A.K.O.O. is a clothing line started in late 2008 and founded by T.I. and Jason Geter, both co-founders of Atlanta-based hip hop recording label Grand Hustle Records.[1][2][3][4] A.K.O.O. is an acronym that stands for "A King Of Oneself."[5]
| Industry | Apparel |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Key people | T.I. (Co-Founder) Jason Geter (Co-Founder) |
| Products | Clothing, fashion bags, and accessories |
| Website | http://www.akoo.com/ |
Distribution
editA.K.O.O Clothing is produced and distributed by the RP55 Group based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Products are sold in numerous stores across the Continental United States and Hawaii. AKOO Clothing items are also distributed nationally and internationally through many different online vendors.
Products and brand direction
editA.K.O.O. Clothing is an Americana fashion brand that manufactures urban apparel for men. A.K.O.O. produces a wide array of styles for all seasons that include premium lightweight T-shirts, cardigans, sweaters, embroidered wovens, leather jackets and quality denim among a variety of other clothing. In 2010, T.I. discussed his vision about the brand with MTV. "The direction of the clothing line, in my eyes, is upscale urban apparel," he stated.[6] T.I. also mentioned in the same MTV interview that A.K.O.O will develop denim that is made from high quality fabrics. The line also sells wovens, crew-necks, and V-neck tee shirts.[7] A diverse range of people have worn A.K.O.O apparel including hip-hop star Big Boi.[8] Some prominent fans have even taken it a step further by aligning themselves and their projects with A.K.O.O. such as Hosea Chanchez[9] B.o.B, Curtis Granderson,[10] Carl Crawford, Travis Porter, Tristan Wilds, Meek Mill and Mickey Factz.
In the summer of 2011 B.o.B was announced the new face of T.I.'s clothing line A.K.O.O. He will be featured in AKOO Clothing's upcoming fall 2011 national advertising campaign alongside Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees, Carl Crawford of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and star of the BET hit sitcom, The Game, Hosea Chanchez. He will be appearing in a graphic novel for A.K.O.O. titled Hide In Plain Sight – Saving the World From Fashion Conspiracy.[11][12][13]
Lawsuit and controversy
editAfter the launch of the clothing line, A.K.O.O. faced a lawsuit from Akoo International, a social Music TV Network established years before the clothing line, for trademark infringement.[14][15] The world's largest online social music television site had been using the trademarked name since 2004 and thought the infringement would mislead, confuse and deceive potential customers and clients.
In March 2010 numerous calls were made to the CBS Outdoor office complaining that the A.K.O.O. billboard in Newark, New Jersey was too sexually suggestive. The billboard depicted a man having his jeans pulled down by a woman who was squatting in front of him. Owing to the excessive number of complaints the billboard was later removed from its prominent position in Newark.[16]
References
edit- ^ "The recently released rapper promotes his fashion line..." MTV. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ Wreksono, Asmara (5 May 2010). "T.I.'s New Vid: I'm Back". SoJones. Archived from the original on 8 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ Rainey, Rodrick (22 November 2008). "A King Of Oneself, Rapper TI Launches AKOO Clothing Line". SoJones. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ von Pfetten, Verena. "WARNING: Wearing T.I.'s Clothing Line Will Lead To Threesomes". STYLEITE. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ "A King Of Oneself".
- ^ "T.I. Markets to "Cool Kids of America"". StraightFromTheA.com. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
- ^ "T.I. Says His Clothing Line Has 'Upscale Urban Appeal.'". MTV.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- ^ "Big Boi's AKOO Campaign". Archived from the original on 2009-07-17.
- ^ Rashod. "The Face of the Brand: Hosea Chanchez". SUAVV. Archived from the original on 2011-08-08. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ Renee, S. "Curtis Granderson Knocks It Out of the Park as AKOO Clothing Ambassador". AllSportsEverything.com. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ "B.o.B. Is AKOO Clothing Brand's Newest Ambassador!". Archived from the original on 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2011-09-10.
- ^ "B.o.B. Is New Face Of Akoo". Archived from the original on 2012-08-07.
- ^ "Music Superstar B.o.B. Joins The AKOO Clothing Brand Ambassador Program". Cision PRWeb. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
- ^ Moore, Shannon (2010-03-22). "Rapper T.I. Sued Over His Akoo Clothing Line". AHN Entertainment Reporter. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ Strong, Nolan (2010-03-17). "T.I. Accused Of Illegally Using AKOO Name For Clothing Line". All Hip Hop. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ Porter, David (2 March 2010). "AKOO Jeans Billboard Deemed Sexually Suggestive, Pulled In Newark". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2011-07-21.