Scott Fedje

Scott Fedje was born with a travel bug. His parents operated summer tours of Europe from Portland, Ore.

“I come from a family of adventurers,” says the director of image design for Cole Haan. “Travel has always been a big part of my life, professionally and personally. Most of the books on my shelf at home are about other parts of the world.”

After earning a bachelor's of arts in interior design and a minor in fine arts from Washington State University, Fedje has spent his career on both the design firm and retailer sides of the industry. Past stints have included NBBJ (Seattle and San Francisco); Nike (both at the global headquarters in Portland and its Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong); and Landor Associates (San Francisco).

In 2000, he moved to New York to join Cole Haan, a Nike subsidiary, where he handles retail, wholesale and international segments for the brand of men's and women's shoes, accessories, coats and leather goods. Among his responsibilities are store design, furniture and fixture design, graphic design, window display, visual merchandising, packaging and music design.

With the holiday season approaching, Fedje says there's one thing he would like to find under his tree this year – a new suitcase!

Working in a design firm affords the opportunity to touch many brands in different facets of their development. And it's a chance to touch a variety of product types, messages and consumers, which makes for an exciting day in the office!

Working within a brand is a more singular focus, although from the inside you do touch all aspects of the brand. What I enjoy most at Cole Haan is the ability to follow through from a conceptual idea to the final execution, ensuring the clarity of the idea.

Casual. Luxury. Craftsmanship. Fashion. Quality.

There are two ways to determine the success of a concept. There is the standard data, research, pro forma, rate of multiples, units per transaction and conversion rates of purchases per customer. Then there is your gut instinct for what makes a brand experience. The most successful brands in the world are experts at emotional branding, connecting people to the experience. Once you have found the balance of both sides of the brain, you have a successful design.

In economic downturns, interestingly enough, you see the most imaginative design happening in the least-expected places. I think we can all learn from boutiques in New York's NoLita neighborhood, Daikanyama in Tokyo and Le Marais in Paris. They all recall a time when shopping was fun!

Tenganan, East Bali. Culture and geography in perfect harmony.

Shenzen, China. The complete opposite.

The first snow of the year, the Sheep Meadow in Central Park. This time, I will wear something waterproof!

I usually pull out the Cole Haan Holiday music CD in August to get the team thinking about store windows. That usually lasts a good month!

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” I like the message that there is a place in the world for everyone. Also great visual styling!