Rocawear

The Rocawear label was launched in 1999 by hip hop artist and Roc-A-Fella records executive, Shawn Carter, and Roc-A-Fella records C.E.O., Damon Dash. Carter and Dash, long time friends, started the Rocawear line as a way to give urban hip hop culture it's own style of dress.

To the surprise of fashion critics and consumers outside the hip hop genre, Rocawear quickly entered into the mainstream, day to day, lifestyles of people of all ages and backgrounds.

Carter, known as "Jay Z" to hip hop fans around the world, was born in Brooklyn, New York in December, 1969. Dash, the man behind the scenes at Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear Fashions, was born in Harlem in 1975.

With the rise of Jay Z as one of the most influential rap, hip hop, artists in the world, his success in the recording business helped the Rocawear brand create a global urban fashion frenzy and the Rocawear brand name was soon seen on clothing products in many of the worlds most well known stores.

Dash is well known for his marketing skills and his endless promotion of the business entities that he gets involved in. His work on the Rocawear label help propel it into a multi million dollar company.

The Rocawear brand boasts quality fabrics and workmanship in its product lines that include handbags, headwear, denim jeans, shirts, tops, hats, belts, boxer shorts, and other accessories.

By 1999, Rocawear had launched a women's line of clothing, a childrens line of apparel, and set up international sites that offered exclusive products that were retailed to certain markets.

The brand expanded its appeal beyond the national borders becoming a brand of international significance. As a result, Rocawear opened stores in Canada, Korea, Russia, England, Japan, and the Middle East.

In 2005, Rocawear co-founder Damon Dash sold his stake in the fashion brand for $22.5 million in cash and the rest in stock in companies like State Property, Team Roc, Pro-Keds and other entities.

In 2007, Jay-Z sold the Rocawear clothing company brand for $205 million to the Iconix Brand Group but retained his stake in the operating company that manufactures all of the Rocawear men's apparel line.

Today, Rocawear serves a wide range of customers. Being a dominant lifestyle apparel brand, Rocawear has expanded it's brand through licensing pacts developing lines for children (Kids Headquarters), junior's (Signature), socks (Gina Group), handbags and belts (M. London), big & tall (Endurance), headwear (Nas Industries), jewelry (Lucas Design), ladies intimates and men's loungewear and underwear (Age Group), ladies shoes (Topline), watches (The Vestal Group) and sunglasses (Colors in Optics); as well as co-branded athletic footwear with PRO-Ked.

Rocawear defines the lifestyle for today's young hip consumer and the brand is continuing to expand.

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