K-WAY’s Matt Feigin On The Brand’s Resurgence

It’s all in the family for Canadian-born Matt Feigin. The brand manager for K-Way grew up in a home where fashion was talked about regularly. As a youth, Fegin, would shadow his father where he saw and learned about the fashion business first hand. He went on to work for his family’s company until joining the K-Way team in 2007. “It’s a fantastic brand that has tremendous history behind it, and I love being behind it all,” says Feign. When he first started at K-Way, the jackets were basic and the choices were limited, but the rain protection was solid. The line consisted of full zip and half zip jackets, rain pants, and rain hats. Since Fegin’s arrival, the collection has grown. K-way now offers up to 80 new styles every season. Matt continues to keep K-Way’s original feel, but designs with a fresh perspective, one where function meets style. Under Fegin’s lead, K-way launched its first fall/winter collection full of heavy coats and jackets in 2009. Fegin is thrilled the opportunity to change the way people see K-way every day. He wants consumers to see that K-way’s jackets are more than rain protection, they’re a fashion statement. After launching four successful collaborations, Fegin knows he is on the right track-people see K-way differently. Sales have surged, and K-way opened its flagship store in New York City in September of 2012 which has already acquired an abundant amount of foot traffic acquainting shoppers with the legendary brand. Fegin asks, “What could be better than being the brand manager of a childhood jacket I was always in love with?”. Here, Fegin answers the question….

Life+Times: You joined the K-WAY team in 2007 – and since then, it seems the brand has had a resurgence of sorts. What is your role with the company? What are your responsibilities?
Matt Feigin: I am the brand manager of the company. I oversee the company on all sides.

L+T: There is a ton of history behind the brand – can you give us a little insight into the back-story of K-WAY?
MF: Originally the company was just a company based on the classic styles from 1965. I have helped bring a fashion twist to the brand and assisted in creating two lines; a classic one and a specialty one. The specialty line is full of great collaborations and designs.

L+T: You’ve added new styles, colors, and accessories to the brand. How has the line grown since you got involved?
MF: We have done a lot of collaborations since I joined the team, including collaborations with Marc Jacobs, A.P.C, 55DSL, DC Shoes, LimoLand, colette, New Balance, and many more. I think collaborations are so important for a brand to show its presence in the market.