AND1 x Culture Kings
AND1 is a legendary basketball and streetwear brand that brought the hoop world much much more than cool t-shirts and awesome shoes. The brand became more of a cultural phenomenon that appeared in the 2000s to greatly influence the world of basketball, create streetball fashion, a specific style of play, and a culture.
Now you can elevate your streetwear game on and off the court with AND1's latest collection now available online and in-store exclusively at Culture Kings.
The release of this exclusive collection has lined up perfectly with the Netflix documentary chronicling the rise and fall of the brand, which for lovers of the brand, is a trip down memory lane well worth taking.
History of AND1
AND1 began in the summer of ’93 in Philadelphia as a graduate school project of people who were selling t-shirts out of the backseat of their cars. The t-shirts featured the legendary faceless hooper and different trash talk phrases typically heard on the blacktops across America. Within two years of its launch, AND1 products were available in 1,500 stores across the US.
In the summer of 1999, AND1 created a clever marketing strategy that would prove pivotal to the brand. A free highlight tape was given to everyone who purchased AND1 products. The tape was known as the AND1 Mixtape. Approximately 200,000 tapes were distributed in three weeks, making this promotion one of the most successful in U.S. retail history.
From this many streetball players reached legendary status and were known around the world exclusively by their nicknames: Hot Sauce, Half Man Half Amazing, Black Widow, the Professor, Escalade and the list goes on.
The effects of this tape were felt in the NBA and in the basketball world for over a decade as a generation of players copied and introduced this new school of streetball. Dunks and handles became “a must” in the NBA, while FG% and threes were an afterthought. Think of Jamal Crawford, Allen Iverson, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams, T-Mac and Stephen Marbury just to name a few.
The brand’s gear was featured throughout the NBA including on Vince Carter during the best dunk contest performance in the history of the NBA. With further mixtapes, playstation games and growing fans, AND1 became the second biggest basketball brand in the world behind only Nike for a long period of time.
The Range
Based on the original nostalgia of AND1 graphics, the brand is back with a whole new range of trash talking styled graphics. Coming in a variety of t-shirts and muscle tees to finish off all of your fire fits. With twin needle stitching and a premium cotton construction, this is a must-have for summer.
Check out the styles available below:
You can find this entire AND1 collection exclusively at Culture Kings either in-store or online. Whether you want to ball out, take a trip down memory lane or add some style to your game, cop now before you miss out all together!