This Is Not a T-Shirt: A Brand, a Culture, a Community--A Life in Streetwear
Streetwear exists in that rarefied space where genuine “cool” coexists with big business; where a star designer might work simultaneously with Nike, a tattoo artist, Louis Vuitton, and a skateboard company. It’s the ubiquitous style of dress comprising hoodies, sneakers, and T-shirts that is worn by everyone from rappers to models to book editors. In the beginning, a few brands defined this style; fewer still survived as streetwear went mainstream. They are the OGs, the “heritage brands.” The Hundreds is one of those companies, and Bobby Hundreds is at the center of it all.
Bobby Kim, a.k.a. Bobby Hundreds, is the cofounder of international streetwear brand The Hundreds. The creative force behind the brand, he has emerged as one of streetwear’s most prominent faces and voices. But growing up as one of the only Asian American kids in a mostly white and Latino community, a year ahead of his peers, with artistic aspirations, he reminds us that The Hundreds was started by outsiders and that that is truly the story of streetwear culture.
In This Is Not a T-Shirt, Bobby Hundreds cements his spot as a champion of an industry he helped create, celebrating the inspirations that birthed The Hundreds—from his Southern California, punk-DIY-tinged youth to the brand’s explosive success. His story is both inspiring memoir and business book—an expert assessment of the history and future of streetwear and the tale of his commitment to a creative vision and to building real community.
Bobby is the embodiment of the type of hustle that streetwear was built on. In This is Not a T-Shirt, he maps out how to start a brand and blow it up while maintaining a core community—it's like a streetwear bible slash history book. [source]
Chairman/VaynerX
Simply put, Bobby Hundreds is a social beast. He knows how to tell a story, where to tell that story, and he's great at bringing people together. He's also crazy dedicated to his work and has the laser-focused attention to detail needed to not only build an everlasting globally relevant brand, but any successful business. [source]
Founder/The Honest Company
Building a brand is about identifying and fulfilling a need in a way that no one else can. It takes vision, dedication, and attention to detail. The Hundreds is a prime example of what it looks like when you've combined all these elements along with tapping into a culture and community. This is Not a T-Shirt guides you through methods and tools you can apply to get you one step closer to fulfilling your dream. [source]