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Meet Kenny Lange of WAYL.A. Creative & WAYL.A. Studios in Midtown

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenny Lange.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. What are some of your fondest memories growing up in Phoenix?
Anything that involved playing sports, girls, and getting into trouble, haha.
– Playing tennis with my dad and brother at the Arizona Biltmore every Sunday and going to Katz Deli right after and before it was Postino (on Central Ave).
– RAMMS basketball and baseball leagues
– Orange wars in the citrus groves.
– Doorbell ditching and canning cars.
– Coffee Plantation at Biltmore Fashion Park on Friday nights (before it was True Foods)
– Partying on the 15th Hole of the AZ Biltmore golf course
– Xmas’ in the desert (there’s nothing better)
– Selling Xmas trees at Whitfill Nursery every Xmas break throughout college. 7th Street and Glendale, north-central Phoenix.

What did you miss the most about Phoenix when you moved to New York City and L.A.?
I missed the familiarity and comfort of everything. The safety net that was my family and friends. My second home at the Ralph Lauren store AZ Biltmore Fashion Park and the holidays. I missed the smells of citrus blooming, the desert rain throughout summer, the hiking and the easy access to tennis courts. Other than that, I was ready to move on for a while… had a strong feeling of wanting and needing to learn more. I knew I had to grow beyond my comfort zone, test myself, take big things on. Discover a new Kenny. I’m driven by challenge and competition. There’s literally nothing that will ever stop me from doing or getting what I want, nothing.

Growing up, was fashion always a big part of your life? Would your childhood friends say that you were the most stylish of the group?
Not so much early on, but later in high school just before I started working at RL. I grew up playing sports and everything revolved around that. If anything I appreciated those around me who had a sense of style and a strong point of view. Phoenix at the time didn’t exactly empower those to stand out and have that fashion ‘voice.’ My mom would dress my brother and me in Ralph Lauren and Osh Kosh at a very early age. In fact, we did a little modeling when we were babies. My dad always had a strong sense of style and point of view. He has a HUGE personality and his style followed suit. Usually by way of that classic and traditional Americana sensibility. I would borrow things from his closet for school dances like vintage Tweed jackets, and buckskin oxford shoes, skinny ties, and pocket squares. Everyone else would be wearing new suits from Nordstrom and Saks, but I preferred the older more heritage type things. He had it all. The seeds were planted at an early age and it really started blossoming throughout my time at the RL store. I remember my buddies mom who was our math teacher said I was a “late bloomer.” At the time, I took offense but now, I appreciate and understand. It wasn’t criticism, it’s just that some people take a little longer to settle in before they hit their stride.

‘The Creative Act Is A Process, Not a Moment’ – I’ve always loved these words. They help me every day.

You worked for Ralph Lauren as a footwear and men’s clothing specialist while also in school. Was this just a job to help you get through school or did it appeal to you because you wanted to move up with Ralph Lauren/in the retail industry?
I really just wanted to work and learn something other than general high school and college curriculum. Junior High and High School was pretty boring. I don’t know how we actually stayed awake back then. There were no interesting creative outlets other than theater and maybe an art class, and even then it was so antiquated. College was mostly the same. Ralph Lauren allowed for me to learn about things that were a part of the adult life like how to dress, how to interact with worldly, successful and educated people, how to be a true gentleman, and socialize beyond beer pong and sports. It also taught me something brand new and interesting, like the art of how to dress and history behind clothing. I was learning about patterns, fabrics, tailoring, color stories, visual merchandising, styling, and window art. It was incredible. I got paid to learn.

So, I worked at RL for three years while in high school (1997-1999). Then, again for two years while in college at ASU (2002-2004). I started college in Chicago at DePaul University (‘99), then did a year at NAU (2000). Then, I found out about the Executive Training Program that RL offered so I chose to work back at the store and finish up my degree at ASU (2001-2004) simultaneously. I needed a degree first before I could apply to the program. I didn’t know much about the Creative world, so I decided to be a Buyer and work towards that goal.

What attracted you to this industry?
It really was my attraction to Ralph Lauren first and foremost. Working for them allowed me to be in a different world. Not that my other world had anything wrong with it, I had a great upbringing and loved my friends and family, but RL expanded on everything for me and opened so many doors. I was a different person the moment I stepped foot in the store – it was like role-playing or being on stage for theater. I got to dress up, talk to different people from all over the world, rub elbows with the elite. Meet all types of professional athletes and celebrities. I’ve helped everyone from Alex Rodriguez to Stevie Nicks, Alice Cooper, Billy Graham, Glenn Campbell, and Jeremy Piven to name a few.

Tell me about Ralph Lauren’s Executive Training Program. What did you take away from it? What was the most challenging thing about the program? Would you do it again? etc.
I’d do it again in a heartbeat. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. The Executive Training Program is a 1-year intense corporate training program that accepts 10 newly graduated college students and places them within 1 of 4 departments (Retail, Design, Marketing, and Technology). I applied for the Retail portion and was accepted along with 1 other. There are four rotations at three months each totaling 1 year. Retail rotations included: Buying, Planning, Operations, and Visual Merchandising. I was the luckiest out of the bunch because my training centered around the inception and launch of Rugby which allowed for me to work closely to Ralph himself, along with all the designers and curated team of Rugby corporate employees. We were a hand-selected crew by RL himself to launch the most important label in the company at the time. There really were no challenges. I was exactly where I was supposed to be doing exactly what I knew how to do. And at the same time, I was learning and working closer to my goal of becoming someone/something of importance for the company.

