Fragrance house

Karl Kani

Karl Kani was founded in Brooklyn in 1989 by Carl Williams, who adopted the name for himself and his label. That same year, Williams moved to Los Angeles and built the business through a Crenshaw storefront and grassroots sales of baggy jeans and other streetwear. Its identity took shape around baggy denim, oversized shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies associated with 1990s hip-hop culture. The label gained national exposure at the 1991 MAGIC trade show and through a partnership with Threads 4 Life, the parent company of Cross Colours; after Threads 4 Life ran into financial trouble, Williams formed Karl Kani Infinity in 1994. In 1996, Karl Kani Infinity ranked 25th among the largest Black-owned industrial and service companies in a ranking reported from Black Enterprise data. By 1999, Karl Kani had expanded into menswear suits, women’s leather apparel, and children’s clothing while retaining its jerseys, T-shirts, jeans, and jackets. Williams’s work connected hip-hop and fashion, with baggy jeans identified as a major contribution to hip-hop style.