Karl Kani (Brooklyn, New York City, 1968) (real name Carl Williams) is the fashion designer, founder and CEO of the Hip Hop fashion brand Karl Kani. Karl Kani was launched in 1989 as a fashion forward and Hip Hop influenced clothing line. Inspired by his passion for Hip Hop music and fashion, Karl designed clothes that appealed to a large public, including friends and celebrities from his hometown Brooklyn, New York.
At age 16 Carl Williams started designing clothes after learning the essential handcraft at his father’s company. Karl never studied tailoring or design, but he had flair for coming up with unusual, stylish concepts. He would buy material and tell a tailor exactly how he wanted his garments to look like. "For a relatively small sum, as he put it, "I had a fresh outfit that nobody had."
Karl’s customized outfits were so “fresh” that soon they were in demand. After seeing him on the scene in local clubs, men started asking for a Carl Williams’ outfit of their own. Soon Karl was taking his first orders in his car. The death of one of his close friends inspired some deep contemplation. “It made me think about life differently”, he added “ I thought I should really do something positive."
In 1989 Karl headed to Los Angeles where he and a good friend opened a clothing shop on Crenshaw Boulevard. They made no profit at this location and after the shop was robbed, they moved to Hollywood where Karl started selling catalogs for $2 that he and his partner had put together. They only made profit off the catalog sales and didn’t actually sell any clothes. He decided to take out and advertisement in Right On!Magazine but even that didn’t help jumpstart sales.
After watching ‘The Today Show’ Karl had an idea. He paid a friend in New York to make a sign with his label’s name on it and hold it up during the taping of the show. The idea worked. People started calling and orders began to come in.
Upon his arrival in California he knew that he had to put a foot in an established fashion corporation before trying to establish his own sole proprietorship. When Karl met Carl Jones in 1990, co-founder of Threads 4 Life Corp, during a Cross Colours fashion show, Karl saw his chance. The partnership with Carl Jones lasted 2 years.
Karl's stylistic innovations were successful. In addition to working with a mainstream color selection he modified the baggy pants that became the basis of street fashion. According to Karl black people never liked tight fitting jeans. They would always buy a bigger size but then the waist would be too big, therefore Karl decided to increase the pant size.
In 1994 Karl used $ 500,000 in profits to launch his company Karl Kani Infinity. In addition to his old partners, Kani now faced a marketing onslaught from hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons’ Phat Pharm and a number of mainstream clothiers who now smelled profits in an area they had previously been ignored. Kani also had reason to worry that his involvement in Cross Colours might taint his operation in the minds of retailers. "I expected some resistance," Kani himself averred. "A major turning point for me was when retailers accepted us back into the market."
According to Karl Kani the hardest part of this business is predicting what the consumer will want next. Karl Kani knew the importance of staying in touch with his core public and staying open for new ideas.
The idea for the Big & Tall line came to Kani after numerous conversations with NBA stars, who complained that they could not fit into much of his merchandise. Big and tall people are just as fashion-conscious so Karl launched his line in mid-1995 in Big & Tall stores around the country.
Staying ahead of fashion counterfeiters who aped his signature and sold cheaper versions of his clothes, Karl began fastening a metal-and- leather plate to his product. After some initial resistance from the people who made the plates, Karl Kani decided to go ahead with it and it turned out to be his best-selling jeans ever.
Karl Kani used the metal plate to spread his positive message to others.
"Inspired by the vitality of the streets of Brooklyn New York. Karl Kani, the young African-American designer of Karl Kani Jeans, encourages you to follow your dreams and accomplish your goals. Wear the clothing that represents the knowledge of African-American creativity and determination. Recognize the signature that sybolizes African-American unity and pride ... peace, Karl Kani."
Carl Williams represents the “American Dream”. Son of a Costa Rican mom and Panamanian dad, Karl comes from a modest family from Brooklyn, New York. Young Karl dreamt of combining his passion for Hip Hop music and fashion. He didn’t know how to do that, but he believed in himself.
During Karl’s initial rough start in Los Angeles the question that had obsessed him for years, “Can I do it?”, remained unanswered. He kept asking himself: “Can I do it? Can I build a fashion empire? Can I become the ‘Ralph Lauren of the streets’?” Karl didn’t have the answer for all these questions but it did provide the basis for his new name, Kani, a variation on "Can I?". With a stylish "K" replacing the "C" in his first name, he ventured his own optimistic reply, Karl Kani.
Carl Williams was the first black man to launch a Hip Hop Fashion brand and became one of the 100 richest African-Americans in 1996 according to People Magazine. He created the baggy pants and inspired many other to follow into his footsteps. Karl paved the way for many black designers and is the true ‘Godfather of Urban Fashion’.
Kani is also known as ‘The Originator’. Karl was the first to set the trend of merging hip-hop with fashion. He spotted an area in the market that previously was ignored and paved the way for other Hip Hop Fashion brands. Being the first African-American man to launch a Hip Hop Fashion brand, Karl inspired many others to follow in his footsteps. His many achievements earned him the title of the ‘Originator’.
Kani’s work didn’t remain unnoticed. In 1999 Karl had the honor to present his latest collection at The White House to President Bill Clinton during an informal fashion show. In 1996 Karl’s company was rewarded by Black Enterprise Magazine and in 2002 he received and ‘Urban Fashion Award'.
