- Cross Colours
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Cross Colours Type Private Industry Fashion Founded Los Angeles, United States (1989) Founder(s) Carl Jones Products Apparel and Accessories Website www.crosscolours.com Cross Colours is a clothing brand launched in 1989 by Carl Jones. Launched on the premise of producing “clothes without prejudices” Cross Colours helped establish a fashion market based around black youth. The clothing was used to broadcast political and social messages.
Contents
History
Cross Colours was the brainchild of Carl Jones, an entrepreneur who studied fashion at Otis Parson's School of Design and Trade Technical College in Los Angeles, then worked in various fashion enterprises before starting his own T-shirt company.
He eventually started a company called Surf Fetish, which rode the wave of beachwear trends. He also hired Thomas Walker, a graphic designer who would eventually become vice president of Cross Colours. For Jones, Cross Colours was a way to broadcast political and social messages-such as denouncing gangs or calling for racial unity-to the African American community, and eventually other communities as the clothes' popularity spread.
The label, whose baseball caps, baggy jeans, and message-bearing T-shirts were to prove enormously influential, also introduced such future designers as Karl Kani.[1]
In 2007 Cross Colours made a fresh start as a multi style street fashion label. Cross Colours doesn’t specifically target the African-American youth but targets a broader multicultural group with different social and cultural backgrounds. The original mission, to make clothes without prejudice, was incorporated into a broader mission. Cross Colours remains an oldskool street fashion label that has a social conscious background with a focus on culture, music and the environment.[2]
Cross Colours philosophy
Cross Colours wasn't merely selling clothing—it was pushing a message, "Clothing Without Prejudice." That slogan appeared on every garment. Since they were primarily targeting African-American youth they wanted to inspire them with positive messages like “Stop D Violence” and “Educate 2 Elevate”. Cross Colours clothing isn’t just a fashion statement, they represented a political and social message.[3]
Brand vision
Cross Colours’ vision is to become a street fashion label that enables individuals to create their own style.
It is a street fashion label that has a social conscious background with a focus on culture, music and the environment. Cross Colours is an old skool street fashion label that reflects a multi cultural society and is known for its creative (old skool) designs and its socially conscious statements that are broadcasted in a fresh and optimistic way.[2] Cross Colours thrives to bring the old skool back in modern days and demonstrate a positive and fresh outlook on life.
Cross Colours characters
The Cross Colours collection is divided in four themes and are represented by four characters.
Each character has its own identity:
Curt is fun, creative and optimistic and represents the theme; We are colourful
Cen is the outspoken flashy musician that represent the theme; We are the stars
Cash is old skool and represent the beginning of the brand; We write history
Chris is relaxed, clean and conscious and represent the theme; We are in harmony
Together they represent the Cross Colours collection, even though they all have their own identity, they can live in harmony together and are the best of friends.[2]
Cross Colours is a brand with a true story, that thrives to inspire others to be fresh and optimistic.
Cross Colours collection for girls
Now Cross Colours has increased their designs and appeal to women and teenagers. The Cross Colours collection for girls remains loyal to the Cross Colours philosophy and values of producing high-quality and stylish designs.
The Girls collection is divided in four themes as well with four girl characters representing the collection. The girls each form a duo with the boys :
Candy and Curt represent We are colourful
Choco and Cen represent We are the stars
Cleo and Cash represent We write history
Cheri and Chris represent We are in harmony
The Cross Colours collection for girls will be launched in Spring/Summer 2009.
Product
Cross Colours is one of the first companies to make urban gear fashionable. It set out to harness the hip-hop craze with a line of street-inspired fashions for young men. Targeting blacks, they lured the masses without a shrug. Playing off the vibrant themes of hip-hop music, its products have been snapped up by more than 3,000 retail outlets.[4]
The hype started with affordable brightly colored T-shirts, jackets and caps, each accompanied by messages like "Stop D Violence" and "Educate 2 Elevate." Hip teenagers latched onto the stuff, which soon showed up on the backs of rappers and sitcom stars. In no time, the MTV generation had cozied up to the urban, ethnic look, which Cross Colours swiftly parlayed into women's fashions and tabletop items. Today, it seems, Cross Colours is stitching itself firmly into the fabric of pop—not just hip-hop—culture.[3]
Today Cross Colours is a fresh Street-Fashion brand that enables individuals to create their own style. Cross Colours is known and loved for its creative, colorful designs and its socially conscious statements that they broadcast in a fresh and optimistic way. Cross Colours brings the old skool back in modern days and demonstrates a positive and fresh outlook on life.[2]
Distribution
Cross Colours is sold in selected stores in Europe.
References
- ^ Chrysler Design Institute: Cross Colours
- ^ a b c d Cross Colours
- ^ a b How hip-hop fashion won over mainstream America, Black Enterprise, June, 1993
- ^ Where are they now? - African American executives and businesses, August, 2000, Black Enterprise
External links
Categories:- Clothing brands
- 1980s fashion
- 1990s fashion
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