STORY / ID 4923
FUBU: The Hip-Hop Fashion Brand Built "For Us, By Us"
FUBU, a US hip-hop apparel company whose name stands for 'For Us, By Us,' was founded by Daymond John, Carlton E. Brown, J. Alexander Martin, and Keith C. Perrin, with sources differing on whether its founding year was 1989 or 1992, when John mortgaged his home for $100,000 to fund the company. The brand grew from Macy's shelves in the mid-1990s and Samsung's 1995 investment into a $350 million-a-year label by 1998, later scaling back, relaunching, and expanding into partnerships and a short-lived record label.
FUBU is a United States hip-hop apparel company whose name stands for “For Us, By Us.” Accounts of its founding differ: one source gives 1989 as the founding year, while another states 1992, when Daymond John mortgaged his home for $100,000 to fund the company. The company was co-founded by Daymond John, Carlton E. Brown, J. Alexander Martin, and Keith C. Perrin.
Macy’s began stocking FUBU in the mid-1990s. In 1995, the South Korean company Samsung invested in FUBU after answering a classified ad. By 1998, FUBU was grossing over $350 million annually.
In 2003, FUBU largely exited the US market, shifting its focus to Saudi Arabia, China, Korea, Japan, and South Africa. By 2009, its revenue was about $200 million. In 2010, the company relaunched in the United States under the name “FB Legacy.”
FUBU has entered into several partnerships, including with Puma in 2018, Century 21 in 2019, and Eye Candy Creations USA for eyewear in 2020. FUBU Records operated from 2001 to 2003 and released two albums that charted on Billboard.
Co-founder Daymond John was born February 23, 1969, in Brooklyn, NYC, and was raised in Hollis, Queens. He is a cast member of ABC’s Shark Tank and the founder of The Shark Group.