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Starting with just six t-shirts and a can of spray paint, Marc Ecko’s urban fashion and lifestyle company, Marc Ecko Enterprises, now makes over $1.2 billion annually.
marc ecko’s success story
- Born Marc Milecofsky, Ecko supposedly got his name when his doctor mistook him as an “echo” of his twin sister while his mother was still pregnant. As a high school student in the mid 1980s, Marc airbrushed t-shirts from the garage of his parent’s home in Lakewood, New Jersey.
- While studying pharmacy at Rutgers, Ecko’s founded *ecko unltd. in 1993 along with his twin sister, Marci, and fellow Lakewood native Seth Gerszberg. Starting with six t-shirts and a can of spray paint, they financed much of their early business using credit cards and consignment deals.
- In 1998, Ecko’s company faced bankruptcy with $6 million in losses, due in part to bad suppliers and new product lines. However, they were able to persuade their largest creditor to give them a new loan, found more reliable manufacturers and hired designers.
- This strategy worked, as their sales went from $15 million to $36 million in 1998 alone, allowing them to pay off their debts in only 18 months. It was also at this point that Ecko developed the now iconic rhino logo, which was based on his dad’s collection of wooden rhinoceros sculptures.
- By 2000 the urban look was gaining mainstream acceptance and Ecko found its clothing in retailers such as Macy’s and Bloomingdales. Recording artists and ads in hip-hop mags helped to propel sales to $96 million.
- *ecko unltd. now comprises 12 separate lines that include products from men’s and women’s apparel to eyewear and leather goods, all of which totaled $400 million in retail sales for 2003. Along with brands such as Cut & Sew (geared towards an older audience), G-Unit, Zoo York and Complex Magazine, Marc Ecko Enterprises brought in over $1.2 billion last year.