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FUBU (, ) is an American hip hop apparel company. FUBU stands for "For Us, By Us" and was created when the founders were brainstorming for a catchy four-letter word following other big brands such as Nike and Coke.Keith Perrin interviewed by Ian Lewis and Natalie Milbrodt. Time Period: 1970 - 2015. Keith Perrin, First Full Interview. Digital audio recording made using TASCAM DR-07 digital recorder and Audacity. It includes
casual wear Casual wear (or casual attire or clothing) is a Western dress code that is relaxed, occasional, spontaneous and suited for everyday use. Casual wear became popular in the Western world following the counterculture of the 1960s. When emphasisi ...
, sports wear, a suit collection, eyewear, belts, fragrances, and shoes.


History

The company was founded in 1992 when
Daymond John Daymond Garfield John (born February 23, 1969) is an American businessman, investor, and television personality. He is best known as the founder, president, and chief executive officer of FUBU, and appears as an investor on the ABC reality tel ...
mortgaged his home for $100,000, and with that seed money, the company's co-founders rebuilt half of his home as a factory while the other half remained living space.(archived site) Clothing store Montego Bay, on Queens'
Jamaica Avenue Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue's western end is at Broadway and Fulton Street, as a continuation of East New York Avenue, in Brooklyn's E ...
was the first to carry the FUBU line. Legendary retailer
Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
soon followed, at one point featuring the four FUBU founders in a live, interactive window display in its flagship store on 34th Street.Keith Perrin interviewed by Ian Lewis and Natalie Milbrodt. Time Period: 1999 - 2015. Keith Perrin, Second Full Interview. Digital audio recording made using TASCAM DR-07 digital recorder and Audacity. FUBU founders attended the MAGIC men’s apparel show in Las Vegas with samples and got $300,000 worth of orders, but had no idea how to fulfill them. John’s mother suggested they advertise in the New York Times for an investor. In 1995, South Korean company
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
answered a
classified ad Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper *The Classified, a 1980s American roc ...
and invested in FUBU. At its peak in 1998, FUBU grossed over $350 million in annual worldwide sales. FUBU has received several honors for their entrepreneurial achievements. These include two Congressional Awards, two
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
Awards, the
Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...
Award, the Christopher Wallace Award, the Online Hip-Hop Award and a Citation of Honor from the Queens Borough President. In 1997,
LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...
starred in a commercial for
Gap Inc. The Gap, Inc., commonly known as Gap Inc. or Gap (stylized as GAP), is an American worldwide clothing and accessories retailer. Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris F. Fisher and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The c ...
in which he wore a FUBU hat and incorporated the phrase “For Us, By Us” into his rap lyrics. The commercial's production team was unaware of the meaning behind LL's FUBU references until the advertisement aired. The subsequent controversy proved to be a tremendous publicity boost for both companies by simultaneously establishing FUBU in the mainstream, while giving Gap
street credibility Credibility comprises the Objectivity (philosophy), objective and Subjectivism (philosophy), subjective components of the believability of a source or message. Credibility dates back to Aristotle theory of Rhetoric. Aristotle defines rhetoric ...
. In 2003, FUBU mostly withdrew from the U.S. market, concentrating its efforts in Saudi Arabia, China, Korea, Japan and South Africa, while acquiring other apparel brands. In 2009, annual revenue of the company was around $200 million. In 2010, FUBU relaunched its collection in the U.S., re-branding itself as FB Legacy. In 2018, Puma, a footwear brand, began a collaboration with FUBU to create a number of shoes. According to ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' FUBU's decline occurred due to their over saturating the market, as John has publicly stated, "The biggest mistake we made with the brand was buying more inventory than we needed. This was around 2001." Since then, FUBU has continued to collaborate with various brands including
Pyer Moss Kerby Jean-Raymond is a Haitian American fashion designer who is the founder of the menswear label Pyer Moss. Career Kerby Jean-Raymond first came into the spotlight for his presentation of Pyer Moss' Spring 2016 Menswear Collection during Ne ...
and
Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland the United Arab Emirates, Kuw ...
. In March 2019, FUBU announced a new partnership with Century 21. In September 2020, Eye Candy Creations USA and FUBU announced their collaboration to design, create, produce and sell FUBU FRAMES, a sunglasses and optical collection worldwide.


Collection

The FUBU collection consists of T-shirts,
rugby shirt A rugby shirt, also known as a rugby jersey, is worn by players of rugby union or rugby league. It usually has short sleeves, though long sleeves are common as well. Traditionally, rugby shirts have had a buttoned opening at the top, in a similar ...
s,
hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
and
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
jerseys, baseball caps, shoes, and denim jeans. All are embroidered with the FUBU logo. Most of the products, such as the jeans, are imported from around the world. FUBU has now expanded to include various lines such as Platinum FUBU, FUBU footwear for men and women, intimate apparel, active wear, swimwear, watches, FUBU suits, and FUBU tuxedos. The Platinum FUBU collection also includes the
Fat Albert ''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' is an American animated television series created, produced, and hosted (in live action bookends) by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert and himself. Film ...
line where the FUBU founders first got approval from
Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...
.


FUBU Records

From 2001 to 2003, FUBU established a record label, first releasing a compilation album entitled '' The Good Life'' in 2001 and then an album by the 54th Platoon entitled '' All or Nothin''' in 2003. Both albums made it on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' charts.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fubu 2000s fashion 2010s fashion 1990s fashion Sportswear brands Clothing brands of the United States Companies based in New York City Clothing companies established in 1992 Hip hop fashion Products introduced in 1992 Underwear brands