Over the last few days, my fellow Hypebeast editor Eddie were working on some interview questions for upcoming features involving NIGO of A Bathing Ape and somebody (not Rei) of COMME des GARCONS. As I was working together with a relative newcomer to interviews, Edward’s inexperience allowed me to look back on what I feel is a solid interview. I must say, you can really tell a lot from the questions somebody lays out and Edward’s passion for fashion is something extremely respectable with some truly deep questions created for the COMME des GARCONS interview.

I’m sure we’ve all come across relatively boring and rather uninsightful pieces which are just as much the fault of the interviewer as perhaps a boring subject. But as dig a little deeper, I found these common themes to what I find is crucial for a good interview.

A thirst for knowledge: there’s no point embarking on an interview where little to no new information is brought to the table or acquired. If a simple Google search yields the same question as the question you’re asking, there probably isn’t a point in asking it. As I see it, you’re ability to navigate an interview goes together with a genuine desire to educate yourself and the readers. There might even be some selfish and self-serving motive to find out something you’ve always wanted to know which is undeniably an important trait.

Framing the question: Based on my previous statement, just cause something has previously been mentioned doesn’t mean it’s something that should be avoided. Use this as a reference or Segway into expansion. It serves really as a 2 in 1 where readers unfamiliar with previous interviews gain new insights based on an old answer but also have the benefit of an additional new answer.

Follow-up and expanding: Sometimes the answers you get might be a bit lackluster or need development. It doesn’t hurt to go back and expand on them. Your ability to maneuver and be quick to recognize an opening ultimately yields some interesting answers. Sometimes email interviews can be lackluster cause there’s little interaction however this does give the opportunity for one to follow-up and expand on answers previously stated.

I really haven’t touched on any really controversial material but my friend Joe La Puma over at Complex always mentioned the importance of doing it live/in person so that you can really catch people off guard and have them give truthful answers. I wish I could conduct more face to face interviews but unfortunately it’s difficult given the traveling constraints. A live interview almost always yields a more lively and natural interview although you are able to put all your thoughts to e-paper when you conduct something digitally.

-Eugene