Building a Global Empire: Lessons from Debut Author Christos Garkinos
Christos Garkinos is a fashion entrepreneur, social commerce innovator, television personality and author. Born to Greek immigrant parents in Detroit, he worked with industry giants including Disney and Virgin Megastores before launching his own successful fashion line on HSN. Garkinos was a pioneer in the luxury resale business and the star of a Bravo TV show. He has been featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and The New York Times and founded Covet by Christos, a 100 million dollar luxury live-streaming network and community platform. Garkinos lives in Los Angeles with his husband, Rolland. Covet the Comeback is his first book, and it tells his story of red carpets, rock bottom, and fashion’s fiercest comeback!
Covet the Comeback: How a Son of Greek Immigrants Found Success, Lost Everything, Then Built a Fashion Empire by Christos Garkinos
Interview with Christos Garkinos:
Q: You are an entrepreneur, a fashion mogul, and a reality TV personality. What made you decide to add author to that list and write your first book?
A: Across my entire career, I have been a storyteller first. While relating my stories as entertainment on my livestreams, people said I should write a book! So I got the hint and made it happen.
Q: What made you choose the independent publishing route, and what do you love about being an indie author?
A: I love being an entrepreneur, and this felt right. I also have a built-in audience with my company, Covet by Christos. My connection with Legacy Launchpad has fueled my success. They got me. I also love being indie because I controlled the marketing (including a fifteen city tour greeting thousands of people), and I could be nimble with the process.
Q: How did you find the process of writing a book, and were there any surprises along the way?
A: It felt very natural. I have had more pivots than an ice skater, and it was amazing to break them all down in the book. The biggest surprise in writing everything out is how it all connected to being the son of a Greek immigrant.
Q: What is your favorite part of your book Covet the Comeback? Do you have a favorite anecdote included?
A: I was the h
ead of marketing for the Virgin Megastore chain, and I had Cher be the guest of honor at the opening event. Can you imagine driving down Michigan Avenue with thousands of people with Cher while dressed in a red leather Santa suit? Well, it happened to me!
My favorite part of the book, though, is reliving working in my parents’ Greek diner as a young child. I started working at age 4, and I manned the old school register at 6 while standing on a milk carton. I waited tables, mixed drinks and got a crash course in being an entrepreneur!
"By six years old, I was manning the cash register like a pro. We’re talking an old-school, wooden beast of a machine that probably weighed more than I did. It was a monstrosity of gears and levers, a relic from a time when “digital” referred to fingers and toes, not technology. Operating this mechanical marvel was like piloting a steam engine—it required strength, skill and a fair bit of percussive maintenance (read: whacking it when it got stuck).
My math skills? Impeccable. My ability to reach the top of the register without a step stool? Not so much. But what I lacked in height, I made up for in enthusiasm and a knack for charming customers with my precocious business acumen.
I wasn’t content to be a humble cashier, though—any kindergartener with half a brain could do that job, I thought. By seven, I had expanded my repertoire to include mixology. While other kids were mixing mud pies in the woods, I was shaking martinis. Child labor laws? Never heard of ‘em.
At the Meat Town Inn, if you could see over the bar (or at least reach it on tiptoes), you were qualified to mix drinks. I became a pint-sized Tom Cruise from “Cocktail,” minus the hair flips and plus a healthy dose of Greek sass, which customers loved—they’d expect nothing less from Nick and Bessie’s boy. Our idea of quality family time consisted of gathering around giant Budweiser bottles (the four-foot plastic novelty kind, not the drinkable ones) and sorting coins from the day’s take. Nothing says “family bonding” quite like the clink of quarters being stuffed into paper rolls, and it was our nightly ritual, a time to recount the day’s triumphs and tribulations and, most importantly, the day’s earnings." – From Covet the Comeback
Q: What do you hope your readers take away from your book?
A: I think that no matter what age you are, you can make a comeback! I just turned sixty, and my life is the fullest it has ever been.
Q: How was your experience launching your book and going on tour across the country?
A: It was incredible! The #stossquad showed up strong across fifteen cities for this first leg of the tour. I loved meeting some for the first time and connecting with them in real life.
Q: What author has most shaped your writing, and what authors are you reading at the moment?
A: I have always loved how my fellow Greek David Sedaris writes, and I wanted to infuse a sense of my own humor throughout my book. I have always loved biographies, so right now I am reading the memoirs of Graydon Carter, Keith McNally, and Barry Diller.
Q: What’s something you had to learn the hard way?
A: Once your ego gets in the way, life becomes very difficult. It is super important to stay in gratitude!
As a fashion mogul with over 25 years of experience in the industry, Christos has some expert advice to share. Here's just a few of his top 25 style rules from Covet the Comeback:
“Always go with your gut. This is more than a fashion rule—it’s a life rule.”
"Vintage should always look modern."
“Skinny jeans are, 99 percent of the time, a no.”
“Tom Ford-era Gucci is, 100 percent of the time, a yes.”
“A great black clutch will change your life. I guarantee it.”
“Study Catherine Deneuve and Fran Drescher for style inspiration. Catherine and Fran: they’ll always spark an idea.”
“Reinvent yourself. It works for Madonna, it worked for me, and it can work for you.”
– From Covet the Comeback
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