"Ecko brings a sense of edgy wonder to his work."
"It is very rare to read an entire business book from cover to cover like you would a novel, and find within it a story that is so interesting and captivating that it immediately puts perspective on how you channel your own creativity and tell your own story. Unlabel is that book. At a time when every business person and company is forced to hustle and fight to be heard in a competitive world, Unlabel is the story of a man who clawed his way out of a garage and created a multi-million dollar company in the process. It is a success story, to be sure, but it’s one that shares the bruises, scars, and painful mistakes that every entrepreneur and business owner will experience (or some variation of) on the way to becoming his or her own authentic ‘brand.’"
"[This] media mogul made millions by leveraging his ability to find the next big thing."
"I've always believed that students should learn their trade from the masters—but there are times when you can't just follow what's come before. Marc Ecko designed his future while putting his own spin on history. He's fearless, and he built his brand out of his love of art and pop culture, without being seduced by nostalgia. Marc may have been inspired by Star Wars, but he made it his own – and no one has made Star Wars cooler than Ecko. His unique vision became a global force in fashion. For art and execution, this is the text book I wish I could have bought in college."
Very, very creative. More edge than most."
"Marc is living proof that you can be a marketing and business whiz and still be a true artist."
"Marc Ecko imposes no limits on himself, or his sources of inspiration."
"Grand harmonic pop-culture convergence. Ecko is at a crossroads. … The man is trying to step out from behind his rhino."
"Grand harmonic pop-culture convergence. Ecko is at a crossroads. … The man is trying to step out from behind his rhino."
Urbanwear king Ecko (founder of Ecko Unlimited and owner of Complex Media) narrates his rise to glory, thinly disguised as a how-to guide to true-to-yourself success. “I am a brand, but I am not a label... you too are a brand,” begins this overblown though beautifully designed and illustrated book-length ode to the author’s own greatness. Applying his “Authenticity Formula,” the reader can overcome fear, take action, follow his or her purpose, and execute on ideas. But this is just a prelude; the heart of the book is an exhaustive history of Ecko’s rise from goofy kid to entrepreneur selling his own airbrushed T-shirts. He charts the ups and downs of running a growing business, from his first breaks getting street cred from DJs and other influencers to figuring out the manufacturing and fulfillment processes, to eventually achieving hard-won fame. His overall message is positive: “Refuse to be labeled.” But the rest of his tossed-off advice is a sop thrown out to would-be entrepreneurs. This is hubris disguised as how-to. Agent: Matthew Carnicelli, Carnicelli Literary Management. (Sept.)
Grand harmonic pop-culture convergence. Ecko is at a crossroads … the man is trying to step out from behind his rhino."
"It is very rare to read an entire business book from cover to cover like you would a novel, and find within it a story that is so interesting and captivating that it immediately puts perspective on how you channel your own creativity and tell your own story. Unlabel is that book. At a time when every business person and company is forced to hustle and fight to be heard in a competitive world, Unlabel is the story of a man who clawed his way out of a garage and created a multi-million dollar company in the process. It is a success story, to be sure, but it’s one that shares the bruises, scars, and painful mistakes that every entrepreneur and business owner will experience (or some variation of) on the way to becoming his or her own authentic ‘brand.’"
"Marc is living proof that you can be a marketing and business whiz and still be a true artist."
Grand harmonic pop-culture convergence. Ecko is at a crossroads … the man is trying to step out from behind his rhino."
"[This] media mogul made millions by leveraging his ability to find the next big thing."
"Ecko brings a sense of edgy wonder to his work."
"The merging of different worlds is a recurring theme in Marc Ecko's life and in his work."
"Marc Ecko imposes no limits on himself, or his sources of inspiration."
“Very, very creative. More edge than most."
The author, founder of a billion-dollar clothing empire, offers his formula for keeping your brand real, overcoming fear, and turning your creative juices into bold action. Voice pro Todd Haberkorn sounds a lot like the author and captures every bit of Ecko's swagger and authenticity as he moves through this one-of-a-kind audio presentation. He’s most effective when delivering the author’s streetwise anecdotes, which are full of big-city attitude, memorable characters, and poignant reflections. The audio succeeds as a memoir as well as an entrepreneurial lesson because the rags-to-riches story is infused with appealing humility and optimism. This is an essential listen for creative people who have more desire than confidence when it comes to expressing themselves in the marketplace. T.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
2013-08-15
The man behind the iconic rhino logo weaves an interesting story employing alternating threads of entrepreneurial advice and autobiographical confession. When he was younger, few could have dreamed that the chubby kid busily aping graffiti culture in the garage of his parents' New Jersey home would one day rise to become one of the top purveyors of hip-hop cool in the country. But that's exactly what Ecko managed to accomplish in just a few scant years. From slinging airbrushed T-shirts in high school to hobnobbing with the Tommy Hilfigers of the world, Ecko and his partners--sister Marci and buddy Seth--built a clothing empire that still remains a sartorial force on the streets, even if the core group has fractured. Though he's taken more than a few wrong turns, the author doesn't flinch when laying down his entrepreneurial expertise. In fact, his "guts to skin, skin to the world" philosophy about self-branding is more potent given all the mistakes. In his role as entrepreneurial guru, Ecko is a sort of anti-Trump, using human frailty instead of unattainable omnificence to educate the next generation of dreamers. The author delivers a sobering inventory of screw-ups, ill-advised team-ups, lots of overexposure and overextension, as well as generous dollops of hubris and flat-out boneheaded maneuvers. Still, he stubbornly adheres to his philosophy of authenticity while sticking it to the clueless "gatekeepers." "My business plan for Ecko Airbrushing might have been technically naïve, but it did have this much going for it: my personal brand was massively authentic and relevant," he writes. Ideas about authenticity run deep throughout the book. Criticized throughout much of his career for allegedly co-opting established cultural touchstones, Ecko argues that what he has been doing all along is something more akin to sampling--just like the best MCs have done on their way to creating something legitimate and pure. A compelling how-to guide that also reads like a saucy celebrity exposé.
