Cross Colours Founders on Being $300K in Debt to Making $20M in 3 Days
2,169From how the brand picked out their iconic name, Cross Colours founders, Carl Jones & TJ Walker also tell DJ Vlad how they were able to go from a $300,000 debt to a $20 million growth within three days. Originally the clothing line was to be called "Cross Cultures" but was later updated to it's Cross Colours name after a minor change. After the 1988 film Colors was released, Carl and TJ said that they didn't want their brand to be connected to the gang movie, so they opted to use the British writing style "colours." Although the difference between the two would be a letter, he explained that it was imperative to separate any negative feedback that may connect their brand to the film. "At the time the movie Colors [was out] and we didn't want to have a gang association or any kind of negative connotation with the brand. That was the purpose of spelling the British way."
In our previous interview, the designers explained how they sacrificed a lot to bring their vision to life, especially Carl who left a lucrative career with Surf Fetish. While the brand got their clothing on stars like Will Smith and other rappers who appeared on Yo! MTV Raps, by the time they headed for a three-day trade show in New York they said the orders were coming in the pounds. Fortunately, the $300,000 they put down for their showcase booth and the overall investment for the show; they ended up leaving with more than they expected.
"At the end of the show, I had to buy luggage for all the orders—and it was orders by the pound." Carl said, "I took it on the plane with me because I didn't want to lose my orders and we had close to $20-million in three days."