The 1990’s continues to influence modern culture. One of the biggest brands from that era is prepping a return to the game.
As reported by HipHopDXFubu has announced they are relaunching in 2019. While their historic rise to urban fashion royalty saw their wears being sold at major retailers throughout the world, their go to market strategy moving forward will be more thoughtful. The pieces will be exclusively sold at Century 21 stores and their e-commerce site online.
In an interview with Complex the founding team detailed why they are bringing the brand back. “Fubu was always built on hip-hop culture. When we came up with the name, we were thinking about how we spend so much money making other brands rich, but it wasn’t only meant for black people,” explained Keith Perrin. “We were trying to say that we are of the culture and for it.”
The Century 21 collection will be called “Can’t Resist a Classic,” which is a nod to their signature pieces from their original run which includes t-shirts, caps and hooded sweatshirts. “We feel like we haven’t touched the surface on how big it can be” added Carlton Brown. The vision also includes suiting, eyewear, women’s clothing and more in the near future.
FUBU is making its return to the marketplace. Founded in 1992 by Daymond John, J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carlton Brown as a hat company based out of Hollis, Queens, New York, FUBU (an acronym for “For Us By Us”) became a fashion staple during the 1990s street-wear scene. By the early 2000s, the brand had permeated the global mainstream. Artists such as E-40, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Mariah Carey and *NSYNC were seen in music videos and paparazzi photos, all sporting the brand, sometimes from head to toe in hockey jerseys, hats, jackets – you name it. It was all part of the strategy. FUBU Founder & “Shark Tank” Star Daymond John Lists His Keys to Success (Video) According to CNBC, “During his off hours, [Daymond] John would hit music video sets and try to coax rappers to wear FUBU apparel in the shoot.” LL Cool J, a major proponent of the street brand, even starred in a Gap commercial in 1999 sporting a FUBU hat, without Gap executives knowing of its significance. But, as evidenced by its downfall of popularity throughout the years, the company couldn’t sustain its success. “The biggest mistake we made with the brand was buying more inventory than we needed,” Daymond John recently told Complex. “This was around 2001.” This New Documentary Shows The Untold Story Of 3 Hip-Hop Fashion Pioneers In 1995, a few years after John mortgaged his house for $100,000 to invest into FUBU with his business partners (and run the company out of that same house), South Korean company Samsung became investors of the company. By 1998, FUBU was totaling $350 million in yearly sales. But after a few missteps and investing $5 million into a compilation album titled The Good Life in 2001, the company decided to pull from the American market in 2003. Over the last few years, FUBU has been trying to make its way back into the public consciousness. Solange’s 2016 track “F.U.B.U.” might’ve been scratching the nostalgic surface, but John, Brown, Perrin, and Martin have been crafting collaborations with Urban Outfitters, Puma, Pyer Moss. Remember When LL Cool J Jacked A Commercial And Made It “For Us By Us On The Low?” (Video) Now, thanks to the aid of fellow New York retailer Century 21, FUBU is officially back and selling a new line titled “Can’t Resist A Classic.”
This new line of clothing features the classic FUBU logo on the typical FUBU garments: a t-shirt, a hat, a football jersey, and a long-sleeve shirt. The line will be sold in Century 21 stores, as well as FUBU’s official website. According to Complex, clothing is just at the forefront of the operation – the company plans to expand into licensing deals that includes suits, underwear, a women’s line, and eyewear, as well as Fubu Radio and Fubu TV. Eventually, the company also wants to create hotels. The Clothing Line That Sparked A Cultural Revolution Is Coming Back But It Needs Your Help “We feel like we haven’t touched the surface on how big it can be,” said Brown. “Fubu is not just a clothing line. It’s radio, television, and hotels. It’s a lifestyle that can play [in] many categories.” Although the company pulled out of U.S. markets, FUBU has managed to stay afloat thanks to international licenses. FUBU still sells in South Africa, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, and Korea, where it exists as a skate brand. Escobar Season Has Returned. Nas Reunites With Karl Kani For A Clothing Line “I think overseas respects and values the hip-hop culture in America, and Fubu is synonymous with Hip-Hop and streetwear,” said John. “But today I consider Fubu American classics. I mean, there was a time when we had a really successful bedding line.” FUBU, a Black-owned business, has been known to be an acronym meaning “For Us By Us,” but John has disputed this in public via TMZ. Today, the company wants to send a more inclusive message across. Wu-Wear Returns After 10 Years (Video)
“Fubu was always built on Hip-Hop culture,” Perrin said. “When we came up with the name, we were thinking about how we spend so much money making other brands rich, but it wasn’t only meant for Black people. We were trying to say that we are of the culture and for it.”
For as long as there has been Hip-Hop, fashion has been an integral part of the culture. From what people wore, how they wore it, the expression of clothing and accessories influenced people who did not listen to Rap, or participate in the four elements. By the 1980s, as Run-D.M.C. partnered with Adidas, various stars in the Rap genre began working with brands, designers, and retailers. While many Hip-Hop Heads know the stories of A-list partnerships and endorsement deals, a 30-plus-year-old history is now being told in a documentary. The Shirt Kings worked with some of the greatest MCs of all-time to do something for the culture by people invested in it.
In a new doc presented by TRB2HH, (The Untold Story Of ShirtKings: Pioneers of Urban Fashion), Hip-Hop and New York’s fashion scene gets the flashback treatment.
