]. How do you align these experiences? This is a very new area and unchartered when it comes to retail.