Rich & Rotten is currently one of the fastest-growing urban brands in the fashion industry, featuring a high-quality, slim-cut take on traditional streetwear. The brand originated in late 2012 with a handful of pieces that gathered the attention of consumers and celebrities alike, and since then, it has continued to outshine competitors in the highly over-saturated market. Owner and lead designer, Hamed Jalaly, has given us an inside look at how this minority-owned brand has made such a splash in the urban fashion world.
“When [my team and I] were thinking about creating the brand, we knew we probably weren’t going to be able to come up with anything new. But, we thought that maybe we could recreate something that was already on the market and make it better,” Jalaly said. Rather than going with the well-known boxy t-shirts and overly baggy pants that streetwear is known for, the Rich & Rotten team found a way to “give streetwear a facelift”. The styles would be more flattering to the body and give a simple tee more of a sophisticated feel. But the most important part of it all, according to the owner, was creating designs that told a story and felt relevant to the customer.
Rich & Rotten truly embodies a ‘lifestyle brand’ in the sense that it is created to reflect Jalaly’s difficult past and painful personal journey. When asked what part of his story inspired him to create the company, he simply responded by saying he’d reached a point where he finally realized he had made one too many decisions he wasn’t proud of, and in turn, he was committed to turning his life around and making an impact. He wanted Rich & Rotten to represent the balance of life’s beautiful riches far beyond wealth, along with embracing all the struggles behind reaching success. The designs on their graphic tees each carried a unique message with the purpose of teaching, inspiring, or sparking an important conversation. Some of the topics also included messages regarding the topics of racism, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Our approach is to tell impactful stories for a bigger meaning,” Jalaly explained. “We hope to inspire the next generation as we ignite these very important conversations that need to be had,” he added. And without a doubt, the lifestyle brand’s designs have been a riveting success in doing just that. Not only has the line been popular amongst consumers, but several celebrities including Diddy, Meek Mill, Deray, and Ty Dolla $ign have also been spotted wearing R&R.
Since its debut in 2012, the company has expanded into a full collection of pieces from tops to bottoms and has even added an accessories line. It also recently released its women’s line, which can be found along with the rest of the line on www.richandrotten.com. In addition, the brand’s flagship store in Los Angeles has recently expanded, and it now holds a lineup of shoes to go with the collection. As for the future, Jalaly says the company will continue in its efforts to grow and inspire, along with taking time to give back to its local community.