NFL Draws Fashion Plays With Former Graffiti Artist

SOUTH RIVER, NJó Marc Echo will soon enter the risky realm of sports licensing. But odds are heíll score as big as he has in the world of fashion.
At 26, the former graffiti artist who attended Rutgers College of Pharmacy has quickly established himself as one of the major players in urban fashion with hip, edgy and artistic designs.
Itís no wonder the NFL, which has seen itís licensed product business slow down in the past few years versus the explosive growth it experienced in the late í80s and early í90s, has recruited Echo to produce fashion-forward, NFL licensed products for the 2000-í01 season under the Ecko Unlimited brand.
ìA lot of people are calling him the next Tommy Hilfiger,î said Brian McCarthy, manager of corporate communications at NFL Properties.
But according to Echo, he has a style unto himself, which distinguishes his work from his competition.
ìWeíre an urban-minded lifestyle brand versus an urban ethnic grounded spin,î Echo said. ìWeíve established this consumer culture around Ecko [Unlimited] that follows our artistic designs. Itís kind of Zen-like, which is indicative of how kids are responding today.î
Both Echo and the NFL believe consumers will embrace his licensed merchandise in much the same way.
ìI think the NFL and licensed products need help. And this is an easy victory for me. Iím hitting kids who are influencers and taste makers. Itís about product. This will be about fashion,î Echo said.
Retailers who carry the Ecko Unlimited brand agree that Echo is a good ìdraft pickî for NFL Properties.
ìMarc has always taken [his designs] to the next level. You get every type of customer with this brand,î said Adam Whalen, a senior buyer at Mr. Rags in Seattle, WA.
What really sold Echo on working with NFL Properties is the leagueís tremendous art archive, which has been ìvirtually untouchedî outside of publishing, he said.
ìWhen I saw the eagerness of [senior VP] Chuck Zona and [president] Sara Levinson to adapt to a new climate and let me be that guy for them, I was really excited,î Echo added.
So for next football season, Echo said heíll produce ìconversational sweaters, leather and prints centered around that art archive that other licensees donít have access to.î
This season, the NFL will target the fashion customer with a line of urban apparel through its existing licensee G-III, which has partnered with BET Design Studios.
However, that line will be distributed at mid-tier stores whereas the Ecko product will be at the high end.
ìThis is a new business weíve developed to key in on specific areas of apparel that we havenít addressed in the past,î said NFL Properties senior manager Dana Johnson. ìSome people say weíre overlicensed in some areas. But weíre also underlicensed in some.î (Football)