Smith Journal – January 2019

Status Anxiety x Smith Journal

How did you get into making leather
goods? Back in 2004, no one was making
boutique men’s wallets; you could buy
one from a surf brand, or you could go to
a department store and get something
bland that you might find in your dad’s
pocket. One day, my friend Scott Hawkes
and I decided to try and make our own.
We started walking them around, literally
just rocking up at fashion boutiques in

SKIN IN THE GAME

WE CHAT START-UPS AND HANG-UPS WITH
WILL SKED, CO-FOUNDER OF SYDNEY
LEATHER GOODS OUTFIT STATUS ANXIETY.

Writer James Shackell

Photographer Jonathan Cami

Sydney. Surprisingly, they loved it. It’s a

bit different these days; you’d probably

have security escort you out of the store.

Was it tough managing the side hustle?

Actually, it made things easier – as a side

hustle, you can test the waters without

sending yourself bankrupt, and let the

market tell you if you’re on to a winner

(or not). But it wasn’t until I left my job as

a primary school teacher that the brand

really took off. My wife had an epileptic

seizure, and suddenly she couldn’t drive

for six months. I realised it wasn’t possible

to keep my other job, so I quit. It was

risky in one sense, but it forced my hand,

and the brand really exploded after that.

We’ve gone from designing one product

to over 100, including bags, travel goods

and watches, and from it being just

Scott and myself to a team of over 20.

When Status Anxiety began, minimalist

design was pretty radical. How do you

stay ahead now that everyone’s aping the

style? The defining feature of minimalism

is simplicity – less is more – so that limits

you in some ways. But challenges are

good for creativity. We’ve always been

about minimalism in our designs, and as

the minimal aesthetic grew in popularity,

so did we. There are a lot more brands in

our market now, but being in front of the

competition gave us a natural advantage.

That, and our focus on quality and price.

How did the name Status Anxiety

come about? It’s a concept from British

philosopher Alain de Botton. He says we

all have this inherent anxiety around our

status and how others perceive us. It can

be easy to measure your success based

on your position and your possessions, but

this only creates more angst and you can

end up compromising on what you really

value. The brand is about living simply,

and having a greater appreciation for

things that last and don’t cost the earth.

What advice would you give someone

looking to start their own business? I’d

say choose something that’s scalable and

that isn’t limited by the hours you work.

The other advice I’d offer is something

you won’t hear much: take the low-risk

approach. That approach is why we are

where we are now. We started slow, we

built slow, we learned our lessons. It’s a

very rewarding life; I love the freedom and

flexibility of working for yourself. I still get

a buzz when someone forks out their hard-

earned cash for something we’ve created. •