Can you believe it’s been 2 years since I last posted “18 Things You Didn’t Know About The Hundreds?” Here are some more fun facts to one-up your friends with:
Strength in Numbers
Throughout our graphics and general branding, you’ll regularly see references to particular numbers, which all have a meaning. For example, 1980 was the year Ben and I were born. 7909 is The Hundreds LA’s street address. And 585 is where The Hundreds stands in San Francisco. In the future, you can expect a 416. Wink.
Strength in More Numbers
While we’re on the numbers game, did the 36 t-shirt from our Spring 2010 collection look familiar? It should. It’s the fourth shirt in a series that’s transpired over years, where we compile a host of Old English fonts and script lettering to write out “The Hundreds” and accompanying phrases, mottos, and logos that run with the brand. It all started years ago with the “Nine” t-shirt. I’m blanking on which season we offered it, but I wrote out “The Hundreds Collection” in Old English letters, and mashed in all sorts of script and classic lettering as a sort-of bolder, crew/set type t-shirt. It was a nice contrast from all the cartoony, character-based tees in the line, and far from Adam Bomb-centric. It was also the ninth t-shirt I designed that season, thus the name.
Since then, we’ve repeated the concept on the “Eighteen,” the “27” and most recently, the “36.” And not for nothing, we aren’t the only ones to have repeated it. Since “Nine,” many of our peers and competitors have mimicked the graphic, some as blatantly as Anchor Blue’s rip-off, but most have provided their own little spin on it. But, now you know.
Collaborate and Listen
For every collaboration project you see, there were 10 others that never made it. Like furniture, headphones, collaborations with recognized women’s brands, projects with iconic rock bands, and unsuccessful skateboarding collabs. Why? A variety of reasons. Waning of interest, lack of communication, creative differences, logistical problems, etc.
The most recent involved Warner Bros. and a few projects we had in store for you guys. Over the course of years, the most exciting collaborative project we had prepared was between The Hundreds and MAD Magazine, and we even went to the extent of finalizing all product for the capsule collection. Although the MAD staff was committed (we even had Al Jaffee working on a fold-in back cover for our magazine), MAD is actually now owned by WB, and due to the mires of bureaucracy and corporate red tape, the project eventually caved in under the weight of legal trivialities. So, sorry, you won’t be seeing that Alfred E. Neumann wearing an Adam Bomb t-shirt any time soon.
But trust me, in retrospect, it’s a good thing that the MAD project, and most of the others, never saw the light of day.
Brimming with Pride
Our popular RSWD and POST New Eras have actually come quite a ways since their original inspiration. Believe it or not, the very first RSWD cap was based off a vintage POLO hat, which is how the lettering and fabric/leather combo came about. Every single RSWD and POST 59/50 since has incorporated some kind of leather into the brim.
We beat American Eagle.
Well… Kinda. Over a year ago, the mega-mall retailer American Eagle Outfitters released a pair of boxer shorts with a strikingly familiar character emblazoned across them. Although we never claimed to have invented the cartoon bomb, this character was so identical to our logo, Adam Bomb, that it not only raised our eyebrows, but those of our customers nationwide. Although we never addressed the issue here on the site (this is the first time you’ve heard me talk about this), we wrote AEO a very curious letter.
But of course, they denied any wrongdoing, claiming their character was original. Our lawyer got involved. Their lawyerS (note: plural) got in the ring and thus ensued a long, expensive, and arduous court process. AEO even asked us to compromise and work out a quasi-licensing deal whereby we would get a certain percentage of profits from the boxers’ sales, if we would just back off the legal process. Nope, we were not interested. The last thing we wanted was for any of you, our supporters, to think we worked with American Eagle on a pair of boxers. Even worse, we dreaded the exposure that came with being associated with the chain store. Let’s be honest, AEO’s much bigger of a company than ours, so more people would see Adam Bomb as belonging to American Eagle, than to his rightful owner, The Hundreds, at the end of the day.
So we never backed off. We even enlisted your help across the country to keep sending in photos of the boxers on racks in your local American Eagle store. And..
We won. Well, as close to winning as we could get. Eventually, with threats that The Hundreds would hit American Eagle with the gnarliest PR nightmare they’d ever seen (courtesy of this blog you’re reading here), the corporate giant backed off and both parties agreed to donate the remaining 20,000 pairs of boxers to a charity in Africa. But of course, American Eagle made it very clear: this was no admission of wrongdoing.
Fine.
The Name Game.
Along with designing clothing, we also have the awesome task of having to think up names for the pieces. But all things considered, this is the last bit we’re usually concerned with, and undoubtedly the furthest detail on anyone’s mind when it comes to purchasing and enjoying their The Hundreds gear. So we’ve made it a bit easier on ourselves and stuck to themes when it comes to naming certain segments of the range.
Aside from maybe 3 or 4 pairs in the history of the brand, all of our denim is named after city streets throughout Los Angeles. The “Figueroa,” “Sawtelle,” and “Hayworth” are just a few examples.
Each and every model under The Hundreds Footware is monikored after a historically significant Los Angeles athlete. You’re familiar with the Johnson Mid and the Johnson Low, both are named after Los Angeles Laker Magic Johnson. The Valenzuela’s namesake? Dodger pitcher Fernando Valenzuela. And next up to bat, you’ll be seeing the Wayne and the Jackson. I’ll leave those up to you.
And The Hundreds Eyeware? Well, first up we had the “Phoenix.” Named after the celebrated actor River Phoenix, who passed long before his time. In the near future you can expect 2 new models from The Hundreds Eyeware, entitled the “Dean” and the “Valens.” Again, I’ll leave the rest up to you.
I personally hate it when you guys get it wrong.
Our logo character’s name is “Adam Bomb,” not “Bomberman” or “That bomb guy” or even “Atom Bomb.”
Speaking of which, those shoes are called Valenzuelas. Not the Venezuelas. Ugh.
Our trademark pattern is called JAGS. Not “grass camo” or “lightning bolt thing.” JAGS:
The Early Bird.
Unless I’m traveling, I almost always post a new blog between 2 and 3 am PST. Except this one. I’m tired.
by bobbyhundreds