Progressive~Fresh

A seasoned player in the urban streetwear game, CRUNK CLOTHING CO.™ stays true to its roots while expanding the brand into new frontiers such as Mixed Martial Arts, Football, Skate, BMX and Dance culture.  Creating such bold move is not easy, even for a brand with a solid street cred.  If you’re a fan of original streetwear designs or maybe an aspiring clothing designer, get your inspiration here, as Maurice “ENY$E” Rutledge, founder of CRUNK CLOTHING CO.™ shares his humble background and his success with SoJones.com.
Introduce yourself and describe how your brand was started?
I’m the Founder, Maurice “ENY$E” Rutledge.  CRUNK CLOTHING CO.™ was founded in 2001.  We are a full fledged Denim & Sportswear Brand.  We target street-level tastemakers with discriminating tastes age 18-35.
Oddly enough, I started the brand during my sophomore year at UNLV with $200 that was supposed to be used to pay my light bill.  I was tired of working for Polo Ralph Lauren for an 8% commission on sales and strived to create my own brand that payed me 100%.  I was an underdog in society, so I wanted to create a brand that represented their voice and personified their aspirations.
Describe this season’s theme for your line. Include any sources of inspiration (examples: 80’s punk, muses like Amber Rose, 70’s disco bands, Kanye, etc)
The theme for my Spring 2010 Collection is MAYHEM.  The Inspiration comes from Atlanta Hip Hop Icons.  There is popular street slanguage that rappers like Young Jeezy use, in the context of “Going Hamm” on all the competition.  It’s riveting and forceful and I applied this approach while creating my Spring 2010 MAYHEM Collection.  And of course Lil Jon, The King of Crunk!!!

XTREME SPORTS DIVISION (CRUNK XSD) - Expanding our brand presence into the fastest growing segment(s) of the sports industry: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Football, Skate, BMX, & Dance Culture.
Our tag line: Culture . Energy . Triumph, encompasses the philosophy and mission of the brand.  Our mantra is simple; Do You, Take Action, and Live Triumphantly!
Any product placements on celebs to keep an eye out for (examples: publicity photos, magazines, movies, music videos etc)
We current have a Spring 2010 Ad with DJ Aaries “The Hulk” Voted 2009 “Impact DJ of the Year” and Nominated in 2010 for “#1 DJ in The South” by the Southern Entertainment Awards (SEA Awards).  He is most notably known for winning Roc-A-Wearsnational “I Will Not Loose Campaign” in 2008.
Sin City’s #! Mixtape Series Hustler’s Pair-A-Dice is the brain child of the designer/owner ENY$E.  I basically used my design skills to create a brand of mixtapes that promotes National & Local artists in an un-restricted format.  Volume 3 drops Tuesday Feb 16th.


What has been a surprise fashion hit over the last year? (a particular piece, a look or even another brand)
I really dig Supra kicks.  They are forward thinking and they don’t alienate themselves by excluding street-level tastemakers.  They are a great source of inspiration as far as their creativity and knack for business.
What current fashion trend would you like to see thrown overboard?
Skinny Jeans…lol.  Please lighten up fellas.  Only Coal turns to Diamonds with compacted pressure, your balls unfortunately do not…lol

What is/was one of your most prized fashion pieces, past or present?
Our CRUNK XSD tee is our most prized piece.  After 9 years in the fashion business it shows our growth potential and expands our market reach to include MMA fans, undeniably the fastest growing fan base in the world.
TuPac or Biggie?
TuPac, he empathized with his audience and he was the ultimate Underdog.  His success made us all feel as tho we can reach higher goals one day if we harness our talents and never compromise our ideals.  Money only sustains you for so long…
Feelin’ CRUNK CLOTHING CO.™ yet?  You can view the full collection at the brand’s website at http://crunkonline.com. Here are a few of SoJones.com’s favorites from the 9-year strong brand: