Samuel Krost is the founder of KROST, a mission-driven fashion brand now sold in Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Saks, and around the world.
In this episode, Samuel opens up about scaling his label into a multimillion-dollar business, the lessons he learned from getting caught inside the infamous Fyre Festival, and how his network and philanthropy have shaped the future of KROST.
Enjoy!
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(00:00) Coming up…
(03:05) Growing up in a family of doctors
(04:57) Living on a different path
(05:34) The pre-college days
(06:14) Bio, chem, burnout
(07:17) Dropping out of pre-med
(09:33) Switching to NYU Sports Management
(10:53) Discovering a passion for fashion
(11:55) Advanced Solar Solutions
(13:06) Internship at Onia
(15:59) Samuel's journey at Onia
(17:21) Getting a call from Andrew Rosen: CEO of Helmut Lang
(18:54) It's all about who you know
(20:38) The student/work life grind
(22:30) Working as much as possible while in college
(25:24) Ja Rule calls with an opportunity
(28:50) Building relationships with Bella/Gigi Hadid, Selena Gomez, and other celebrities
(31:17) Fyre Media before Fyre Festival
(34:06) Absorbing knowledge at Fyre
(37:44) The Fyre Festival
(42:24) Fyre Festival up in flames
(46:55) The aftermath of the festival
(49:33) Getting a call from the FBI
(51:19) Bouncing back from an all-time-low point
(53:07) An offer to replicate Fyre
(54:30) 3rd guest joins the pod
(55:10) Founding a fashion brand
(57:01) Setting yourself apart / unfair advantages
(58:41) COVID and social impact while launching KROST
(59:51) Driven by DNA to give back
(01:00:57) How Samuel runs his business
(01:02:40) Collaborating with FILA
(01:03:45) Kosher Media
(01:04:33) Choosing the direction for Krost to go in
(01:06:01) Momentum Moment - doubling down / leading his team
(01:08:19) The brand evolving with Samuel
(01:09:15) Principles for effectively leading a team
(01:12:05) Where to find KROST apparel
(01:12:49) Expanding into Paris
(01:14:02) The key to Samuel's success
(01:14:45) Advice for starting a fashion company
(01:16:30) Follow your passion? Or chase the money?
(01:19:27) The #1 characteristic of standout employees: work ethic
(01:21:29) Life is about what you can do for others
(01:23:42) Want to stand out? Master AI
(01:25:37) Closing Remarks
