Sean John

 

Sean John billboard over Times Square in 2008

Sean John Clothing Inc is a clothing and fragrance line owned by hip-hop mogul Sean John Combs and supermarket mogul Ron Burkle. The apparel company takes its name from Combs' first and middle given names.

People representing the brand include Combs himself, musicians such as Nelly, T.I., Fabolous, The Game and Daddy Yankee, athletes including Dwyane Wade and Tristan Sooklal, plus fashion models Tyson Beckford and Kevin Navayne.

History

In 1998, Combs decided to launch a signature collection of sportswear under his name Sean John. Since its launch, Sean John has enjoyed critical and commercial success with revenues now exceeding $100 million annually. Through the support of both the fashion community and retailers, Sean John has quickly grown from an urban label to an international brand.

Sean John has often appeared at the award ceremony for the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) held annually in New York. For five consecutive years since 2000, Sean John has been nominated for its excellence in design. In 2004, Sean John was awarded the CFDA Men's Designer of the Year award.

In February 2001, Sean John produced the first nationally televised runway show during Fall Fashion Week when it simultaneously aired live on E! Television and the Style Network. During fashion week in February 2002, the New York Times ran a front page story on Sean John.

In 2004, Sean John invested in the high-end label Zac Posen.

On August 1, 2008, Dawn Robertson formerly of Old Navy, was named the president of Sean John. In October 2008, the company purchased urban lifestyle brand Enyce from Liz Claiborne for $20 million dollars.

In November 2008, Combs launched his latest men's perfume under the Sean John brand called I Am King. On November 24th, 2008, he unveiled a new Times Square billboard for the I Am King line to replace his iconic Sean John ad. The giant billboard is currently the largest print ad in Times Square.

Controversies

In October 2003, Combs was under intense media attention for using sweatshop labor to produce his clothing line. Among the accusations, originally put forth by the National Labor Committee (NLC), workers were subjected to body searches, fired if pregnant and paid sweatshop wages. Combs responded to the BBC that there would be a "zero tolerance" investigation at Sean John. He stated to a group of reporters, "I'm as pro-worker as they get."

In late 2006, MSNBC reported that Macy's had pulled from its shelves and its Web site two styles of Sean John hooded jackets, originally advertised as featuring faux fur, after an investigation by the nation's largest animal protection organization concluded that the garments were actually made from Raccoon Dog. Combs, the label's founder, said he had been unaware of the material, but as soon as he knew about it, he had his clothing line stop using the material.