As I mentioned in Part 1 of my piece on FUBU, the brand was major a major player in the nineties and early 2000s streetwear landscape. However, they stopped U.S. sales in 2003. Emphasis there: U.S. sales. The brand continued to be sold in other markets, particularly Japan. However, stateside, the brand has experienced a resurgence, with growing interest from Gen Z. The youngest adults among us are fueled by a nostalgia for all things nineties, retro brands, and streetwear. Some of their new affinity for FUBU in particular is due to the brands connection to the Black Lives Matter movement and the relevance of its messaging in support of the Black community.
The full brand name, For Us By Us, was a means of taking Black ownership of the production hip-hop style made so popular by Black people. This was a pushback against the brands which sought to profit from their dollars, yet refused to be associated with the community. Some of the hats were printed with cultural references such as “What happened to poor Rodney King?” Making such references, like alluding to police beating of King in 1991, their apparel was more than fashion; it was a call for justice for Black lives.
The founders noted that people were reaching out on social media to find more of the brand, after exhausting the EBay resell options. Taking this in, the brand ran a test release in 2015 release with Crepeman in Tokyo and Urban outfitters before relaunching. After that test, made licensing deals for accessories and underwear, and womenswear.
They launched a collection of looks with sportswear brand, Puma, in 2018. This included velour tracksuits, as well as a refresh of the iconic sneaker, the suede.
The following month, they worked together the refresh the Tsugi Jun silhouette.
In 2019, they collaborated with LA-based brand, Sorella. The partnership with the womenswear brand, founded by Heather Sanders and Brittney Turner, allowed FUBU relaunch pieces focused on women. What you would have found in-store at the Sorella shops and online was pure nineties aesthetic, a range of tops, jackets, and track pants reminiscent of the era.
In the Spring of 2022, they were set to distribute a line of accessories with Concept One. The collection of headwear, bags, backpacks, and winter wear was to be available through department, specialty, and sporting goods stores, in addition to online sales via Amazon and its own site.
FUBU was included in the September 2021 showing of the Pyer Moss line. Kerby Jean-Raymond reached out because in his eyes, the streetwear designers before were not given credit for the impact they had on the fashion industry as a whole. In truth, the existence of the urban streetwear category in major department stores may be owed to FUBU.
When they were invited by Macy’s, they were the only brand in that category. The department store asked them to make recommendations for other brands to include. This allowed them to recommend other Black-owned streetwear brands, including Pele Pele and Karl Kani). Then stemming from the success they had, you also saw musicians beginning their own streetwear brands. Were it not for FUBU, would we have had Rocawear, Sean John, and Phat Farm, or perhaps even Yeezy?
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Sources
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Espinoza, J. (2019, July 23). Fubu Continues Its Comeback with focus on women by partnering with Sorella for capsule collection. Complex. https://www.complex.com/style/2019/07/fubu-sorella-collaboration
Feitelberg, R. 3/1/2019, FUBU returns to streetwear scene with relaunch at Century 21. WWD: Women’s Wear Daily. p26-26. 1p.
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Henry, Z. (September 1, 2017). Taking care of business. And yourself. Inc. pp 98-102
Hilburn, J. (January 17, 2022). Daymond John Is on a mission. Forbes.com. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jairhilburn/2022/01/17/daymond-john-is-on-amission/?sh=71a44c63535c
Kenon, M. (December 23, 2000). Fashion firm FUBU starts label backed by Universal. Billboard, 112(52), p4.
Kenon, M. (July 28, 2001. FUBU promotes ‘The Goodlife.” Billboard, 113(30), p. 28.
Leung, A. (Jan 19, 2018) PUMA x FUBU bring the ‘90s back with Spring/Summer 2018 lookbook. Hypebeast https://hypebeast.com/2018/1/puma-fubu-summer-2018-lookbook
Moin, D. (October 8, 2021). Furthering its revival, FUBU inks deal with Concept One. WWD: Women’s Wear Daily. p12-12. 3/4p.
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