Marc Ecko
Marc Ecko | |
---|---|
Born | Marc Louis Milecofsky August 29, 1972 |
Education | Rutgers University |
Occupations |
|
Known for | FoundingEcko Unltd.andComplex |
Spouse | Allison Rojas (m. 2000) |
Children | 3 |
Marc Louis Ecko(néMilecofsky;August 29, 1972) is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, and artist.[1]He is the founder andChief Creative Officerof fashion companyEcko Unlimited.[2]He also foundedComplexmagazine in 2002.[3]
Early life
Milecofsky was born inNew Jerseyon August 29, 1972.[1]He was brought up with his twin Marci and an older sister, Shari, in suburbanLakewood, New Jersey,where his father was a pharmacist and his mother was a real estate broker.[4]
After high school, Milecofsky enteredRutgers University'sCollege of Pharmacyin Piscataway, New Jersey. During this time he paintedgraffitiand practiced drawing, using the name "Echo". In his third year, the school's dean, John L. Colaizzi, Sr., encouraged Milecofsky to follow his passion and take a year off to pursue art.
In 1996, Milecofsky legally changed his name to Ecko; he had intended to use "Echo", the name he was now known by, but since he wanted to build a brand with the name, and "Echo" was already taken, he settled on the alternate spelling.[5]
Career
In 1993, Ecko startedEcko Unltd.as a T-shirt company, with small investments from his sister and a friend, Seth Gerszberg. He traveled toHong Kongto learn about the clothing industry. Early clientsSpike LeeandChuck Dhelped bring attention to his fledgling business, as did aGood Morning Americasegment that featured his T-shirt designs.[6]The company expanded further into hip-hop and skater styles, and began to sport a rhinoceros logo.[7]
Ecko's businesses have expanded to includeComplexmagazine, video and social gaming, andventure capital.
Ecko was appointed to the Board of Directors of theCouncil of Fashion Designers of America(CFDA); the youngest designer to do so.[8]Since 2010, he has been a member of the Emeritus Board.[9]
In 2008, he created the new jackets for the Iron Chefs onIron Chef America.[10]
Personal life
Ecko isJewish.[2][11]In 2000, Ecko married Allison Rojas. They have three children and live inBernardsville, New Jersey.[1]
In 2011, Ecko started Unlimited Justice, a social activism campaign which opposed corporal punishment in U.S. schools.[12]
He has supported a number of charities and organisations, including raising money for the Tikva Children's Home inOdesa,Ukraine.[2]
Published work
On October 1, 2013, Ecko released anautobiographicalbusiness book,Unlabel: Selling You Without Selling Out,which offers advice on entrepreneurship and personal branding.[13]
See also
References
- ^abc"Marc Ecko Biography - life, family, children, parents, name, story, school, young, born, husband, time - Newsmakers Cumulation".RetrievedNovember 21,2016.
- ^abc"'Gotta Be Cool': Marc Ecko's Empire ".Nick Rozon.ABCNightline.September 12, 2007.RetrievedJune 2,2012.
- ^Andrew Flanagan (April 23, 2018)."Marc Ecko, Complex Media Co-Founder, on His Company After Verizon and Digital Media in the Facebook Age: Q&A".Billboard.
- ^Ecko, Marc,Unlabel: selling you without selling out,Haberkorn, Todd, 1982-, Grand Haven, Michigan,ISBN978-1-4805-3877-1,OCLC862813009,retrievedJuly 31,2020
- ^Lubow, Arthur; Chessum, Jake (March 1, 2009)."It's Going to Be Big".Inc.RetrievedOctober 14,2019.
- ^Good Morning America segment featuring Ecko's t-shirt designsArchivedOctober 6, 2011, at theWayback Machine
- ^Romero, Elena, 1973- (2012) [2012].Free stylin': how hip hop changed the fashion industry.Santa Barbara, California: Praeger.ISBN978-0-313-38647-3.OCLC798820497.
{{cite book}}
:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^"Marc Ecko Collection Clothes - Clothing & Accessories by Marc Ecko Collection".March 16, 2009.RetrievedNovember 21,2016.
- ^Sterlacci, Francesca (2017).Historical dictionary of the fashion industry.ISBN978-1-4422-3908-1.OCLC969368326.
- ^Appetit, Bon (November 14, 2008)."The Foodist: Food News and Trends - Bon Appétit".RetrievedNovember 21,2016.
- ^"It's Going to Be Big".Arthur Lubow.Inc.March 1, 2009.RetrievedJune 2,2012.
- ^"Fashion Designer Launches Campaign To End Corporal Punishment In Schools".HuffPost.March 9, 2011.RetrievedNovember 21,2016.
- ^Marc Eckō,Unlabel: Selling You Without Selling Out,Simon & Schuster,New York, NY, 2013.ISBN978-1-4516-8530-5
- 1972 births
- Living people
- Artists from New Jersey
- American businesspeople in retailing
- American fashion businesspeople
- American fashion designers
- American investors
- Businesspeople from New Jersey
- American philanthropists
- Jewish fashion designers
- People from Bernardsville, New Jersey
- People from East Brunswick, New Jersey
- People from Lakewood Township, New Jersey
- People from Livingston, New Jersey
- Rutgers University alumni
- Lakewood High School (New Jersey) alumni
- 21st-century American Jews