The 31-minute film is chocked full of personal and historical anecdotes, interviews, and blast from the past clips featuring some of the most influential Rap and Fashion trailblazers to properly remember the beginnings of Edwin “Phade” Sacasa, Rafael “Kasheme” Avery, and Clyde “Nike” Harewood’s custom t-shirt venture. Beyond the talent, fame, and the fortune that has grown exponentially from the efforts of their labor. The trio’s trendsetting style has brought forth an entire generation of future artists and brand entrepreneurs, laying the blueprint for Rap artists to represent and even become a major brand worldwide.
Throughout the video, artists such as Nas, Biz Markie, LL Cool J, Sean Price, Rakim, and others praise and sport gear from the almighty Shirt Kings. At one point, (8:30) Clyde “Nike” Harewood and Edwin “Phade” Sacasa discuss meeting Jam Master Jay and how their encounter led to the creation of the first Shirt Kings store.
“Phade” remembers, “We went to Kasheme’s house. I put an airbrush in his hand. He told me he knew Jam Master Jay. I was probably about 17, 18 years old, you know, knocking on Jay’s door. He opened the door and was like, “Yo, what’s up? What’s up? What’s going on?” You know? And I’m like, ‘Wow,’ like, this guy I’m seeing on, you know, MTV is right here now, like, in front of my face. I pull out a black shirt with a gold chain. I painted an acrylic gold chain and Jay just went crazy. He was like, “Yo! This is me!” We discussed the price, and you know, I told him fifty bucks, cause I’m lookin’ at the man right now. You know? He was like “Yo, you know, if this is what you guys wanna do, go to the avenue and open up a shop.” That’s how Shirt Kings came about.
Later, “Nike” Harewood explains further (9:30), “A partner that used to work on our construction site was down with Run-D.M.C. Kasheme told him about the thing he wanted to do with Phade, and he (Jam Master Jay) asked Phade if he could show him a shirt and he says, “Yo I’ma take you to Jay’s house.” They went to Jay’s house and Jay seen the shirts that he did… And Jay said ‘Yo I need two of those. Ya’ll should get a spot.’ And that’s when Kasheme thought about [opening up] at the Coliseum [Mall]… I didn’t see this turning into what it became, you know what I mean? I just thought it would be some little, tiny money making shirts for the market, or the kids, whatever, whatever. But, we had what it takes to make it different than getting a shirt at the amusement park.” These moments with Jam Master Jay led to the creation of their Shirt Kings moniker, and became the ultimate jump off for their placement as a brand in New York City and the greater Hip-Hop community.
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For as long as there has been Hip-Hop, fashion has been an integral part of the culture. From what people wore, how they wore it, the expression of clothing and accessories influenced people who did not listen to Rap, or participate in the four elements. By the 1980s, as Run-D.M.C. partnered with Adidas, various stars in the Rap genre began working with brands, designers, and retailers. While many Hip-Hop Heads know the stories of A-list partnerships and endorsement deals, a 30-plus-year-old history is now being told in a documentary. The Shirt Kings worked with some of the greatest MCs of all-time to do something for the culture by people invested in it.
In a new doc presented by TRB2HH, (The Untold Story Of ShirtKings: Pioneers of Urban Fashion), Hip-Hop and New York’s fashion scene gets the flashback treatment.
The 31-minute film is chocked full of personal and historical anecdotes, interviews, and blast from the past clips featuring some of the most influential Rap and Fashion trailblazers to properly remember the beginnings of Edwin “Phade” Sacasa, Rafael “Kasheme” Avery, and Clyde “Nike” Harewood’s custom t-shirt venture. Beyond the talent, fame, and the fortune that has grown exponentially from the efforts of their labor. The trio’s trendsetting style has brought forth an entire generation of future artists and brand entrepreneurs, laying the blueprint for Rap artists to represent and even become a major brand worldwide.
Throughout the video, artists such as Nas, Biz Markie, LL Cool J, Sean Price, Rakim, and others praise and sport gear from the almighty Shirt Kings. At one point, (8:30) Clyde “Nike” Harewood and Edwin “Phade” Sacasa discuss meeting Jam Master Jay and how their encounter led to the creation of the first Shirt Kings store.
“Phade” remembers, “We went to Kasheme’s house. I put an airbrush in his hand. He told me he knew Jam Master Jay. I was probably about 17, 18 years old, you know, knocking on Jay’s door. He opened the door and was like, “Yo, what’s up? What’s up? What’s going on?” You know? And I’m like, ‘Wow,’ like, this guy I’m seeing on, you know, MTV is right here now, like, in front of my face. I pull out a black shirt with a gold chain. I painted an acrylic gold chain and Jay just went crazy. He was like, “Yo! This is me!” We discussed the price, and you know, I told him fifty bucks, cause I’m lookin’ at the man right now. You know? He was like “Yo, you know, if this is what you guys wanna do, go to the avenue and open up a shop.” That’s how Shirt Kings came about.
Later, “Nike” Harewood explains further (9:30), “A partner that used to work on our construction site was down with Run-D.M.C. Kasheme told him about the thing he wanted to do with Phade, and he (Jam Master Jay) asked Phade if he could show him a shirt and he says, “Yo I’ma take you to Jay’s house.” They went to Jay’s house and Jay seen the shirts that he did… And Jay said ‘Yo I need two of those. Ya’ll should get a spot.’ And that’s when Kasheme thought about [opening up] at the Coliseum [Mall]… I didn’t see this turning into what it became, you know what I mean? I just thought it would be some little, tiny money making shirts for the market, or the kids, whatever, whatever. But, we had what it takes to make it different than getting a shirt at the amusement park.” These moments with Jam Master Jay led to the creation of their Shirt Kings moniker, and became the ultimate jump off for their placement as a brand in New York City and the greater Hip-Hop community.
