jeffstaple, Founder of Staple Design

Staple Design

With his hands in just about everything, Jeff Ng aka jeffstaple has masterfully created an entire world of communicating through design. Not known solely for his massive sneaker collection, the founder/owner of Staple Design, Staple Clothing, and the Reed Space is a graphic, web, and clothing designer, artist, DJ, writer, entrepreneur, and is responsible for the design work for companies such as Nike, Burton, Converse, UNIQLO, Timberland, New Balance, Versace, Royal Elastics, Triple Five Soul, The Fader Magazine, The Gap, Sony Playstation, and Apple Computers.

Born in New Jersey, Jeff moved to New York City in ’93 and enrolled himself at New York University to study journalism. While in college, he worked as an entry-level data clerk at design firm, Noble Publishers where he was introduced to graphic design as a career for the first time. With no prior experience or education on the design software programs that were being used, Jeff quickly adapted and became a class instructor at the firm in just under 6 months, teaching QuarkXPress, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Realizing very quickly that graphic design was his passion and with a budding idea to create Staple, Jeff dropped out of NYU and attended the prestigious Parsons School of Design in Fall of ‘95, to study communications design.

While attending Parsons and teaching at Noble Publishers, Jeff also took on an internship with urban streetwear clothing company PNB Nation, helping to design the line. Continuing his internship and education, Jeff stopped teaching and worked as a graphic designer at c.i.t.e. design while silkscreening Staple t-shirts in the evening. Eventually, Jeff dropped both Parsons and PNB two years later, working full time at c.i.t.e. design during the day, at a laser copy center at night, and every minute in between on Staple.

Coincidently his first break happened on his birthday, March 7th of ’97, when Jeff walked into the Triple Five Soul boutique in SoHo wearing a Staple t-shirt. The manager took notice and placed the first ever order of 12 t-shirts from the line. With Staple’s door officially open for business, Jeff took his one man t-shirt business and quickly evolved it into a full-service design firm, opening up Staple Design the same year and his own retail store/art gallery, the Reed Space in 2002. Perhaps Staple’s most famous Staple product were the NYC Pigeon Dunks, a pair of sneakers that produced in collaboration with Nike. There were only around 200 pairs released and they were exclusively released at Reed Space. Riots erupted at many of the stores where the shoes were sold, and Staple Pigeons currently sell for over 2000 US dollars. Ten years later, Staple Design work isn’t found just in New York City, but internationally on all forms of media imaginable. Staying very firmly grounded to the values in which the Staple name was created, sticking to the basic necessities needed in life, Jeff continues to deliver the world messages through his work, provoking our thoughts and our minds.

What are recent inspirations for your creativity?

Recently I’ve been sort of into this notion of going back to simplicity. Like, back to the country and doing things by hand in kind of an old school way. That whole idea of getting your hands dirty again. That’s been kind of inspiring me recently.

What are projects you’re working on that excite you?

Well, we just released our 3rd Staple x New Balance collaboration called the “Black Pigeon”, which is really cool. It just came out last week. We made special tees and had a raffle for a free pair. The winner is from Hawaii! Our Holiday Collection just dropped as well, the Staple Pigeon Holiday Collection. There’s some great stuff in there I’m really proud of. We have a special partnership with Kidrobot called the Kidrobot Black series that was just released a couple weeks ago. We basically created an all black apparel collection to compliment a super exclusive black vinyl Pigeon toy we made together. We were also recently part of an exhibition at Apex Art Gallery called “As Real As It Gets”. There are so many different sorts of projects and goings-on in the company we try and keep updated on the blog as much as possible, so definitely check StapleDesign.com for all of that. Oh, we’re going to Miami’s Art Basel this week for the first time! We’re doing a seating tent at Soho Beach House Miami, giving away free stuff, promo, that sort of thing. We’ll also just be there on the ground, checking out the scene. Should be pretty dope, I’m excited.

How do you stay motivated to accomplish so much?

It’s pretty easy. I don’t have to force myself or trick myself into it because I love what I do. It’s pretty easy to keep motivated in a thing you love doing I think.

What city do you recommend exploring? Why?

Domestically I would recommend Detroit. I always get really good feelings and vibes from Detroit. It’s a city going through a rebirth, so it’s really interesting to see that energy and hustle that’s happening there. And then internationally, I’d say Beijing is a really cool place to check out. Different reasons, you know? Beijing is the world’s number one economic power now, so it’s a whole different mentality there, with communism transferring into capitalism, and young people who were always used to being oppressed now having this newfound freedom and luxury. To see what they’re doing with that freedom is really interesting. It’s Wild, Wild West feeling.

Where and what are you doing when you’re drinking Hiya?

95%–no…100% of the time I’m drinking Hiya tea I’m working. I’m standing up, and working, drinking Hiya tea!


November 28, 2012