Style Sanctum Vision

The Book, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell is central to the Style Sanctum story. In this work, Gladwell talks about how people “make it”, particularly in contrast to our Westernized view of individual pluck or moxie or will power or ___________ (you fill in the blank) as the only means to success. Gladwell looks at the idea that talent is essential but in many cases talent is accompanied by fortuitous circumstance creating a both/and situation which is in contrast to our either/or view of success. As in, either you have it or you don’t! ‘It’, of course, being what it takes to succeed.

“How is this central to Style Sanctum’s story”, you ask, great question! It’s simple really. Nicole Sinclair and Style Sanctum are for many young people one of those elusive “fortuitous circumstances”. She sits at the cusp of one of those rare moments in time when an industry is shifting and through Style Sanctum she is contributing to and benefitting from that shift.

The fashion industry is slowly moving  away from the cookie cutter formula that produces myriad retail outlets where everything looks the same. Anna Wintour in a recent editorial comment in Vogue lamented the death of creativity that currently plagues the fashion industry and extolled the virtues of getting back to the creative roots that spawned the industry. The key ingredient being creativity, which brings us back to Gladwell.

Gladwell points out in Outliers what many other studies have said, it takes 10,000 hours (roughly) to become expert in anything. This generally equates to about 10 years of a typical human life. Some people are born creative but without circumstances that nurture that creativity, they don’t become “creative experts” if you will and Vogue magazine along with the fashion industry end up suffering.

Style Sanctum accomplishes two very important purposes. 1. We teach kids to look into themselves and find their God-given creativity. 2. We give them a place to develop their creativity, a place to get started on their 10,000 hours. And thus, we are a producer of outliers.