Some may say that John was lucky to have at that time a rap superstar who was in the apex of his heartthrob days. Others will look at this as the case of preparation meeting opportunity. Furthermore, as an elite hop hop talent at the time and a man who was concerned about his image, James Todd Smith was not about drape just anything on his sculpted shoulders that did enhance his own game. When LL Cool J’s promotion helped increase sales exponentially, Daymond and his mother mortgaged the home they collectively owned for the $100,000 in start-up capital. Even more amazingly, she then moved out so the quartet could use the home as a makeshift factory and office space.
FUBU officially emerged in 1994 when Daymond and his partners traveled to an industry trade show in Las Vegas. Buyers liked the distinctively cut, vibrantly colored sportswear, and Daymond and his partners returned to Queens with $300,000 worth of orders. FUBU soon had a contract with the New York City-based department store chain Macy’s, and they began expanding their line to include jeans and outerwear. A distribution deal with Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung allowed their designs to be manufactured and delivered on a massive scale.
