Since he quit advertising, Dave has had a big effect on it.
First, with Howies.
His mail order catalogues built up more than customer base, they built up a fan base.
They were, and still are, traded on Ebay.
Not for their clothing, for their vibe; that decent feel-good, smart, happy, moral life is for living, do the right thing voice. (Dave: Did I miss anything?)
Their writing and ideas were ripped them off mercilessly by ad agencies, constantly being used as reference for tone of voice or stimulus for manifestos… or just used.
One agency I used to work for copied and pasted one of Dave’s pieces to use as a manifesto for a pitch.
They won, but lost it a few weeks later when client found his shiny, new manifesto in an old Howies catalogue.
Howies was admired by the guys from Innocent, they visited Dave (and his wife Claire), for advice on setting up a business and building a brand.
To me, that whole Innocent vibe, which was also copied and ripped off, was totally ‘inspired’ by Howies.
I’m guessing they were also ‘inspired’ by Howies practice of printing random messages on their clothing, inside a pair of jeans you may stumble across ‘I stink, wash me’ or underneath the washing instructions on your t-shirt might be ‘Buy land, they’re not making it anymore’.
Since he left Howies, Dave & Claire have continued to give ad agencies stimulus and reference material via the Do Lectures, Hiut Denim and Do Books.

I had a great chat with Dave, hope you enjoy it.