In the early days of hip hop, a graffiti artist from New York known as Shirt King Phade created a following with his custom airbrushed t-shirts.  In the Eighties, Edwin “Phade” Sacasa transferred his passion for graffiti from the surface of trains to the surface of t- shirts.

Fabric became his new canvas and soon enough, Shirt King Phade, along with his partners “the Shirt Kings”, transferred street culture and street art onto clothing becoming the first to commercialize their graffiti. Some say this was the birth of the streetwear concept.

Customization was the hallmark of the Shirt Kings. For every piece and customer, the graffiti was custom-made. Always painted with airbrush, the Shirt King style is immediately recognizable. Remixing pop culture elements and icons, we see Mickey Mouse sporting a gold chain while smoking, the Pink Panther reclining on a champagne bottle, and more. Through their vision, cartoons became badass, and a part of the foundation of graffiti streetwear.

After opening a store in Queens at the Coliseum Mall, the shop became iconic in the hip-hop scene, in the same way Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s SEX shop was to the punk scene. Some of the hip-hop’s biggest stars began passing through their doors. From the likes of Jay Z, Jam Master Jay and RZA, Phade and the Shirt Kings’ apparel found their way into several of these artists’ visual media helping to create some of hip-hop’s most iconic images.

Today, Shirt King Phade continues to work with the biggest names in hip-hop, Hollywood, and beyond. His artwork has undoubtedly transcended boundaries, and influenced style movements. Phade has collaborated with the biggest names in streetwear including Supreme, Stüssy, Nike, Champion, and others.

For more information and the history of Shirt King Phade and the Shirt Kings, check out Phade’s book entitled, Shirt Kings: Pioneers of Hip Hop Fashion, co-written by journalist, Alain Ket. The book highlights the history of the brand, the original store, and features never-before-seen photographs of their art.