FUBU
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FUBU Logo |
FUBU is a major line of sportswear and the company of the same name. The name is widely considered an
acronym of "for us by us" (referring to
Black Americans), although in its initial year of conception was regarded as meaning "five urban brothers united" as evidenced by their clothing tags.
The company was founded in
1992 by entrepreneur
Daymond John with a line of hats made in his house in
Queens,
New York. With seed money of around $5000, John and a group of five neighborhood friends turned half of his house into a factory and the other half into living space for the five, which included J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carl Brown (the "05" commonly found on FUBU jerseys is a reference to these five founders of the clothing line).
FUBU staff started the company for their local
African American community and the company employs a high percentage of
African Americans. The founders intended to compete with predominantly White-owned sportswear companies such as
Nike, which use inner-city Black youth in New York and elsewhere to research what is cool, then make products from the feedback. FUBU felt that Nike was profiting from the authenticity of New York street fashion without giving enough back to the community, and that to this extent Black culture was being exploited. In targeting African-Americans and defining their competitors this way, FUBU stirred controversy as to whether the company intended to shut out non-Blacks (although many people of other backgrounds have evidently had no problem wearing their clothing). FUBU insists they are not intentionally exclusive, and their marketing targets all races.
The FUBU collection consists of
T-shirts,
rugby shirts,
football jerseys,
hockey jerseys,
baseball caps, and
denim jeans. All are embroided with the FUBU logo. Most of the products, such as the jeans, are imported from around the world. FUBU has now expanded to include various lines such as Platinum FUBU, FUBU footwear for men and women, Intimate Apparel & Active wear, Swimwear, Watches, FUBU suits, and FUBU
tuxedos. The Platinum FUBU collection also includes the
Fat Albert and
Harlem Globetrotters clothing lines.
FUBU have received several honors for their entrepreneurial achievements. These include two Congressional Awards, two
NAACP Awards, the
Pratt Institute Award, the Christopher Wallace Award, the Online
Hip-Hop Award and a Citation of Honor from the Queens Borough President. They also won a prestigious award from
Essence, a popular African-American magazine.
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Official Site*
FUBU on Snopes.com
