Nipsey Hussle x The Marathon Clothing: Where Fashion, Music + Technology Collide

Image Credit: Observer

​No matter how you feel about Nipsey Hussle, you can’t deny the work he put in to uplift his community. He had genuine love for uplifting people and for spreading knowledge that would inspire and empower people to build something that would leave a lasting effect on our communities. His legacy is definitely one that will live on.
 
I have to admit that I hadn’t been one to stay abreast of the endeavors of the late rapper and philanthropist. There was dope music, humanitarian efforts, moves made to educate the community in S.T.E.M, creating opportunities for locals, and real estate investments to put money back into and improve the community; it was amazing to realize all he had accomplished and the plans he had for the future. However, it was through seeing the impact he had on his community in South Central L.A., the lives he was able to touch all over the world that I saw the essence of who the “Down as a Great” artist was—a man with a heart for people.
 
I hope we never forget the work that he put in and are empowered to do the work in our own communities to come up together and pour into the spaces that led us to becoming the people we are today. The marathon continues.

Image Credit: Billboard

​I was particularly interested in what Nipsey was able to do with his clothing brand and “Smartstore” location, Marathon Clothing. The business model is a great case study for an example of a successful start-up retail business that caters to today’s consumer. There is an emphasis on curating a unique lifestyle experience that combines elements from the physical and digital spaces, one that fuses together the worlds of retail and fashion, music and technology. Through Marathon Clothing (and the other properties he bought out in the same area), more business opportunities were also created in the Crenshaw neighborhood.

Image Credit: IG / @themarathonstore

The Grammy-nominated artist launched the Marathon line in June 2017, with the goal of becoming an urban Sanrio—the Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products inspired by Japanese culture and more affectionately known as the company that brought Hello Kitty to the market—as the goal the company. The brick and mortar Marathon location carries apparel, music accessories, jerseys and footwear with something for everyone. The Puma collaborator saw a need and filled it, starting within his community, in an effort to blend the worlds of hip-hop, technology and fashion. This contribution cannot be ignored.

In a statement regarding the Marathon brand, the 33-year-old had this to say: “This is us trying to disrupt retail, create a theme park for the brand. This is us trying to create a retail network to become vertically integrated. This is us trying to super-serve the core with an upgraded experience. This is us trying to fuse hip-hop, fashion, and tech. We believe that's what the Marathon store is. It's an immature concept. It hasn't evolved to its fullest form yet. But I think we're in the process of seeing technology integrated with everything, become a part of the world. So, I think that we're just putting our chips on experience. We think this is where retail is going. So, we want to be one of the leaders.”
 
The amount of vision that he had and his team of partners still have for The Marathon Clothing is something that one can’t help but root for.

Image Credit: YouTube

Taking a look at the man behind the fashion brand, I loved the simplicity of the Crenshaw native’s sartorial choices. Whether he was rocking a tee + signature chain combo or a tracksuit or designer pieces, his style always gave off an effortlessly cool vibe. Very L.A.
 
Just a cool dude who wanted to look fly—you can’t help but appreciate his style!
 
Not to mention the GQ shoot starring him and girlfriend Lauren London showed us that there wasn’t a look he couldn’t pull off!

Image Credit: GQ

RIP Nipsey Hussle—a soul that will forever be missed.