Culture Creators, a platform dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and shaping cultural narratives, has debuted the Creators Collection — with help from Karl Kani.
The longtime streetwear icon is now the first designer to collaborate on a limited-edition capsule collection. Others will follow. Kani is also going to be mentoring emerging designers through a program that is launching through the Culture Creators Foundation. Geared at emerging designers enrolled at HBCUs, the program is accepting applications until April 1. Students between the ages of 16 and 24 are eligible.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Kani was a pioneering force in the hip-hop-inspired category. He started out in 1989 working from his mother’s Brownsville apartment and selling to Simon’s, a specialty store that was popular with celebrities. After heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson bought some of Kani’s clothes, the designer’s career gained momentum. Kani went on to help define a category along with competitors including Russell Simmons’ Phat Farm, the Daymond John-supported FUBU and Sean Combs’ Sean John.
Kani, who has been based in Los Angeles for years, connected with Culture Creators’ founder and chief executive officer Joi Brown when he was honored at the organization’s 2023 brunch. Kani said, “I loved what she was doing. Our brands represent the street and the culture. I thought that by doing a collaboration, we could put together something really cool with my quality and her input.”
A hoodie from the new line.
Photo Courtesy
Available online as of today, Kani’s capsule with Culture Creators includes sheepskin leather jackets, oversize hoodies, wool-cotton blend beanies and other items. It will also be sold at select pop-up events.
With 10 freestanding stores in Japan and distribution in 25 countries, Kani said Germany, Italy and Sweden are some of the biggest markets for his own label. Through a partnership with Snipes, a streetwear-oriented retail chain with hundreds of stores in Europe and in the U.S., the Karl Kani European collection is offered in some locations. Domestically, the Karl Kani brand, which includes men’s, women’s and children’s apparel and footwear, is sold directly to consumer on the designer’s site. Global sales are $200 million, Kani said.
“The success of Karl Kani brand goes as far as hip-hop goes — meaning we first started selling in Italy, Germany and Sweden because of hip-hop,” he said. “The kids listen to the music and now they want the fashion to go along with it. That’s what has given [the Karl Kani brand] a strong foothold in the international market.”
But that doesn’t mean his original fans have moved on. “What’s really funny is, when you go to Europe, guys in their 40s and 50s all have the same story. They will say how when they started wearing baggy jeans as teenagers, their parents would say, ‘Oh, don’t wear those jeans. They don’t fit you’,” Kani said with a laugh, “They were kind of rebellious. That fits along the lines of hip-hop — that’s for sure.”
Kani continues to do some manufacturing in L.A., as he has since starting his company. “You can’t beat the L.A. quality. The pricing is a little bit higher, but the turnaround time is quick,” he said.
This fall Kani plans to bring his European collection to the U.S. via in-store Snipes activations, with the kickoff slated for the chain’s just-opened Flatbush outpost in Brooklyn. Having been on the streetwear scene since 1989, Kani said he is most surprised by how important streetwear is worldwide with top fashion designers. “The same things that were popular in the ‘90s are popular today,” he said.
Between 1996 and 2002, he had endorsement deals with 15 National Basketball Association players like Derek Fisher, John Wallace and Karl Malone to wear his sneakers and Kani is interested in rekindling that part of his business. His entry into the footwear arena was serendipitous. In the pre-internet days, the young entrepreneur strategically held up a sign imprinted with his name and the company’s toll-free phone number during a live broadcast of NBC’s “Today” show on Rockefeller Plaza. After seeing that, Skechers’ chairman and CEO Robert Greenberg, who had been negotiating a deal with Kani, reached out to solidify the partnership. Kani recalled, “That was really entertaining at the time.”
Kani sporadically worked with entertainers, too. Combs did an ad campaign for his brand in 1991, and Kanye West did a song for one of Kani’s artists nearly 20 years ago. “Before Kanye got into the fashion business, he reached out to me for some insight. In return, he did a song for one of the artists on the Kani Life record label we owned,” he said.
More secluded in “his zone in California,” Kani said he seldom saw West or Combs in the years that followed. In general, he prefers to keep to himself. But he still returns to New York City once a quarter. “That connection with Brooklyn has always been there. I need to come back to feel that energy. There’s nothing like being around where the brand and streetwear started. It’s unlike any other place in the world. I am somewhat secluded here in California. When I’m in New York, I’m on the streets for sure, feeling the culture.”
Looking ahead, the founder hopes to have a presence during Paris Fashion Week this fall. As for whether he has any regrets, Kani said, “No regrets for me — I’m good.”
