Keith Taperell is a brand strategist, consultant, collaborator and industry connector whose career has taken him through some of the world’s most iconic fashion and footwear brands.
More recently, he has spent over six years working within the music industry, joining the dots between music, fashion and sport and helping to bring some of their most interesting brand collaborations to life. His work is driven by a passion for brands, the products they create and the cultural stories they have the potential to tell.
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This conversation explores what it takes to create relevant cultural moments in industries that move at dramatically different speeds. Keith reflects on moving from footwear, where product timelines could stretch to 18 months, into music, where having 18 days can feel like a luxury.
From there, the discussion moves through collaboration, creative conviction, cultural storytelling and the relationships that make ambitious work possible. Keith talks about why the most interesting partnerships begin with a shared story rather than two names placed together, and why trust built over time allows people to make better decisions when time is limited.
Our conversation also considers the changing ways we consume culture: the accessibility and freedom of moving between genres and communities, but also the depth, effort and sense of belonging that can be lost along the way. From bootlegs becoming official collaborations to the growing crossover between music, fashion and sport, we ponder on how we can make fleeting cultural moments more enduring.
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Keith’s work often operates at an extraordinary pace, but the ability to move quickly is built on solid groundwork - relationships, conversations and accumulated knowledge - all done way ahead of even knowing what projects might come our way. His preference for having twenty conversations with one person, rather than one conversation with twenty people, captures the value of connection particularly well.
There is also a clear distinction between collaboration and simple association. Bringing two recognisable names together may create attention, but the strongest partnerships uncover a shared story and produce something neither could have created alone. As Keith puts it, one plus one needs to become greater than two.
Links (Personal)
Instagram and Linkedin
Links (Work)
www.oneminutetomidnight.co
Instagram
