Culture Kings is world famous for streetwear. Bringing together a unique blend of music, sport and fashion, Culture Kings brings an unforgettable experience and exclusive buying experience to the international stage (Culture Kings, 2022).
Culture Kings is where celebrities shop. Stepping into a store feels like stepping into a music video – another avenue
where the music, sport and fashion collide. And if you want instant status, wearing their Exclusive Not-For-Sale merchandise gives you status.
where the music, sport and fashion collide. And if you want instant status, wearing their Exclusive Not-For-Sale merchandise gives you status.
Culture Kings is the brainchild of Simon and Tahnee Beard. Simon proved that he could sell anything through his various ventures, while Tahnee brought solid business practices to the partnership. Prior to Culture Kings, Simon traded in streetwear at markets and on eBay. One of the vendors where he purchased stock was called Culture Kings.
But more about that later...
Culture Kings’ success lies in their vision: world famous for streetwear, meaning that they meant to create a premium experience that set them above and beyond their competitors.
They differentiated their retail experience with an answer inspired by Las Vegas. They brought in mood lighting and in-store DJs to set a totally different stage than the clinical feel that their competitors offered.
And they cater to their customers’ styling with in-store barbers, and styling tips for new brands on their website.
The Culture Kings brand is made successful through its use of hip hop motifs that resonate with its core audience, such as bling, graffiti styling, impeccable fashion forward imagery, streetwear celebrities and a simple, bold logo with elements which emphasises its status as royalty. The logo itself is only displayed in Black, White, and Chrome.
It’s comprised of: a crown.
This might make you think of royalty but this logo feels like it pays homage to Notorious BIG’s KONY shoot.
This might make you think of royalty but this logo feels like it pays homage to Notorious BIG’s KONY shoot.
A laurel wreath. A crown for celebrating victors and accolades in the Roman Empire, worn by the Caesar.
The ornamental C, similar to some hand painted lettering in Wild West era signage and particularly a 1937 poster for
Gone with the Wind.
Gone with the Wind.
Agency FB Regular typeface with some adjustments.
They loved the name because it is universal, that it could expand beyond streetwear and sneakers. Simon purchased the trademark and domain for USD$30,000 from one of the vendors where he originally bought his sneaker stock.
Their logo application so simple that it is hard to get wrong, as long as it utilises beautiful hip-hop inspired graphics inspired by cutting edge trends.
According to Simon Beard, what doesn’t work is when they try to focus on the science behind building things such as the website, rather than the art.
Justin Bieber showed up in 2013 long before they expected that they’d be recognised by celebrities, and paid attention to the effect his appearance had in energizing customers and staff, and creating buzz.
When Justin Bieber dropped in for a surprise visit at the height of his career, this one event and one photo created an enormous impact on Culture Kings’ visibility, and they have worked with celebrities since.
Expanding on an international scale was sped up by creating an online presence that was like their in-store experience. They create new artwork and videos every week. In fact, their graphics team have the kind of expectation to create an entire brand within a workday, create designs for exclusive merchandise collaborations and stay up to date with recreating the newest trends in graphics for the brand.
Unlike other streetwear retailers, Culture Kings is a destination rather than a mere retailer. It’s a rite of passage to young, cool celebrities that are fans of streetwear (Shopify, 2017).
