Rocawear

Last updated

Rocawear
Industry Textile
Founded1999;25 years ago (1999)
Founders Damon Dash
Shawn Carter [1]
Headquarters New York,
US
Key people
Shawn Carter (CEO), Damon Dash (chairman)
Products Clothing, footwear, perfume and fashion accessories
Revenue$700 million (FY 2007)
Owner Iconix Brand Group
Website rocawear.com

Rocawear (stylized Roc-A-Wear) is an American clothing brand founded in 1999 by Roc-A-Fella Records co-founders Damon Dash and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. [1] The brand has had annual sales of $700 million. [1] [ when? ] Rocawear expanded through licensing to sell affordable clothes for children and juniors; socks and sandals; leather, suede, and fur outerwear; handbags and belts; lounge wear; big and tall; headwear; jewelry; and sunglasses; as well as co-branded product with Pro-Keds, State Property, and Team Roc.

R&B singer Ciara signed to be the new face of Rocawear in 2007 for the 'I Will Not Lose' campaign. Chris Brown, Memphis rap collective Three 6 Mafia, radio personality Ebro Darden, Toccara and Rich Boy were amongst the other celebrities who were part of the campaign.[ citation needed ]

In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group for $204 million. Jay-Z retained his stake in the company and continued to oversee the marketing, licensing, and product development. [1] [2] [3] In May 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sought out Jay-Z's testimony in relation to possible security law violations made by Iconix. [4]

In March 2009, Rocawear launched its first social networking site, offering style news, music, fashion, and cultural connections. [5]

In August 2011, Jay-Z confirmed via Twitter that Rocawear had partnered with Pharrell Williams' clothing label, Billionaire Boys Club. [6]

In 2012, Rocawear was a €490 million clothing business. [7]

In November 2018, Jay-Z successfully halted a $204 million lawsuit between Roc Nation and Iconix over the lack of black arbitrators in the US. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay-Z</span> American rapper and businessman (born 1969)

Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper and entrepreneur. Born and raised in New York City, he was named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe in 2023. He served as the president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007 before founding the entertainment company, Roc Nation the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeway (rapper)</span> American rapper from Pennsylvania

Leslie Edward Pridgen, better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper. Originally hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he first gained recognition after appearing on Jay-Z's fifth album, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia in 2000. The following year, he became a member of the Philadelphia-based hip hop collective State Property, which were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. After releasing their debut album, Pridgen signed to Roc-A-Fella as a solo artist and began work on his debut album, Philadelphia Freeway (2003). Upon release, the album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical response. He released a follow-up, Free at Last (2007) to moderate reception before him and fellow State Property cohorts were dropped from the label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharrell Williams</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1973)

Pharrell Lanscilo Williams, often known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes, which he formed in 1992 with Chad Hugo. They produced 15 singles which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, including four songs that peaked atop the chart. He also formed the alternative band N.E.R.D. with Hugo and drummer Shay Haley in 1999, for which Williams serves as lead vocalist. He has been considered one of the most influential music producers of the 21st century for his impact on popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cash Money Records</span> American record label

Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Baby" Williams. The label gained prominence in the late 1990s for having signed and released albums for New Orleans-based musical acts including Juvenile, B.G., and Hot Boys. It became an imprint of Universal Records, a division of Universal Music Group in March 1998, and remained so during its following iterations as Universal Republic, Universal Motown and ultimately Republic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Dash</span> American music executive (born 1971)

Damon Anthony Dash is an American entrepreneur and record executive. He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay-Z and Kareem Burke in 1994, and co-founded the fashion retailer Rocawear with the former in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umbro</span> English sports equipment company

Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their Double Diamond logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 100 countries.

