Rock & Republic Founder Moves On

2010 brought a corporate bankruptcy and a new baby to Rock & Republic founder Michael Ball, and it changed his outlook on, well, everything.

“Life is different,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “I look at it with perspective now. It’s not all about creating something and the hype.”

The former chief executive of edgy-apparel maker Rock & Republic Enterprises Inc., which entered Chapter 11 in 2010 and sold its intellectual property earlier in March, is ready to change gears after a tough but transformative introduction to the new decade. In an interview Tuesday, he said that he has a new venture in the works, and while he wouldn’t share any details, he did reveal one thing: It has nothing to do with high-end denim or with anything in the apparel realm, for that matter.

“If I never do something with fiber again it’s OK by me,” he said. “I’ve had a taste of it and it’s been good but in the future you won’t be hearing me being chatted about in the apparel space,”

Still, just a few weeks ago, Ball was wrapped up in the industry that first catapulted him into the limelight. He and another Rock & Republic veteran were working to launch a new brand called “Ronan.” The venture–which was to focus on denim, sportswear and footwear, according to Women’s Wear Daily, even got tied into a bankruptcy court dispute recently. The trustee charged with liquidating the remainder of Rock & Republic’s merchandise last week accused Ball of interfering with that process and hypothesized that he could possibly be attempting to scoop up some of the assets for his new venture.

But Ball denied the accusations, saying that the business the trustee was referring to is dead and indicating that this latest chapter of discord in the bankruptcy court was representative of the struggles he’s faced throughout the proceedings.

“I shut that thing down three weeks ago. There is no other company,” he said. “That’s kind of how out of touch these guys are.”

Robert Hirsh, an attorney with Arent Fox LLP that represents the liquidating trust, said Tuesday he doesn’t know or care whether Ronan is really shut down, and that Ball’s statements don’t have any bearing on the motion, which seeks to force Ball to stop interfering with the wind-down process and return valuable assets—like a 1965 Ford Mustang and a 2006 Aston Martin—that the former officer is allegedly holding on to. Ball claims he’s already returned the vehicles.

While the drama continues to play out in bankruptcy court, Ball said he’s keeping his focus on his new daughter, born last year, and reflecting on the rise and fall of the company he built.

“It’s bittersweet,” he said of the wrap-up of Rock & Republic’s bankruptcy case. “It’s amazing what I created and it’s long standing and there’s a legacy there, but if I had to do it again, would I do it differently? One hundred percent.”

He noted that, with hindsight, he would have sold the company long before a fight with a lender erupted and it descended into Chapter 11, where it was ultimately purchased by VF Corp. for about $57 million. Still, Ball said he wishes VF Corp. well, especially as they embark on a new partnership with Kohl’s.

“Everything that I wanted to do on a premium level, they’re going to do on a discount level,” he said. “Good for them. I hope it works.”