Ksubi

founded by

Dan Single and George Gorrow

belongs to

Dan Single and George Gorrow

about

Ksubi (formerly known as Tsubi) is an Australian fashion label, co-founded and directed by surfers Dan Single, George Gorrow, Paul Wilson and Oscar Wright.

Created in 2000, Dan Single and George Gorrow (who spent most of their spare time surfing and playing in a band), were unsatisfied with the range of jeans on the market and couldn't find pairs that fit properly. Under the name Tsubi, they started manufacturing their jeans and denim.

Ksubi made its international debut in London in 2002, with an installation held in the depths of an abandoned tube station at Aldwych. Following this, Ksubi became a contender in the fashion league with their in-store installation at Selfridges Department store in London alongside the likes of Stella McCartney, Martin Margiela and Marc Jacobs. (Selfridges have since dropped ksubi due to a string of late deliveries)

Ksubi has four official stores, and their garments, jeans and eyewear are sold in boutiques around the world.

In 2006, a collaborative project with U.S. style icon and fashion designer, Jeremy Scott titled �Jeremy Loves Ksubi� was shown at Scott�s New York Fashion Week parade alongside his own collection. The collection received rave reviews from the fashion media, and will be available worldwide from April 2007.

Previewing at London Fashion Week in September 2007 was Ksubi�s latest collaboration�"Ksubi for Richard Nicoll sunglasses SS08," designed by Nicoll, made by Ksubi. The eyewear collection consists of three styles and draws colour from Nicoll�s collection.

Ksubi has three stores in Australia - two in the Sydney suburbs of Bondi and Paddington and one in Melbourne. In 2005, Ksubi opened its first international store in the fashionable New York downtown Nolita district of Soho with a launch party that attracted the likes of models such as Erin Wasson, and the 2 Many DJs crew. Guests were entertained by the DJ sets of Paddy Boom from the Scissor Sisters, The Rapture, Dangerous Dan, James Friedman and Australian band Cut Copy, performing live.

On 4 March 2008 Ksubi launched its first online store, developed by strategic design agency Reactive.

In 2006, Single and Gorrow reached an out-of-court settlement with US shoe company Tsubo, who threatened to sue Tsubi following a trademark infringement dispute. Tsubo argued in a New York court that Tsubi's use of the first four letters of its name was a breach of its trademark, which was established in 1998 and had been registered in Australia before Tsubi was created. The dispute settlement terms means Tsubi will keep its name in Australia but will now be known as Ksubi in the rest of the world. While the brand, which thrives on notoriety, was not damaged by the name change, there was a lot of talk in the media about the daunting task facing Single and Gorrow - rebranding the label to the rest of the world and creating a new identity and name recognition for the new brand name, Ksubi.

The label hit headlines around the world in 2001 when they unleashed 200 live rats onto the catwalk, and is now known for its rebellious and attention-grabbing antics, such as warehouse installations, late-night booty bar parties, boat fashion shows (where they pushed all of the models into the water), and, more recently, 2006's futuristic parade and post-apocalyptic inspired collection at Australian Fashion Week. It's now reported that they are in $8 million (AUD) debt to their manufacturers after being reported in the BRW Rich List of 2008 as having a combined worth of $24 million (AUD).

In 2006, Single and Gorrow designed and released a diffusion line of fashion for Australian chain-store Jeans West called Alba Fan Club. Originally planned as a cheaper and limited-edition label, due to its success and popularity in Australia and New Zealand the designers are now contemplating a wider international market for the brand. Alba Fan Club has featured in the August 2007 issue of Nylon magazine.