brand revival
Posted by Sara Zucker on November 6, 2009 05:32 PM
FUBU, one of the original hip-hop/streetwear giants, plans to return to the U.S. after a five-year hiatus, according to founder Daymond John. The line is currently undergoing a makeover and hopes to be more "Carhartt-meets-Abercrombie & Fitch style."
But John isn't losing sleep over the brand's missing identity, because "kids have a three-year memory span, so most don't have a sense of the brand's roots." Is that supposed to be a comforting statement for them?
FUBU has had an international presence, thanks to 150 stand-alone stores, though that number is much lower than during its heyday. In 1998 the company's total sales surpassed $350 million, and the brand was stocked in more than 5,000 stores.
Looking back, John considers one of his biggest failures to be his fashion pet project, the Heatherette line by Richie Rich and Traver Raines. "It didn’t translate from the runway to retail wearability," the mogul acknowledged. Though the brand was a favorite among fashionistas for its campy aesthetic, it had to be dissolved.
FUBU is expected to be back in the States by fall 2010, when John expects the economy will be begging for some more oversized tracksuits and velvet two-pieces. Just what we needed, since the brand is for us, you know? It's all so personal.
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