You moved to New York City for the program. How was it living in the Big Apple in your early twenties? Did you get homesick?
I cried every night for the first month I was there. Played online poker with my younger brother Kris, and didn’t leave my room other than for work. Tried to get all my friends to come and visit me. It was really hard. That coupled with the carryover of 911 (I moved to NYC August of 2004) recently happening, I was a bit on edge and cautious. But after the first month, I started to hit my stride. I met some great people in the program and started to become familiar with the city. Being in Apple in my early twenties was the most important thing to have happened to me personally and professionally to date. Because I went straight into the program after graduating it allowed for me to still be in that “wanting to learn” phase. Wanting to soak it all up in a real-world kind of way. I was a sponge. I absorbed the hard nose work ethic, successes, and failures that define who and what a New Yorker is. The pace of work which is totally unparalleled along with huge expectations and highest of a high level of execution. I learned that I was totally built for this kind of thing. Creativity surrounded me everywhere and being at one of the greatest fashion houses in the world I was really empowered to use my imagination, be myself, and take chances. I didn’t party much, I was really only interested in working, proving myself, and climbing the ranks. It was a competition for me – I was going to be the hardest working and most passionate employee in the company.

What was your proudest moment (perhaps a project you worked on or presentation you gave) while in the training program?
Without question, my proudest and happiest moment to date was finding out I got into the program. I was up against a few thousand applicants of which RL only accepted 10. Went through three rounds of intense interviews just before a 5-week summer European trip with my best friend. In that time I wasn’t able to totally relax as I was waiting for the final call to let me know if I got in or not. On one of the last nights we were there and just before leaving Europe, I checked my voicemail and got a message from my family saying I needed to call them quickly re RL. I’ll never forget it. I ran out to a red telephone booth on a quiet Suburban cobblestone street in the middle of the night. Called home and my family played the message for me saying I was accepted and to call the program director right away. I’ve never felt such an overwhelming sense of excitement, it was the proudest feeling ever. I started jumping up and down, screamed out loud, danced on the street with my buddy Justin and woke up half the neighborhood. Some guy screamed down from a second story flat to shut up – but then we explained what was happening and he joined in the celebration along with a few others we woke up. It was like something out of a movie. I was on cloud nine. The happiest moment of life. I knew my life was going to change forever.

How did you get involved with Ralph Lauren’s new line Rugby?
Rugby was just about to launch and the company needed someone familiar with the company, had experience in an RL store, and who embodied what the label was all about (Young, preppy with an edge, educated, etc) to help open and run their first store in Boston. So, my program director and a few others (Ralph’s Chief of Staff and Rugby’s Director of Stores) rewrote my curriculum so that it was spent entirely with Rugby. The Operations rotation of the program was spent opening and helping to run our first store in Boston, while my Buying, Planning, and Visual Merchandising rotations were spent with the Rugby team back in NYC. After finishing the program they offered me a job as Creative Coordinator for the Flagship Rugby store in NYC Union Square – up the street from NYU. From there, I became Manager and eventually Director overseeing all of Visual for the brand (windows, interiors, styling, concepts, and training). In that time (6 years), I designed all the window displays, opened all 14 domestic stores, installed showrooms for Ralph personally, and must have installed 1000+ different windows throughout the country.

Did you move back to Arizona to start work on Rugby, or did the new line take you to L.A. right away?
I left Rugby to move to LA – that was one of the hardest decisions of my life. At the time the company was going to do anything to keep me there. Rugby was about to go international (London and Tokyo) and they needed me to oversee that expansion. They offered up a killer raise and new title but I just knew I had to leave. Taking that level of responsibility on meant I would have to give up on anything personal, and at the time I was in a relationship and wanted to head back west to be closer to home. LA was the logical decision as it allowed me to stay with the company and be back on the west coast.

What did you enjoy most about your time with Ralph Lauren?
I enjoyed the work the most – all the conceptual design, showroom and window installations. The people were incredible as well. I’m still close friends with almost everyone I worked with. Oh, and working for the man himself (Ralph) was an amazing experience. A quiet genius.

What motivated you to launch your own company?
When I was living in NYC and working with Rugby, I wrote all the material and did all the visual. While living in LA I was following someone else’s direction which was a real struggle for me. I was unmotivated and uninspired. As a result, I started doing some design and creative work on the side. My first big client was AGENDA Trade Show, and from there would do some showrooms throughout the city and set up at vintage flea markets from time to time. I had an interest in eventually developing a brand that I could lifestyle one day so WAYL.A. took shape. My family is full of entrepreneurs – probably because none of us like to follow rules haha. It was a no brainer to start something that I could manage completely. That and I knew there was demand in the industry for what we as RL employees knew. The creative world in RL is considered the Ivy League of training and execution. The door was wide open with low hanging fruit all over.

