Dope Couture (est. 2007) is a streetwear brand founded by students at Indiana University.[1] As of 2020 it is based in Los Angeles, California.

DOPE
Product typeFashion, Music, Streetwear, Sneaker and Skateboard Culture
OwnerRob Gough
Introduced2007
Tagline"No Dope, No Hope."
Websitehttp://dope.com/

The company was founded by Matt Fields, Mike Schmidt, Edan Boukai, and Chris Mart.[2] Field has been listed as the original director and designer.[3]

The Dope brand has gotten exposure by way of hip-hop performers, including P Diddy, Jay-Z, Big Sean, Wale, Talib Kweli, Lil Xan, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, Kendrick Lamar, and Kid Ink.[4] Exposure on the Internet earned Dope a ranking in the top 500 of the Inc. 5000 with $5.4 million in revenue in 2013.[5]

Along with an e-commerce store, Dope Couture operated brick and mortar stores in Bloomington, Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana, and a flagship store located in Los Angeles, California, all of which have since been closed.[6][7][8]

In 2017, the company was acquired by actor and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Rob Gough, with plans to expand the apparel business into womenswear and to branch out into cannabidiol products and smoking accessories.[9][10] In 2020, Gough announced his plans to transition the business from apparel into a fully cannabidiol company by June of 2021.[11] In November of 2020, Swedish outdoor-wear retailer[12] Ridestore acquired Dope's US and Canada Dope clothing trademark profile from Gough's company, Epod America LLC.[13]

References edit

  1. ^ "Chicago Hip Hop Music + Culture | Since 2008". Ruby Hornet. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  2. ^ "Dope Couture - Elist10". SoJones. Sojones.com. 2009-08-28. Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  3. ^ Wang, Andrew (2016-12-01). "Interview x Matt Fields - Founder of Dope Couture -". Life & Blog of a Videographer, Digital Entrepreneur in Shanghai. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  4. ^ "Dope Couture Founder Talks Artist Relationships, Four-Finger Rings and More". XXL Mag. June 1, 2012. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  5. ^ Yakowicz, Will (2014-09-25). "The Top 10 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in Los Angeles". Inc.com. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  6. ^ "Dope Couture Founder Talks Artist Relationships, Four-Finger Rings and More". XXL Mag. June 1, 2012. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  7. ^ "INFO". Archived from the original on February 16, 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  8. ^ "About". Dope. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  9. ^ "Rob Gough: Serial Entrepreneur & Owner of Dope". The Founder Hour | Podcast. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  10. ^ Ayanarashed (2017-05-17). "Actor Rob Gough Talks About His Acquisition Of The Streetwear Brand Dope And Future Plans". The Source. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  11. ^ "EPOD Sells Apparel Brand". money.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  12. ^ "Ridestore AB - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  13. ^ AB, Ridestore. "Ridestore AB has acquired the Dope clothing trademarks in USA and Canada". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2020-12-18.