*Karl Kani is urging Black designers to think twice before cashing out. The streetwear pioneer says ownership matters more than a quick payday.
Speaking with Men’s Journal, Kani said Black designers still have a long road ahead when it comes to recognition. “I don’t think so. I feel like we still have a long way to go,” he said. “I think what’s most important is ownership.”
His advice to emerging creators is direct. When investors or buyers arrive with attractive offers, he says, designers should not automatically sell. “We need to own our brands and don’t sell off our brands,” Kani said. He warned that some buyers never intend to help a founder grow. “Sometimes all money is not good money,” he added.
Kani speaks from experience. He has kept his company going for decades while many urban streetwear brands from the 1990s disappeared. He also shared his career story with EURweb in 2024. He launched at a time when fashion ignored hip-hop. “There was no relationship between hip-hop and the fashion industry when we started,” he said. “There were no brands looking out for hip-hop artists.”
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Kani filled that gap by forging ties with Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G. and Aaliyah. He recalls more than 20 artists mentioning him in songs during the decade. He says those bonds worked because they were genuine.
“You can tell when something is transactional,” he said. He applies the same test to collaborations today. “When we have collaborations, these are artists who actually grew up on the brand, wore the brand, and have some type of connection to the brand.”
Today, he is still pushing forward. Kani recently returned to the runway at New York Fashion Week for the 15th anniversary of the EMERGE! Fashion Show. He also helped create Coco Jones’ custom Super Bowl look, a tribute to Whitney Houston’s 1991 performance. Kani appreciated that Jones chose a Black designer. “The fact that she kept it street, kept it real, meant everything to us,” he said.
Still, he says legacy alone will not carry a brand. “The history is history, but you still gotta elevate the product,” he said. Younger customers, he added, need to see the company “defining where streetwear is going and setting the tone.”
International shoppers approach heritage brands differently, according to Kani. “Europe and even Japan are a little bit different,” he said. “They have a sponge mentality for history,” he added.
Kani is also eyeing a far bigger market. “Someone, a birdie, told me there’s life on Mars,” he joked. “I want to be the first designer to dress the people on Mars. That’s my motto.”
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