ONE OF US: PLAYWRIGHT ANDREW STEIN
ARI IN DISRUPTION
A longtime client and friend of ARI, Andrew Stein is the playwright and producer behind the new play Disruption, starring John David Washington. For the production, Washington will take the stage in ARI, with pieces selected to reflect his character Nick, a successful tech entrepreneur.
After pursuing writing in his twenties, Andrew stepped away to build a career in commercial real estate. Years later, he found his way back to writing and developed a disciplined morning practice that ultimately led to Disruption, a story inspired by New York’s rapidly growing tech scene and its obsession with the idea of “disruption.”
We sat down with Andrew at our New York store to talk about the new play, his creative process, dressing John David Washington for the role, and his own relationship with ARI and stylist Aleksander Janik.
He’s someone who’s uber successful and cool, but understated. We wanted his wardrobe to reflect that — he walks into a room, and you notice him.
I love the clothes here and how I feel in them. It just clicked — he should be in ARI.
Can you tell us more about the play?
The play is about a tech entrepreneur named Nick, who John David plays. He's had a massive exit, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and he's met a brilliant engineer. Together they build an algorithm that will tell you, with certainty, exactly what you need to do to be happy and successful — emotionally, in marriage, in finances — based on all the data out there. He tests it on his three best friends, believing it will help them, and the play is about how that experiment plays out.
What about John David’s character made you think ARI would be a good fit for his wardrobe?
He's someone who's uber successful and cool, but understated. We wanted his wardrobe to reflect that — he walks into a room, and you notice him. He looks phenomenal in them, and they project the confidence, charisma, and magnetism he inherently has.
Janik and I are very good friends, and I love the clothes here and how I feel in them. It just clicked — he should be in ARI. I called Janik; he came and met with John David and our costume designer, and he just knew, had ideas, slept on it, and had more ideas. You all were gracious enough to say yes and lend us pieces, which I really appreciate. It was transformational — he looks so good in the clothes. From a story perspective, we now have that visual distinction built in, and we needed it.
Watching Janik put the outfits together was like watching a cook in a kitchen — he was in his zone.
He's a genius. I've experienced it shopping here myself — this jacket I feel so good in, he picked it. He said, "I have something you need to look at." I came in and it was amazing. I care about how I look, and when I look good, I feel good, but I don't always know how to put it together. To have somebody who really gets it and understands is a gift and a talent.
I think if you look in your closet and there's a bunch of things you're "eh" about, you're living an "eh" existence. If you have things that are "hell yes," you feel more "hell yes".
Everything I've bought from ARI is "hell yes".
