Yakira, L.L.C. (

trade name A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name ...

: Ecko Unltd.) is an American urban fashion company founded by

Marc Ecko Marc Louis Ecko (né Milecofsky; August 29, 1972) 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. Earl ...

in 1993. The company makes apparel and accessories under brands including the men's Ecko Unltd. line and the Ecko Red line for girls and women. It is headquartered in New York City. The company's products got public's attention since the late 1990s; they were originally associated with hip hop and skating culture and moved into the mainstream urban culture in the early 2000s. It is most often associated with hip hop. The style is based on

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

art. Its brand features a

rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

as its logo. Rap artist MC Serch of

3rd Bass 3rd Bass was an American hip hop group that was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Formed by MC Serch, Pete Nice, and DJ Richie Rich, the group was notable for being one of the first successful interracial hip hop acts. Along with Beast ...

assisted with marketing in the early years of the company.

History

Marc Ecko began selling graffiti-style T-shirts in the mid-1980s and then founded his clothing brand, Ecko Unlimited, in 1993, with investments from his twin sister, Marci, and friend Seth Gerszberg. The brand was brought into attention with the help of its early clients like

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

and Chuck D, as well as a segment in

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...

that featured its T-shirt designs. The company later acquired

Avirex Avirex is an American company that designs, manufactures and markets clothing lines. It was founded by Jeff Clyman in 1975 as a brand for military apparel. Contrary to popular belief, Avirex was not a U.S. military supplier during World War II ...

and

Zoo York Zoo York may refer to: * Zoo York (Central Park), style and social philosophy inspired by 1970s New York City graffiti art subculture *Zoo York (company) Zoo York is an American company focused on the skateboarding market. The company currently c ...

. In 2009, Ecko Unlimited had over $1 billion in global revenue and was the largest brand in streetwear. On October 27, 2009, Iconix Brand Group paid $109 million for a 51% stake in Ecko Unlimited. It acquired full ownership in May 2013.

Sponsorships

Skateboarding

• Manny Santiago

Former

Freestyle Motocross

• Mike Metzger • Jeremy Stenberg

Iconix Advertisement

References

External links

* 2000s fashion Clothing brands of the United States Companies based in Middlesex County, New Jersey Clothing companies established in 1993 Hip hop fashion South River, New Jersey Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2014 {{US-manufacturing-company-stub