How exactly does a television commercial actor transform himself into the head of a multi-million dollar fashion brand?

It all started with denim, apparently, as Michael Ball – now head of premium jeans brand Rock & Republic – was looking “at his then-girlfriend’s expensive jeans and decided he could design a much better pair himself.”

This was just a little over five years ago, with prices at around $300, industry analyst Marshal Cohen says that denim is “recession-resistant.”

So resistant to failure in fact that Ball had even turned down Barneys when they approached him for an exclusive collection. “My ability to say no made our brand,” said Ball, who initially refused Bloomingdale’s as well.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however, as Ball had been hit with more than a few lawsuits throughout the years. Though Ball doesn’t necessarily shy away from those facts as he agrees that “all publicity is good publicity.”

Richard Branson is Ball’s role model and he hopes to have his own (‘Rock & Republic’?) airline one day.

•  Source: BusinessWeek

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