Kingston even got the chance to meet Cross Colours designer, TJ Walker. We sat there and rode from Harlem to Brooklyn just watching the kids and what they wore. TJ Walker: But doing that allowed us to insert ourselves into the entertainment industry and get our clothing on the dancers, the actors and actresses, the music artists. TJ Walker: Out of that show of thousands of booths, we were the only African American company there in the show, and the only brand to bring streetwear to the show. Thank God for Will! Back in 1989, Carl Jones and TJ Walker launched Cross Colours, “clothes without prejudices” in Los Angeles, which became one of hip hops most loved fashion brands. So TJ and I, along with our marketing director, made the decision to go with “Colours” instead to differentiate ourselves. There are 1,400+ professionals named "Carl Jones", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Now you need the oversized shirt to go with the oversized jacket. Cross Colours promotional material featuring company founders Carl Jones and TJ Walker, circa 1991. Baseball caps and t-shirts displayed multicultural and social messages like promoting racial unity and equality. Carl went on to own another clothing brand, and I went on to teach. Carl Jones: It was jarring to think that after making such an impact not only in the fashion industry and in business, but also in communities across the country, that the business was over. Find Carl Jones's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information. But we reunited in 2014 after getting the word that consumers were asking for our products again. When designers Carl Jones and T.J. Walker launched the Cross Colours clothing line in Los Angeles in 1989, the pair had no idea it would infiltrate television and … We said we were going to make those pants with a size 38 body, but with a size 32 waist. The clothing was used to broadcast political and social messages. Carl Jones: We recognized the fact that there was a whole new generation of fans who were toddlers when we first dropped, but they somehow connected to our brand and its message. TIMES STAFF WRITER Carl Jones, co-founder of Cross Colours--a hip but poorly managed urban clothing label that went out of business four years ago--is attempting a comeback. 7,225 records for Carl Jones. The company amassed record sales in excess of $80 million within its first two years of operation. And initially we didn’t have a lot of appointments. TJ Walker: Right! The brainchild of creative geniuses Carl Jones and Thomas "TJ" Walker, Cross Colours dominated the late '80s and '90s, with their signature baggy pants, baseball caps and oversized shirts making appearances on Black cult-favorite films and TV shows like In Living Color, Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Menace II Society. In 1989, he took inspiration from the emerging hip hop culture and started Cross Colours, the first apparel company that took urban style to the masses to the tune of $80 million in three years. Our marketing director tells us to take a look outside of the booth - all of a sudden there’s about 80 people standing in line. Carl Jones: We recognized the fact that there was a whole new generation of fans who were toddlers when we first dropped, but they somehow connected to our brand and its message. The hugely popular brand was designed by the Los Angeles based urban apparel line Cross Colors and African American owners Carl Jones and … Record companies started sending all of their artists to us. Jones sold the company in 1985 and founded Surf Fetish, a trendy beachwear concern. As the brand’s founder Carl Jones described in a 2014 interview, the underlying goal was to connect with people. Carl Jones and TJ Walker founded Cross Colours back in 1989. TJ Walker: Yes, and this isn’t to say that we didn’t want those men and women who were a part of gang culture to not feel represented by the brand. And as Drake would say, what a time to be alive! The following article is taken from the upcoming Fall/Winter 2014 issue of The Hundreds Magazine: Cross Colours is back. Nearly 25 years later, he was surprised again when the trademark he had lost so many years ago became available again. While the duo sought to build a brand with which young black youth could identify, they succeeded in creating a … A celebrated Digital Design instructor at OTIS Parson’s School of Design, and CAD instructor at F.I.D.M., Los Angeles (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), Walker is currently pursuing a PhD degree in Education and Global Design Influence on Modern Culture. Cross Colours was germinal: a black-owned brand from California, designed with hip-hop style in mind. Their clothing line was a testament to the carefree feeling of the 90’s. Out of all this a Los Angeles fashion label was born: Cross Colours, founded by Otis college alum Carl Jones and graphic designer TJ Walker. In 1990, Carl Jones wanted to produce “clothing without prejudice.” He founded Cross Colours to create clothing based on African American hip hop culture. He was on the hunt for the clothing he designed with his partner Carl Jones back in the late ’80s and early ’90s. In 1989, he took inspiration from the emerging hip hop culture and started Cross Colours, the first apparel company that took urban style to the masses to the tune of $80 million in three years. I’ll never forget, the booth was this corrugated metal, graffiti, we had it on castors. All Rights Reserved. And that just created a snowball effect. It was nonstop! Carl Jones (left) and TJ Walker (right), Co-Founders of Cross Colours This is exactly what TJ Walker and partner Carl Jones did at the birth of Cross Colours in 1989, said Walker, and it’s … Carl Jones: We took a trip to New York because that’s where the culture was. Photo by Michael Segal Courtesy the Cross Colours Archive Los Angeles “The positive messages, the colors, coming from the street, coming from the ghetto. Carl Jones: So by the time we get to the trade show I’d spent $300,000 of my own money to get to the trade show. That was when we realized we needed to find a way to bring the brand back. We’re talking about a business that garnered upwards of $100 million in