Yakira, L.L.C. is an American urban fashion company founded by Marc Ecko in 1993. The company makes apparel and accessories under the brands Ecko Unltd. line for men and the Ecko Red line for girls and women. It is headquartered in New York City. The company's products gained public attention in the late 1990s; they were originally associated with hip-hop and skate culture and moved into mainstream urban culture in the early 2000s. It is most often associated with hip-hop. The style is based on graffiti art. Its brand features a rhino as its logo. Rap artist MC Serch of 3rd Bass assisted with marketing in the early years of the company.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean Pacific</span> American sportsware company

Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp. is a clothing company based in Irvine, California, United States. It produces T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, shoes and beverage mugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Escada</span> German luxury fashion house

Escada SE is a luxury women's designer clothing company headquartered in Aschheim, Germany. The company is owned by Regent, L.P., an international private equity firm led by investor Michael Reinstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billionaire Boys Club (clothing retailer)</span> American and Japanese clothing retailer established by Pharrell Williams, Rob Walker and Nigo

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 is an American brand management company that licenses brands to retailers and manufacturers, primarily in the apparel, footwear and apparel accessory industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuff by Hilary Duff</span> Lifestyle brand by Hilary Duff

Stuff by Hilary Duff was a lifestyle brand that was launched by American singer and actress Hilary Duff in February 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Héctor el Father</span> Puerto Rican rapper

Héctor Luis Delgado Román is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and record producer, formerly known by his stage names Héctor el Father and Héctor el Bambino. He rose to fame as a member of the duo Héctor & Tito. As a producer, Delgado has worked with several reggaeton producers, as well as Emilio Estefan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Bathing Ape</span> Japanese fashion brand

A Bathing Ape is a Japanese fashion brand founded by Nigo in Ura-Harajuku in 1993. The brand specializes in men's, women's and children's lifestyle and street wear, running 19 stores in Japan, including Bape Stores, Bape Pirate Stores, Bape Kids Stores, Bapexclusive Aoyama, and Bapexclusive Kyoto. The Kyoto store also includes Bape Gallery, a space used for various events and art shows sponsored by Bape. There are also stores located in Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Qingdao, Shenyang, Seoul, Jakarta, Dubai, New York City, Kuala Lumpur, London, Paris, Miami and Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starter (clothing line)</span> American clothing manufacturer

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madonna fashion brands</span>

American entertainer Madonna has produced five fashion brands, beginning with a clothing range for fashion store H&M in March 2007. She later created an enterprise, MG Icon LLC, a joint venture with her manager Guy Oseary and Iconix Brand Group which produces her lifestyle brands Material Girl and Truth or Dare by Madonna. She also collaborated with Dolce & Gabbana on a range of sunglasses which marked the first co-branded collaboration that the design duo has ever undertaken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Am Other</span> American record label

I Am Other is a multimedia creative collective and record label created by Pharrell Williams, that serves as an umbrella for all of his endeavors, including Billionaire Boys Club, ICECREAM apparel and textile company Bionic Yarn. There is also a dedicated YouTube channel launched by the artist, record producer and fashion designer in 2012. The channel was launched as part of YouTube's $100 million original channel initiative. The programming on the I Am Other channel focuses on music, culture, fashion and the arts. Williams describes the channel as a "cultural movement dedicated to Thinkers, Innovators and Outcasts." The channel launched with original series such as Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae, StereoTypes.

Jonathan Koon is a Chinese American entrepreneur, artist, and fashion designer who became a self-made millionaire at the age of 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Bevans</span> American fashion designer and creative director

Christopher Bevans is an American fashion designer and creative director. He was born in Brooklyn, New York City and went on to work in the fashion industry like his grandmother. Bevans has won awards from organizations such as Woolmark.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Iconix to Buy Rocawear, Jay-Z's Clothing Line". New York Times. Reuters. March 7, 2007. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  2. "Jay-Z: Down To 98 Problems Yet?Y". MTV. February 7, 2007. Archived from the original on March 9, 2007.
  3. "Keratoconus". April 12, 2017. Thursday, April 9, 2020
  4. "Jay-Z to testify over sale of Rocawear brand". Sky News. May 3, 2018. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  5. Adaso, Henry (April 18, 2009). "Rocawear Dives into Social Networking Pool with Roc4Life". About.com Guide. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  6. Gregory, Jason (August 4, 2011). "Jay-Z Partners With Pharrell Williams Fashion Label Billionaire Boys Club". Gigwisw.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  7. Chevalier, Michel (2012). Luxury Brand Management. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-1-118-17176-9.
  8. Smith, Amy (November 29, 2018). "Jay-Z calls a halt to $204 million Rocawear lawsuit over lack of racial diversity". NME. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2020.