Kostia

When Kostia Belkin left ACP (which subsequently became AUP) in 1986, not only did he leave behind a lasting legacy in the form of merchandizing at the school but he also succeeded in singlehandedly propelling the now global brand Eastpak to success in Europe. AUP’s Online Communications Manager, Louise Chester sat down with Kostia, now the Exclusive Distributor for Eastpak in France and Switzerland and actively involved with Eastpak International to find out more about his fascinating story.

Born in Paris to a French mother and a Canadian father, Kostia spent his childhood with one foot on either side of the Atlantic. “I was always bit of an explorer!” he tells me and from an early age, he knew he would go into business, having come from a long line of successful entrepreneurs. However, his academic journey before ACP wasn’t an entirely smooth one (“it had its up and downs”, he laughs) and it was only when he heard about ACP at a Parisian cocktail party that he finally found the right fit and became passionate about his studies for the first time.

When Kostia reflects upon his time at ACP, he praises the small class sizes, close proximity with the “wonderful” faculty and the school’s “wonderful spirit of openness and support for any idea”. Kostia took advantage of the environment at ACP to try out small business ideas while at school. He, along with his friend Mike Spits ’86 launched a school recycling initiative. They went around school collecting hundreds of kilos of used paper and taking it to the recycling plant at the weekend. When the scheme proved to be more annoying than financially interesting, the friends quickly moved on to a new idea… they decided to sell plastic briefcases (emblazoned with the ACP logo of the time) to the student body. The scheme was an instant success - the pair managed to sell 500 briefcases in one semester alone to nearly half of the school’s students. They were on to something! They quickly approached successfully other schools in Paris with the same idea and supplied each with their emblazoned briefcase.

After graduation, Kostia decided to try his luck in bringing the briefcase to a new market - and a new continent. On US soil, Kostia stashed his briefcases under a $5-a-night bed in a Boston youth hostel and paid a visit to over 20 colleges in the Massachusetts area. Unfortunately for the young entrepreneur, European/Parisian trends of the time failed to make an impression on campus and the answer was a resounding “no” - “You’re a nice guy but come on, get real and go home! We don’t want your briefcase!”, Kostia was told time and time again.

Kostia was bitterly disappointed at the time and remembers calling his father from a phone-box in Harvard Square, who advised him to look for something to bring back and sell in Paris. This was the turning point for Kostia, who admits, “I was so obsessed with the idea that they should all buy my briefcase that I didn’t actually look at what they were wearing.” When he did finally look, what he saw was campus after campus full of Eastpak backpacks.

With a stroke of luck, when Kostia called the reception of the Eastpak offices the next day, he was instantly passed through to Mike Goldman, the President of the company at the time. Over the next days, Mark Goldman gave Kostia a crash course in the brand before Goldman told him, “Look, if you are crazy enough to come to a country that isn’t yours to sell a shitty product then I think with a good product in your country, you’re going to be great!” The deal was done and Kostia set off back to Europe with an inventory of bags and an Eastpak branded 1960 Cadillac painted with an Eastpak Hawaiian print to drive around Paris and catch attention.

Back in Europe, Kostia set about building Eastpak’s brand identity in France singlehandedly, and interest among retailers was immediate. Outdoor apparel stores, trendy fashion retailers and even the ACP Bookstore agreed to stock the product and the brand gained a foothold almost instantly in the Parisian market. For two or three years, Kostia worked hard to continue to raise band awareness. The Eastpak branded Cadillac bomber – which was decorated with the motif of the best selling backpack, “Miami Nice”- with Kostia at the wheel was a frequent sight outside of the ACP campus buildings as well as other Universities in Paris.

In a short space of time Kostia set up a highly successful distribution strategy for France and the way was clear for EASTPAK to take over the rest of Europe. In 1995, Kostia was made European Director, helping the brand to develop across Europe, setting up offices in the UK, Germany, Benelux, Greece and Scandinavia. After nearly 30 years, France is the number one country for the brand and Kostia continues to be extremely involved.

Now a resident of Monaco, Kostia recognizes that his story would have been different if he hadn’t had “that first green light” from ACP to give his briefcase project a go.