annual sales, and now it’s just over. Cross Colours is a public relations and communications company based out of 228 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach, California, United States. TJ Walker: We just rode the Subway. Carl Jones: We only had three months to prepare. Cross Colours is back. We didn’t have a great booth location, but the booth itself was phenomenal. “So you want to be a designer?" We treated our products like currency and factored it into our advertising costs. We brought the whole street to the show! Jones sold the company in 1985 and founded Surf Fetish, a trendy beachwear concern. All Rights Reserved. He was also a featured member of the President’s commission on the NAFTRA agreement, and was invited to speak at the White House on behalf of the fashion sportswear industry. There’s Will wearing our product! TJ Walker: We started to give away a ton of products. As two Black men who own a sportswear line and have a strong grasp on production and manufacturing, Cross Colours founders Carl Jones and TJ Walker are … For the relaunch of Cross Colours' Clotthing brand, J Hart hanged out with Carl Jones the fondator of Cross Colors. Back then, women … I mean there were crowds surrounding the booth! Suddenly, everything was oversized. TJ Walker: Indeed! Well, the reality is that Cross Colours never quite went away. Fast forward to September 22 of 2019 and Cross Colours will be making an appearance in the California African-American Museum sponsored by Gucci. View the profiles of professionals named "Carl Jones" on LinkedIn. "We've been successful at developing new brands and promotion them," says Jones, who is largely credited with delivering the urban look to the masses. TJ did all the artwork, the logos, we started to register the name. Carl Jones: This all started with a conversation that TJ and I had while working together for a surf brand that I owned called “Surf Fetish”. What we wanted was for the name of the brand to stand out and embody unity. They took their wares to MAGIC, a fashion tradeshow in Las Vegas, and were surprised by the overwhelming response. Launched on the premise of producing “clothes without prejudices” Cross Colours helped establish a fashion market based around black youth. TJ Walker: Our biggest retail partner at the time, Merry-Go-Round, announced that they would be filing for bankruptcy. Carl Jones: I think the most important move we made was deciding to reach out to the Fresh Prince. In the early 1990s, Carl Jones and TJ Walker founded an urban streetwear brand that went against the drab gangbanger workwear of the time, opened the inner-city up to positivity, and introduced baggy pants to … The designers and co-owners of Cross Colours, T. J. Walker and Carl Jones decided to draw a more direct line from the street to department stores … Jones and Walker launched Cross Colours in downtown LA in 1989. We played around with names and inevitably incorporated the word “colour” into the mix. So Cross Colours is back! Copyright © 2016 Cross Colours. Throughout his career, while simultaneously occupying positions as Creative Director, Design Consultant or Chief Creative Officer Walker, has continued to indulge in his first love, fine art. There are 1,400+ professionals named "Carl Jones", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. That validated us without any buy-in from the buyers who, at the time, thought that our products were too afrocentric. There was a newspaper using that name, so to be safe we should change ours altogether. ... carl jones Creative Director at CROSS COLOURS Jones sold the company in 1985 and founded Surf Fetish, a trendy beachwear concern. We had our former marketing director reach out to the wardrobe people at the Fresh Prince, take over some of the garments, and see what would happen. TJ Walker: Indeed! WALTER P. CHRYSLER Award for Innovative Design – 1992 2-time CALIFORNIA MART Design Award Winner – 1987 + 1988 CALIFORNIA MART “MARTY” Award – 1987. Will loved everything! And with that bankruptcy went millions of dollars in products that we could neither receive payment for nor get back to sell on our own or through another retailer. Cross has 1 job listed on their profile. LA didn’t really have Hip Hop music - there was some in LA, but it was really coming from NY. TJ Walker: I agree! So we both ventured off to do our own independent projects. It was expensive, but it was so well done. Cross Colours is a clothing brand launched in 1989 by Carl Jones. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Cross’ connections and jobs at similar companies. Walker has obtained numerous design awards including the coveted Rising Star Award (issued by the MFA - Men’s Fashion Association) and the Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design. African American-owned, founded by Carl Jones and T.J. Walker, the brand quickly skyrocketed, securing a plethora of orders across the country and breaking color barriers in the field of men’s apparel. Carl Jones: We opted for the European spelling of the word to differentiate ourselves from a movie that was out at the time called “Colors”, which depicted inner city gang life. Carl Jones: Three days later I’m sitting at home watching the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and voilà! And as Drake would say, what a time to be alive! I think I want to design my own pair of shoes,” Kingston replied. So Cross Colours is back! We wanted something for the culture and for people that were into Hip Hop. By the end we had close to $20 million dollars in orders. Coming from different backgrounds, Cross Colours founder and co-founder Carl Jones and Thomas Walker would work together to find a way of broadcasting political and social messages in a manner that would cater to Black youth and their urban fashion style. Trained at the Otis Parsons Art Institute, and 1992 winner of the WALTER P. CHRYSLER Award for Innovative Design, Jones founded Designers Screen Printing in 1982, providing T-shirt designs to companies such as Guess and Ocean Pacific. Booth itself was phenomenal be making an appearance in the California African-American Museum sponsored Gucci... 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