Fashion Definitions — fashion history, brands and industry terms from Apparel Search
FUBU is a major line of sportswear and the company of the same name. The name is an acronym of 'For Us, By Us', and the company was founded in 1992 by entrepreneur Daymond John with a line of hats made in his house in Queens, New York.
The company was founded in 1992 by entrepreneur Daymond John with a line of hats made in his house in Queens, New York. With seed money of around $5000, John and a group of five neighborhood friends turned half of his house into a factory and the other half into living space for the five, which included J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carl Brown. The "05" commonly found on FUBU jerseys is a reference to these five founders of the clothing line.
FUBU staff started the company for their community, which employs a high percentage of African-Americans. The founders intended to compete with predominantly White-owned sportswear companies such as Nike, which use inner-city Black youth in New York and elsewhere to research what is cool, then make products from the feedback. FUBU felt that Nike was profiting from the authenticity of New York street fashion without giving enough back to the community, and that to this extent Black culture was being exploited. In targeting African-Americans and defining their competitors this way, FUBU stirred controversy as to whether the company intended to shut out non-Blacks (although many people of other backgrounds have evidently had no problem wearing their clothing). FUBU insists they are not intentionally exclusive, and their marketing targets all races.
The FUBU collection consists of T-shirts, rugby shirts, football jerseys, hockey jerseys, baseball caps, and denim jeans. All are embroided 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 and Harlem Globetrotters clothing lines.
FUBU have received several honors for their entrepreneurial achievements. These include two Congressional Awards, two NAACP Awards, the Pratt Institute Award, the Christopher Wallace Award, the Online Hip-Hop Award and a Citation of Honor from the Queens Borough President. They also won a prestigious award from Essence, a popular African-American magazine.
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Designer Definition (from U.S Department of Labor)
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A Company Started in Half a HouseFUBU's founding circumstances are unusually concrete. Daymond John started the company in 1992 with a line of hats made in his house in Queens, New York, using seed money of around 5000 dollars, and he and a group of five neighbourhood friends turned half of the house into a factory and the other half into living space for the five. That arrangement — living where the garments were made, with the founders themselves as the workforce — kept costs low and put production directly in the founders' hands, and it is commemorated on the product itself: the '05' commonly found on FUBU jerseys refers to those five founders. A hat line is a logical starting product for such a workshop, since caps require modest materials, repeatable construction and carry a logo prominently, letting a new label be seen widely from a small production base. Sportswear With an Embroidered IdentityThe FUBU collection that grew from those hats consists of T-shirts, rugby shirts, football jerseys, hockey jerseys, baseball caps and denim jeans, all embroidered with the FUBU logo, with most products, such as the jeans, imported from around the world. The mix is telling: team-sport jerseys and rugby shirts provide large, visible surfaces for a name and number treatment, caps return to the founding product, and jeans anchor the collection in everyday wear. Embroidery, rather than print, is the consistent branding method — a stitched logo has a raised, durable finish suited to sportswear fabrics and repeated washing. Expansion kept the same identity while widening the wardrobe: Platinum FUBU, FUBU footwear for men and women, intimate apparel and active wear, swimwear, watches, FUBU suits and FUBU tuxedos, with the Platinum collection also including the Fat Albert and Harlem Globetrotters clothing lines. Recognition for the Founders' AchievementFUBU staff started the company for their community, and the honours the company received reflect both business and community recognition. They include two Congressional Awards, two NAACP Awards, the Pratt Institute Award, the Christopher Wallace Award, the Online Hip-Hop Award and a Citation of Honor from the Queens Borough President, along with a prestigious award from Essence, a popular African-American magazine. Taken together, the awards trace the company's path from a Queens house factory to a major sportswear line whose founders were recognised by civic, cultural and industry bodies alike — recognition that began with the community the 'For Us, By Us' name describes. The name itself remains the clearest summary of the company's position: a sportswear line made by the community it was made for, stated in four words on every embroidered logo. FUBU insists it is not intentionally exclusive and that its marketing targets all races, and many wearers of other backgrounds have worn the clothing — the collection's jerseys, caps, jeans and expanded lines being bought well beyond the founders' original audience. Common QuestionsWhat does FUBU stand for and who founded it?FUBU is an acronym of 'For Us, By Us'. The company was founded in 1992 by entrepreneur Daymond John, starting with a line of hats made in his house in Queens, New York, with seed money of around 5000 dollars. What does the 05 on FUBU jerseys mean?The '05' commonly found on FUBU jerseys is a reference to the five founders of the clothing line. John and a group of five neighbourhood friends turned half of his house into a factory, a group that included J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carl Brown. What products are in the FUBU collection?The FUBU collection consists of T-shirts, rugby shirts, football jerseys, hockey jerseys, baseball caps, and denim jeans, all embroidered with the FUBU logo. The brand later expanded into lines including Platinum FUBU, footwear, intimate apparel, active wear, swimwear, watches, suits and tuxedos. More to Explore
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