Jennifer Cooper, E!As G-Star Raw's Global Brand Director, Shubhankar Ray gets street chic. The brand is known for collaborating with the trendiest names in the business, including Pharrell Williams. And with Ray's guidance, the edgy denim brand is pushing its boundaries even further to be one of the most innovative names in the business.
But Ray's background isn't what you'd expect it to be; the successful brand director first started out with science on the brain, not fashion. But let's not get ahead of ourselves—keep reading to find out how the fashion guru landed his killer job, and what an average day in the office is like for him!
What was your very first job?
Research scientist/environmental chemistry
How did you get started in your career?
I dropped out of my science career path and an MBA and fell by accident into the fashion business when I landed a job at Levi's working on their brand image and ad campaigns.
Who are some of your career heroes?
Tony Wilson (founder of Factory Records), Martin Scorsese (film director), Anton Corbijn (photographer), Dennis Hopper (actor/director/artist), Rei Kawakubo (fashion designer), Viv Richards (cricket player)
What's a typical workday like for you?
E-mails, calls, meetings brainstorming, ideation, phots and notebook
Describe your office décor. What was your inspiration? Did you decorate it yourself?
Industrial modern. Inspired by Jean Prouvé's functional modernism. Our offices are designed by Oma/Rem Koolhaas and decorated by a custom-made Prouvé furniture system produced by Vitra.
List five things that are on your desk right now.
MacBook, iPhone, headphones, pens, notebook
What do you typically wear to work?
Denim jeans, tailored shirt, baseball jacket or leather jacket and brogues or sneakers
What are your favorite stores to shop for work clothes?
G-Star, Supreme, Comme des Garcons and military surplus stores
What's the best piece of career advice you've ever received?
From Dennis Hopper, who told me to "Always keep moving man!" He told me about the importance of balancing art and commerce and constantly be doing new things and putting yourself in new situations.
Finish the sentence…
Today for lunch I had… huevos divorciados y patas
The first website I log onto every day is… BBC.com/news
The beauty product you can always find in my purse is… I don't have a purse… only a wallet… Hopefully always with a bit of cash!
My must-have work gadget is… camera and notebook
My usual Starbucks order is… cappuccino
If I need a quick break during work, I usually… listen to music or look at personal photographs.
If I wasn't doing this job, I would be… artist/film director
The best part of my job is… being able to work with creativity and creative/inspiring people