Kani is known as one of the most influential black designers of urban fashion in the United States. With such acclaimed success Black Enterprise Magazine named Karl Kani-Infinity Corporation the most successful African American owned firms worldwide in 1996. And this was just the tip of the iceberg.
In 2002 Carl was honored with an ‘Urban Fashion Pioneer Award’ for his lifetime achievements during the Urban Fashion Awards.
Throughout the early 1990s, Karl Kani set the tone for much of urban fashion, especially in the music industry. Rocking Kani clothing became both a symbol of success and a fashion statement. Karl Kani became a well known brand and many known Hip Hop and R&B artists like Tupac, Aaliyah, Baby, Cash Money, Heavy D, Kelly Clarckson, Lil’ Kim, N Sync, Nas, Dr. Dre, Ice T, P Diddy, Kool G Rap, Ed Lover, Mike Tyson, Heavy D, Big Daddy Kane, Pete Rock, CL Smooth, Notorious B.I.G., Next, 112, Redman, Tatiana Ali, Snoop Dogg, Three 6 Mafia, Tyson Beckford and Will Smith have rocked Karl Kani clothing.
Pete Rock was the first artist featured in a Karl Kani advertisement campaign. Pete Rock is an American hip hop DJ, producer, and emcee of Jamaican descent. He rose to prominence in the early '90s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth.
The advertisement campaign with Pete Rock set the trend and many celebrities followed:
Karl Kani was also the first brand that used hip hop artists in advertisement campaigns.
1993 – P Diddy
1995 – Tupac
1996 – Nas
1997 – Baby
1997 – Heavy D
1997 - Redman
1998 - Redman
2003 - Baby
2006 - Redman
2008 - Three 6 Maffia
Redman is an American rapper and actor. In 1992 Redman released his debut album, Whut? Thee Album and its success earned him the title of "Rap Artist of the Year" awarded to him by The Source. Redman had his best-known international hit with Christina Aguilera, when he was featured on her 2002 single "Dirrty". Redman is a good friend of Karl’s and is the only artist who was featured three times in an advertising campaign. You can also see him in the Kani commercial rapping the Kani-theme song.
Three 6 Mafia is a Hip Hop group from Memphis, Tennessee. In 2006 Three 6 Mafia made history as they became the first black music group to win an Academy Award for Best Song and also became the first hip-hop artists to ever perform at the ceremony.
Karl Kani sponsored their European tour and the members of Three 6 Mafia are also featured in the advertisement campaign for the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter 2008 collection.
“You know one of the reasons why I always praise this industry is because you can be a self-taught clothing designer and still make millions or even billions of dollars! (…) Karl Kani is self-taught, but a lot of people don’t know that.” He paid further homage to Karl Kani, who paved the way for him. Diddy stated that he celebrated the path he carved for me, this couldn’t have happened without him.
“Karl Kani's clothes speak like our music does; he combines street with bling in the same way we do. Karl wants his clothing line to be where the trends are and where things are happening and that's where Cash Money is. Where things are happening big time."
“So recognize the dick size in these Karl Kani jeans”
Notorious B.I.G - Want That Old Thing Back
“I had the Karl Kani shit on. If you looked at my clothes you could see I was out of there.”
“Now my arm close hang up, my crew is deeper than Karl Kani pockets”
Missy Elliot – Dangerous Mouths (featuring Redman)
“I would be brief but my Karl Kani's didn't dry”
Redman - A million and One Buddah spots
“Karl Kani down, camoflouge can't hide the sounds”
Redman – Rollin
“You far behind I rock the reptiles and steal a Karl Kani's, guard your eyes”
Nas - Executive Decisions
“One day I was walking by with a walkman on when I caught a guy giving me an awkward eye. Till I {strangled} him off in the parking lot with his Karl Kani"
Dr. Dre feat. Eminem- Forgot About Dre
“Some try to rap with that perpetrate mobster crap Karl Kani jeans, fat stomachs in the limosines Mixtapes by wack DJ's adds doo doo play I'm on the turnpike, the city drifting down the highway”
Kool Keith - Plastic world
“I'd reverse the effects of physical neglect I'd want holes in front of mirrors askin,wheres my self respect? I'd want raulph lauren to get down with karl kani no rode-o drive smack in the middle of south side”
Non Phixion – 4w’s
“And I didn't have to get my whole team just to do that In a blue hat, with a black baggy Karl Kani An iced out ring just to score on your eye”
Nelly feat St.Lunatics - Steal Da Show
Karl Kani was launched in 1989. The brand’s success can be attributed to Kani’s expanding appeal. The clothes that initially appealed to African-American youth was actually being sold in higher volumes to suburban white youth imitating the city's hip-hop/rap genre. Due to customer response, chain stores , who never sold urban clothes before, expanded the availability of Kani clothing to their suburban stores.
A notable item out of the collection was the jeans fastened with a metal-and- leather plate. Kani used this plate to spread his positive message. His trademark style included oversized casual knits with the famous Kani signature and the Kani baggy jeans, that started everything.
Karl Kani was the first to use his signature for his label. This inspired others to follow his example.
Kani insists that African-Americans never liked their jeans fitting tight. They would always buy a bigger size but then the waist would be too big so Karl decided to increase the size of the pants. Karl is the first to launch the baggy jeans that became a basis in street fashion.
The Karl Kani collection is sold in selected stores in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and America.
