History
Ecko Unltd. is a streetwear brand that was founded by Marc Ecko, an American fashion designer and entrepreneur, in 1993. The brand was originally established as a T-shirt company and quickly gained a following among hip-hop and urban culture enthusiasts. [1] Over the years, Ecko Unltd. expanded its product offerings to include a wide range of clothing and accessories, including jackets, hoodies, jeans, and sneakers. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ecko Unltd. became known for its bold, graphic designs and its association with hip-hop culture, and gained a reputation as a leading player in the streetwear market. In addition to its fashion offerings, Ecko Unltd. has also been involved in several partnerships and collaborations with other brands, artists, and musicians including Spike Lee and Chuck D, as well as having a segment in Good Morning America that featured its T-shirt designs. [2]
The company later acquired Avirex and Zoo York. In 2009, Ecko Unlimited had over $1 billion in global revenue and was the largest brand in streetwear. [3]
On October 27, 2009, Iconix Brand Group paid $109 million for a 51% stake in Ecko Unlimited. It acquired full ownership in May 2013. [4] [5] [6]
Hip-hop fashion refers to the various styles of dress that originated from Urban Black America and inner city youth in cities like New York City, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Being a major part of hip hop culture, it further developed in other cities across the United States, with each contributing different elements to the overall style that is now recognized worldwide.
The G-Unit Clothing Company is an American clothing retailer established in 2003 when 50 Cent teamed up with Marc Ecko, the founder of Ecko Unltd. to create a line of clothing and accessories by 50 Cent and G-Unit. Since its initial launch, the brand has generated $100 million in retail sales.
Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons is a privately held American apparel brand originally established in 1999 by entrepreneur, Russell Simmons. Initially launched as a womenswear offshoot of the menswear label, Phat Farm, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons eventually grew into a comprehensive lifestyle brand that is widely regarded as one of the most definitive brands of the early aughts era. Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons was re-launched in December 2019.
Streetwear is a style of casual clothing which became global in the 1990s. It grew from New York hip hop fashion and Californian surf culture to encompass elements of sportswear, punk, skateboarding, 1980s nostalgia, and Japanese street fashion. Later, haute couture became an influence, and was in turn influenced by streetwear. Streetwear centers on comfortable clothing and accessories such as jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers. Brands may create exclusivity through artificial scarcity; enthusiasts follow particular brands and try to obtain limited edition releases, including via proxy purchases.
Stone Island is an Italian luxury fashion house specialised in men's apparel, outerwear, and accessories headquartered in Ravarino, Emilia-Romagna. Its core branding includes a nautical star and compass, both of which is printed or overlaid atop a button-on cloth badge with green, yellow, and black detailing.
Fashion in the 1990s was defined by a return to minimalist fashion, in contrast to the more elaborate and flashy trends of the 1980s. One notable shift was the mainstream adoption of tattoos, body piercings aside from ear piercing and, to a much lesser extent, other forms of body modification such as branding.
Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is a video game released in February 2006 for PlayStation 2, Windows, and Xbox. It was developed by The Collective and published by Atari under license by Ecko Unlimited. There were two editions of the game, one being a limited edition and the other being the normal release. The game was later re-published by Devolver Digital in December 2013 on Steam.
Arc'teryx is a Canadian apparel company specializing in outdoor apparel and equipment headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia. It focuses on technical apparel for mountaineering and Alpine sports, including related accessories. The company's name and logo reference the Archaeopteryx, the transitional fossil of early dinosaurs to modern dinosaurs (birds). Arc'teryx is known for its waterproof Gore-Tex shell jackets, knitwear, and down parkas.
Mossimo was a sportswear and accessories company, founded in 1986 by designer Mossimo Giannulli that was acquired by Iconix Brand Group in 2006. Mossimo specialized in youth and teenage clothing such as shirts, jeans, jackets, socks, underwear, and accessories.
Billionaire Boys Club (BBC) is an American fashion label based in New York City founded by Pharrell Williams and Nigo in 2003. Its sublabels include Ice Cream, Bee Line and Billionaire Girls Club.
Iconix Brand Group, Inc. is an American brand management company that licenses brands to retailers and manufacturers, primarily in the apparel, footwear and apparel accessory industries.
Zoo York is an American company focused on the skateboarding market. The company currently commercializes skateboards, t-shirts, hoodies, windbreakers, hats, and fanny packs.
Complex Networks is an American media and entertainment company for youth culture, based in New York City. It was founded as a bi-monthly magazine, Complex, by fashion designer Marc (Ecko) Milecofsky. Complex Networks reports on popular and emerging trends in style, sneakers, food, music, sports and pop culture. Complex Networks reached over 90 million unique users per month in 2013 across its owned and operated and partner sites, socials and YouTube channels. The print magazine ceased publication with the December 2016/January 2017 issue. Complex currently has 6.02 million subscribers and 1.8 billion total views on YouTube. As of 2019, the company's yearly revenue was estimated to be US$200 million, 15% of which came from commerce.
JD Sports Fashion plc, commonly known as JD Sports, JD or JD Group is a British multinational sports-fashion retail company based in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The Pentland Group owns 55% of the company.
Sneaker collecting is the acquisition and trading of sneakers as a hobby. It is often manifested by the use and collection of shoes made for particular sports, particularly basketball and skateboarding. A person involved in sneaker collecting is sometimes called a sneakerhead.
Kiks Tyo is a Japanese fashion brand founded by DJ, designer, photographer and streetwear/sneaker culture personality hobby:tech in 2006.
Starter, Inc. is an American clothing manufacturer, focusing on major league sports teams. Starter's current licenses include MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL teams. Non-sports agreements include a partnership with Coca-Cola.
Colcci is a Brazilian fashion company specialising in clothing and accessories. The company offers a wide range of products for both men and women, including jeans, t-shirts, dresses, skirts, and shoes. Colcci is one of the leading fashion brands in Brazil, and it has a strong presence in both the domestic market and international markets.
Marc Louis Ecko is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, and artist. He is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of fashion company Ecko Unlimited. He also founded Complex magazine in 2002.
Hector Estrada is a Puerto Rican and Dominican entrepreneur and creative director. He owns the brands Triko and Amivectio.
