Billionaire Boys Club (clothing retailer)

Billionaire Boys Club (BBC) is a streetwear label founded by Pharrell Williams and Nigo in 2003. Its sublabels include Ice Cream, Bee Line, and Billionaire Girls Club.

For other uses, see Billionaire Boys Club (disambiguation).
Billionaire Boys Club
TypePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded2003
Founder
Headquarters
Area served
United States, Japan, China, United Kingdom
ProductsApparel, accessories and footwear
Websitehttp://www.bbcicecream.com/

History

In 2003, singer Pharrell Williams and his manager Rob Walker partnered with fashion designer and A Bathing Ape creator Nigo, and Japanese graphic designer, Sk8thing to create Billionaire Boys Club.[1] The brand is credited with helping popularize streetwear's visibility in high fashion.[2]

BBC debuted in Williams' 2003 "Frontin'" music video. In 2004, Ice Cream, originally a subsidiary of Billionaire Boys Club, unveiled its skate-centric footwear line, licensed by Reebok.[3][4] Ice Cream graphics feature all-over print motifs of beepers, dollar signs and diamonds. A year later, Billionaire Boys Club branched out from its online origin, setting up a store in Tokyo, Japan and later expanding to New York and London.

In August 2011 rapper Jay-Z, a frequent collaborator of Williams, partnered with the Billionaire Boys Club line. Later the rapper, through a joint venture with Iconix, invested in the brand.[2] The following year BBC recorded high $25 million to $30 million in volume, up from $12 million. Williams reacquired Iconix's stake in the business in 2017.

BBC has several sublabels, including Billionaire Girls Club for the female consumer and Bee Line, a collaboration with Mark McNairy.[2][5]

Locations

Billionaire Boys Club has a US flagship store in SoHo, New York City, a European flagship store in Soho, London, and a store in Tokyo, Japan. Several stores that retail Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream clothing exist across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

See also

References
  1. Cook, Xerxes (2015-11-27). "English Inspiration | The Brain Behind Japan's Biggest Streetwear Brand". Amuse. Vice Media. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  2. Blagrove, Kadia; La Puma, Joe; Deleon, Jian (Dec 3, 2013). "The Oral History of Billionaire Boys Club and Icecream". Complex. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  3. Lindsay, Greg (September 1, 2004). "The Rebirth of Cool: Reebok Has Given Up on Trying to Beat Nike at the Hard-Core Sports Game. Instead, It Wants to Become the Shoe Brand for Hip-Hoppers, Hipsters, and Other Fashion-Forward Urbanites". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  4. Destefano, Mike (Sep 22, 2018). "Pharrell's Ice Cream Sneakers Are Coming Back for $350". Complex. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  5. Lipke, David (2013-06-06). "New Strategy for Billionaire Boys Club". WWD. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
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