When did you establish WAYL.A.?
WAYL.A. began as a concept around 2011 and became official in 2014.
So we’re clear, WAYL.A. is an acronym for What Are You Looking At? I shortened it to make it easier to say, and it sounded cool, haha, and it started in LA obviously…

What’s your company’s mission or motto?
We are artists of the double-take, blending the line between art and commerce, designing retail merchandising with purpose.

Is it based out of Los Angeles?
We are currently based in LA and PHX. Our admin office is here in Phoenix and WAYL.A. Studios will act as our ‘world headquarters.’

Who are some of your current clients?
Under Armour, The North Face, Ralph Lauren, Everything But Water, Antiquities Warehouse, SPORTIQE, Robert Graham, Specialized, to name a few…

You added a new addition to the company—WAYL.A. Studios. Tell me a little about Studios. What prompted you to create it?
WAYL.A. Studios is a physical embodiment of WAYL.A. Creative in which we plan to use it as a retail laboratory, showroom, event space, pop-up, photo/video studio, and anything goes activation arena. It will also serve as our world headquarters and admin office. I like to call it our “creative house of worship’ where we can make anyone’s ideas come to life, as well as our own. We want to service local AZ clients as well as national/global. All design services will go through us to include: concept development and design, styling, visual merchandising, project management, installation, and execution. We’ll also be offering a prop rental service using some of the most unique and one of a kind items around. We like to say, ‘if we don’t have it, we’ll find it.’ You can expect to see weddings, parties, private dinners, retail pop ups, showrooms, editorial photo shoots, VIP events, and fashion shows here. It’ll be highly eclectic, super dynamic and very fun.

What prompted me to create it?
The changing retail landscape. Everything is changing today and retail is incredibly fast and multifaceted. To have a place where we can help curate many different ideas and experiences to me feels appropriate. We need to be able to change at the drop of a hat. We need to embrace the importance of experimentation within retail and fashion so that conversation is had. The idea is to create friction as friction creates fire, and fire creates energy.

On a personal note, I wanted a place that I can go to every day and be surrounded by like-minded creatives. It’s my own personal creative house of worship.

You’ve set up shop in the Paris Dry Cleaning building on 7th Ave. What drew you to this space—why is it the perfect space for WAYL.A. Studios?
The location is ideal, the building is beautiful, and our landlord Modern Manor is amazing. I fell in love with the backspace that used to a boiler room immediately. It has this incredible old 12-foot sliding barn door that lets in perfect light and it’s essentially a white box where we can do anything. Modern Manor has been a perfect partner too as we plan to activate the entire 11,000 SF for all types of cool projects. I’ve been looking for a space for a long time – and I couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s totally perfect.

Do you split up your time between L.A. and Phoenix, or have you officially moved back to your home state?
I’m officially back in AZ full time thank god haha. I tried the dual living situation between PHX and LA but was just too much work. It sounds glamorous but was very difficult. I’m on the road a lot for installations and Arizona was always the place I wanted to come back home to.

What do you enjoy most about living and working in the Valley?
I enjoy the ease and quality of life here. The people are awesome too. I really love how Arizona has developed a sense of identity and civic pride as well. All of us are very proud to call this state our home. Now, if we can get the Suns back in the playoffs, I may never leave again!

How does doing what you do—running your own company and being a part of such a creative team—bring you meaning and fulfillment?
Owning a company basically allows you to create a dream life and dream job for yourself. Both of which I have. That comes with a disclaimer however as many entrepreneurs know. Which is, it’s a lot of work. It never stops. You get hit in the face, bleed a little or a lot, and get back up. At the end of the day, we are driven by this drug of creative fulfillment. I’ve surrounded myself with not only the best talent but also my best friends. I truly believe we can do just about anything and that’s a great feeling.

When you aren’t running your own empire, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time/for fun?
I work for fun, haha. I never stop. However I’m a huge Phoenix Suns fan so my therapy is to flip a game on, make dinner and hang with my dog Knuckles. Knuckles is a 9-year-old French bulldog who’s like my child. He’s been there through good and bad. I also love playing tennis and if there’s a piano around I’ll be knocking some tunes out.

Has it been a smooth road?
Honestly, once I put my mind to something, it usually pans out well. There have been a few speed bumps, call them learning curves, but nothing serious. I welcome adversity, however, so for me, it’s nothing. For others, it can be serious and detrimental. Everything today is an experiment. I treat life and work the same. Play with stuff until it looks good, haha.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the WAYL.A. Creative & WAYL.A. Studios story. Tell us more about the business.
To be specific, however, we’re known for Retail Creative Consulting, as in: We are a 360-degree service provider by way of Concept & Design, Engineering, Visual Merchandising, Styling, Fabrication, and Installation for large and small apparel retail companies. We work closely with all departments within an organization to help discover and create a brand identity by way of physical/environmental spaces.

What is “success” or “successful” for you
Success for me means waking up with a sense of purpose and executing to perfection.

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