Expectations. Perhaps the most simultaneously motivating and crippling aspect of any creative’s professional career.

Phillip Lim launched his eponymous fashion label, 3.1 Phillip Lim in 2004. Quickly becoming a formative player in bridging the gap between streetwear and high fashion, Lim’s influence upon the world of fashion has been incredible. Over the last 15 years, Lim has seamlessly parlayed his inherent design abilities and creative talents into an integral component of a now multi-million dollar business. With each consecutive season, 3.1 Phillip Lim continues be critically and commercially well received.

But, as any creative living and working in a professional context will tell you, balancing what is best for one’s personal creative sustenance versus the brand’s needs and bottom line is an entirely different process. But, if there is anyone who has been able to tap into this harmony, Lim immediately comes to mind. He recently took a month off of work, emails, phone calls, and general day-to-day management of 3.1 in an effort to recalibrate his priorities, creative inspiration and personal goals.

On the final day of his hiatus in May of this past summer, I had the opportunity to sit down with him at his apartment in New York City. Casual and unstructured, our conversation covered everything from his upbringing in Southern California to the changing face of fashion, the business of creativity, cultivating a new generation of design talent, and more.