A.K.O.O. is a clothing line started in late 2008 and founded by T.I. and Jason Geter, both co-founders of Atlanta-based hip hop recording label

Grand Hustle Records Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the lab ...

. A.K.O.O. is an acronym that stands for "A King Of Oneself."

Distribution

A.K.O.O Clothing is produced and distributed by the RP55 Group based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Products are sold in numerous stores across the Continental United States and Hawaii. AKOO Clothing items are also distributed nationally and internationally through many different online vendors.

Products and brand direction

A.K.O.O. Clothing is an Americana fashion brand that manufactures urban apparel for men. A.K.O.O. produces a wide array of styles for all seasons that include premium lightweight T-shirts, cardigans, sweaters, embroidered wovens, leather jackets and quality denim among a variety of other clothing. In 2010, T.I. discussed his vision about the brand with MTV. "The direction of the clothing line, in my eyes, is upscale urban apparel," he stated. T.I. also mentioned in the same MTV interview that A.K.O.O will develop denim that is made from high quality fabrics. The line also sells wovens, crew-necks, and V-neck tee shirts. A diverse range of people have worn A.K.O.O apparel including hip-hop star

Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a member of the southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside André 3000. ...

. Some prominent fans have even taken it a step further by aligning themselves and their projects with A.K.O.O. such as

Hosea Chanchez Hosea Chanchez (born September 12, 1981), also credited as Hosea, is an American actor best known for his recurring role on ''For Your Love'' and the quarterback football player Malik Wright on The CW/BET sitcom, '' The Game'' and its 2021 revi ...

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...

Curtis Granderson Curtis Granderson Jr. (born March 16, 1981), nicknamed the "Grandyman", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Ang ...

Carl Crawford Carl Demonte Crawford (born August 5, 1981), nicknamed "The Perfect Storm", is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He ba ...

Travis Porter Travis Porter is an American hip hop trio from Atlanta, Georgia. The group consists of stepbrothers Ali and Quez, and their friend Strap who they met in middle school. In November 2010 the trio signed with Jive Records. The group's biggest hits ...

Tristan Wilds Tristan Paul Mack Wilds (born July 15, 1989) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his roles as Michael Lee on the HBO original drama series, ''The Wire'', and as Dixon Wilson on the CW teen drama seri ...

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, ...

and

Mickey Factz Mark Williams (born July 13, 1982), better known by his stage name Mickey Factz, is an American Hip hop music, hip hop recording artist from the Bronx borough of New York City, New York (state), New York. Early life Mickey Factz attended Adlai E. ...

. In the summer of 2011 B.o.B was announced the new face of T.I.'s clothing line A.K.O.O. He will be featured in AKOO Clothing's upcoming fall 2011 national advertising campaign alongside

of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, and star of the BET hit sitcom, The Game,

. He will be appearing in a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

for A.K.O.O. titled ''Hide In Plain Sight – Saving the World From Fashion Conspiracy''.

Lawsuit and controversy

After the launch of the clothing line, A.K.O.O. faced a lawsuit from Akoo International, a social Music TV Network established years before the clothing line, for trademark infringement. The world's largest online social music television site had been using the trademarked name since 2004 and thought the infringement would mislead, confuse and deceive potential customers and clients. In March 2010 numerous calls were made to the CBS Outdoor office complaining that the A.K.O.O. billboard in Newark, New Jersey was too sexually suggestive. The billboard depicted a man having his jeans pulled down by a woman who was squatting in front of him. Owing to the excessive number of complaints the billboard was later removed from its prominent position in Newark.

References

External links

A.K.O.O. Official Website
{{T.I. Clothing brands of the United States Hip hop fashion T.I.