Meet Michael Ardelean of Ernst Everything in West Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Ardelean.

Michael, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was from the Detroit area, got interested in BMX, became a pro rider and moved to Los Angeles. I got very close to the brands that sponsored me and started to influence their products as I was testing them. Eventually convinced one of those brands (Giant Bicycle) to make me their Product Manager.

I learned a lot but got way more excited about apparel and fashion than about bikes. Moved away from BMX, worked for Quiksilver, then Perry Ellis, then at Alternative Apparel running the Merchandising, Design, Development and Marketing teams.

Parallel to that, I was developing an obsession with cars, possibly a throwback to the Detroit upbringing. Through that obsession, I met Anthony, founder of Ernst, and his partner Emily. We all had vintage Porsches and would go on early morning rips through the Angeles Forest roads when nobody was awake.

I was fascinated with their company, and one day at Alternative I brought them in to speak to my teams. Their presentation about doing fast, high-output, quality work with a lean team was a refreshing concept to my crew of 30+ people who were accustomed to sluggish approval processes and decisions by committee.

That stuck with me. Later I started a consulting business and teamed up with Ernst on an apparel project. From there we became partners.

Anthony and Emily both have backgrounds in concept and innovation. For most of their previous careers in larger corporations, they led the teams that were thinking 5 years ahead (Emily designed concept cars for Ford and Audi; Anthony led the Nike Innovation Kitchen).

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For me, the biggest challenges were being thrust into leadership positions when I was an introvert. (I ended up using my shyness to my advantage).

For Emily and Anthony, I think it was their frustration with slow and bureaucratic processes. Those exist for a reason in large corporations, but they’re difficult to deal with when you’re trying to solve big problems quickly. Now, those same large corporations come to Ernst for innovation.

Together at Ernst, our biggest challenge is growth. We need to accommodate huge expectations, and over-deliver while growing our team in the process. We’re lucky to have a very small and very sharp crew, and we need to ensure that anyone else we add is held to the same standard.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Ernst is a secret weapon for world-renowned brands who want to stay ahead. We create footwear, apparel, accessories focused on Innovation — and Graphics and Branding through the same lens.

We live at the top of the pyramid, but innovation is no good if it doesn’t inform products that everyone can use and enjoy. So we create Merchandising and product strategies that enable those concepts to drive volume sales.

Our formula is about research, obsession, real-life experience, and gut feeling. We think first, we sketch by hand, and we move through our process in a very uncomplicated way. Usually pretty quickly.

What were you like growing up?
I was a bit quiet but I liked excitement. Cool bikes, skateboarding magazines, cool clothes, people who did interesting things. I dreamed of moving to California and driving fast cars.

When I was 11 I got into BMX. It became my entire life — I consumed all the magazines, traveled to see demos and contests, and eventually got some sponsors around age 18 which enabled me to start doing it for a living, and then move to California to pursue it further.

BMX taught me my main lesson: keep falling down until you learn that falling down isn’t that scary. Falling is the key to not falling.

Contact Info:

• Website: ernsteverything.com
• Email: info@ernsteverything.com
• Instagram: @ernsteverything @easyontheextras @emilysawamura @ernsteverywhere
• Other: easyontheextras.tumblr.com

Image Credit:
Justin Chung, Vince Perraud

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