Culture Kings

Culture Kings is a streetwear clothing and accessories retailer established in 2008.[1] Founded in Gold Coast, Australia by Simon and Tahnee Beard, Culture Kings has 7 storefronts open in Australia, as well as one storefront in Auckland, New Zealand.[2]

History

Prior to Culture Kings' founding, co-founder Simon Beard re-sold shoes and hats on eBay under the name 'Culture Kings'. Beard, with wife Tahnee, founded Culture Kings in 2008 and opened the first Culture Kings store in Southport, a suburb of Gold Coast.

On January 8, 2017, Culture Kings Acacia Ridge warehouse was destroyed in a fire, resulting in the loss of $500,000 worth of products.[1][3]

As of 2021, Culture Kings has 8 stores open in Australia and New Zealand, with 2 stores in Melbourne, and Sydney, and one store each in Brisbane, Perth, Gold Coast, and Auckland.[2] Culture Kings original Southport store was closed in 2018.

On July 24, 2021, Culture Kings opened its first storefront outside of Australia in Auckland, New Zealand.[4]

Collaborations

As of 2021, Culture Kings has collaborated with Champion,[5] Timberland,[6] Odd Future,[7] Kappa,[8] and G-Shock.[9]

Controversies

Hosier Lane

In 2018, Culture Kings opened its Melbourne storefront in Hosier Lane; an important site in Melbourne street art due to its history and perceived 'free-for-all' status.[10] After its opening, Culture Kings created various murals and began enforcing street art usage within the lane, which went against the lanes previous 'free-for-all' status.[10] This culminated in the destruction of artwork in the lane by masked men, whom sprayed the lane with fire extinguishers.[11][12] In an interview with The Age, one of the perpetrators stated this was done to protest the commercialisation of the lane by Culture Kings, as well as by the Melbourne City Council.[13][11]

Mike Tyson lawsuit

In 2021, boxer Mike Tyson lodged a civil case against Culture Kings for allegedly using his image and name in products without permission.[14][15] The products in question feature Tyson's image with text including "Mike Tyson", which has been trademarked by Tyson since 2010.[15]

References
  1. "Culture Kings Origins: From the Ashes, an Empire". Shopify Plus. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  2. "CULTURE KINGS STORES". Culture Kings. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  3. "Culture Kings suspends online sales". www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au. 2017-01-09. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  4. International, Retail & Leisure (2021-05-14). "Culture King Makes New Zealand Debut". Retail & Leisure International. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  5. "Culture Kings x Champion Collaboration Capsule". Culture Kings. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  6. "Timberland x Culture Kings". Culture Kings. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  7. "Odd Future x Culture Kings Collab Is Fire 🔥". Culture Kings. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  8. Kappa X Culture Kings World Exclusive, retrieved 2021-07-24
  9. "Culture Kings X G-Shock Collaboration". Culture Kings. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  10. "Painting in Hosier Lane is not legal". CBD News. 2018-08-27. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  11. "One Of The Hosier Lane". Pedestrian TV. 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  12. "Melbourne's Hosier Lane Has Been Paint-Bombed by a Group of Masked Artists". Concrete Playground. 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  13. Miller, Nick (2020-02-12). "'Art is supposed to provoke emotion': Hosier Lane paint-bomber speaks out". The Age. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  14. Powell, Dominic (2021-06-08). "Mike Tyson sues Australian streetwear retailer Culture Kings for 'deceptive' T-shirts". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  15. "'Iron Mike': Tyson suing Australian streetwear retailer". Fox Sports. 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
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