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| The Surprising Rise of Champion |
You may be surprised to learn that some of the most iconic brands surrounding hip-hop and sneaker culture never actually sought out to reach the customers they have today. Let's take Polo by Ralph Lauren, for example. Ralph Lauren originally chose the sport of polo to represent his brand because he believed the sport itself was representative of the aspired class and style of his clothing. But nowadays, Polo is closely associated with hip-hop culture.
What about Timberland? Timberland is a brand that focuses on outdoor wear for people who like hunting and fishing, and yet almost every single rapper that you've heard of can be seen rocking Tim's. DJ Khaled even has his own signature boot.
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| Hip-Hop Fashion Icon |
But what about Carhartt workwear? Since first appearing in rap videos in the early '90s, Carhartt has become a staple brand in pop culture. How did this happen?
Anytime I post a picture of my clothes and stuff, I like posting pictures of my clothes and showing you my gear and stuff. The little young dudes be on Instagram telling me that I'm trying to dress like them. Let me tell you a little more: These are our clothes. We started wearing this, so we were wearing this shit before y'all were even born. Now, all of a sudden, if I wear some clothes, y'all turn around and say, "Are you too old to be dressing like that?" Ain't that a bitch? We were wearing this shit before y'all were even born. I ain't 'bout to be walking around here with a fucking Steve Harvey suit. Those are for old people. How 'bout we rock this shit 'til the wheels fall off? They gonna be 70 and still feel fresh. I guess you gotta be a certain age to stop wearing Jordans. We were wearing Jordans first, youngins. Tired of y'all talking. My folks were dressing all y'all.
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| Chance The Rapper wearing Champion |
If you've been paying attention to hip-hop culture over the past couple of years, you might have noticed the omnipresent Champion trademark logo. How did Champion suddenly become the hottest brand next to Supreme? How did a brand that was sold for cheap at Walmart less than a decade ago become so relevant in the world of sneakers and hip-hop?
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| Champion x Beastie Boys |
Like most companies, it didn't start out that way. In fact, Champion was founded nearly a hundred years ago in 1919 by the New York brothers William and Abraham Feinbloom. The Feinbloom brothers originally named the company the Knickerbocker Knitting Company (I can barely say that; pretty lame name, right?). At first, the company's main focus was manufacturing knitted goods. But in the early 1920s, there was a sudden demand for athletic wear, and the Feinbloom brothers took note of this.
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| WTAPS x Champion |
In 1923, the Feinbloom brothers changed the company name to Champion Knitwear, and in the years that followed, Champion wisely started to sell directly to college sports teams. The business of selling directly to universities began with a successful partnership with college football team the Michigan Wolverines. Soon, all of Michigan State University's sports teams were being outfitted by Champion. Eventually, Champion's products were slowly adopted by the non-athletes on college campuses as well. Champion was carried by many college bookstores, and its warm, no-fuss clothes were a hit. This led to a surge of word-of-mouth from Michigan coaches speaking with coaches at other colleges across the country. This eventually propelled Champion to the forefront of athletic wear.
This was a hundred years ago. Why does Champion still remain on top after all these years?
