Well known for their unique designs and styles, as well as their use of high quality fabrics and strict attention to detail, Eckō Unltd is without a doubt one of the leading forces within the underground/ urban fashion industry today.
Its creator, Marc Ecko, is one of the most infamous entrepreneurs in the world, who turned his love of art and graffiti into one of the most daring statements of all time; tagging an Air Force One jet.
The name for the brand came about from a family story, when Marc’s mother fell pregnant with his twin sister Marci. Unaware that she was carrying twins, a scan revealed a second heartbeat which the doctors believed to be an echo in the fluid. That echo turned out to be Marc, who in 1996 legally changed his name from Marc Milecofsky to Marc Ecko, in reference to the event; hence Eckō Unltd.
From starting out with just six t-shirts and a can of spray paint, Mark Ecko has built one of the largest fashion empires in the world, with an expansion of 12 different lines including skater brand Zoo York and 50 Cent’s G-Unit clothing line.
After falling into over $6.5 million dollars worth of debt in 1997, and almost facing bankruptcy, Mark Ecko was able to gain outside financing and turn his brand around, forcing the entire fashion industry to take notice of his urban apparel.
As most urban clothing brands are owned by those with direct links to the Hip-Hop movement itself, such as Jay-Z’s Rocawear or Russell Simmons Phat Farm, Mark Ecko stands out as an entrepreneur who made it big without being an entertainer as well. As more and more people began wearing Eckō Unltd all around the world, few knew the face behind the name. That was, until he released an internet video of himself tagging an air force one jet with the words “Still Free”.

The stunt was labelled as “Tag of the Century” and became an internet sensation with over 114 million views worldwide; the video gained such attention that the air force began investigating the incident, only to find that it had all been an elaborate hoax. Marc had rented a Boeing 747 and painted it on one side to look like President Bush’s Air Force One jet, it looked so authentic that the air force wasn’t sure whether the plane had been targeted or not. Media outlets and new reporters began to report the incident on various television networks all around the world, resulting in global advertising for Marc Ecko Enterprises as well as three denials from the pentagon; after the stunt had been filmed the original owner of the jet decided to keep the Air Force One design.
The Eckō Unltd logo can now be seen everywhere throughout the world; from urban and suburban cities to small rural towns, Marc Ecko Enterprises has gone onto become a monumental force within urban, hip-hop, skater and underground cultures.
Eckō Unltd clothing has also been seen on a number of celebrities, including the likes of Justin Timberlake, David Beckham, Linkin Park, Boxer Miguel Cotto, Mixed Martial Arts fighter Patrick Cote and High School Musical’s Vanessa Hudgens. Eckō Unltd has also worked alongside the legendary Lyricist Lounge crew through the release of their “Underground Airplay” compilation, featuring artists such as Obie Trice, Killah Priest, Kardinal Offishall, Asheru, Mos Def and Zion I.
As well as Eckō Unltd, Zoo York and G-Unit clothing, Marc Ecko Enterprises has also released a number of sub-lines including Eckō Function, Eckō Red for Women, Marc Ecko Leather, Marc Ecko Watches, Marc Ecko Footwear, Marc Ecko Cut and Sew the new Eckō Unlimited; they also took over Avirex in 2005 and have released their own video game unit featuring titles such as “TAG - The Power of Paint” and “Marc Ecko’s Getting Up - Contents Under Pressure”.
Marc Ecko Enterprises also runs another non-profit organisation called Sweat Equity Enterprises (SEE), which allows children and young people from all walks of life to design their own styles of clothes and accessories. The organisation is a project-based youth development learning program that allows young people the freedom to express themselves creatively in a professional environment. Mark Ecko Enterprises also helps to raise money for an orphanage in Ukraine, the Tikva Children’s Home in Odessa that seeks to help impoverished children.
If you would like to check out some of the styles that Mark Ecko Enterprises has to offer, please:
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For Eckō Unltd
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For Eckō Red (Women’s)
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For Marc Ecko Cut and Sew (Including the famed Star Wars Series)
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For a whole new range of designs and styles

Akademiks are well known for their unique and stylistic approach towards fashion design; some of their pieces are truly breathtaking, with styles and designs that are somewhat different from most urban apparel brands. They offer a more sophisticated look to the masses and pride themselves on their unique designs and quality fabrics. As such they have earned a great deal or respect within hip-hop, urban and skater circles, and continue to astound the market with revolutionary new designs and high quality production every season.

Brothers Donwan and Emmett Harrell, alongside Elliot Betesh, owner of Dr Jay’s, originally founded the company in 1999. Their popularity soared in 2001 when Hip-Hop rapper Fabolous advertised the brand through the release of his debut album, Ghetto Fabolous. The brand gained further recognition when they released their sister-line, PRPS jeans, a line of luxury, super-premium quality denim that has been seen on many high profile celebrities including the likes of 50 Cent, Brad Pitt, David Beckham, Lindsay Lohan, Victoria Beckham, Tom Cruise, Katy Holmes and UK rapper Dizzie Rascal.

Each pair of PRPS jeans is individually handmade and crafted from Japanese denim artisan, resulting in each pair having its own distinctive and unique design; in fact the Akademiks company motto is “DENIM IS KING”, and the company prides itself for their “vintage washed, hand-dressed, hand-brushed, over-dyed tinted, potassium-sponged and tripled-dipped indigo treatments”.

“We started out as a vision that sought to empower our customer through “intelligent” design and are now highly credited as the source of the new creativity present in the street wear category. Since the beginning, Akademiks and its brand extensions have offered original, stand-alone product that is ahead of its time yet right on target”