Crooks and Castles

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  Men Crooks & Castles Accessories
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  Men Crooks & Castles Hoodies
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  Men Crooks & Castles Outerwear
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  Men Crooks & Castles Shirts

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  Crooks and Castles The Look At This Tee
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  Crooks and Castles The Medusa Zip Hoody
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  Crooks and Castles The Race Jersey Tee in Black
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  Crooks and Castles The Landing Type Tee in White
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  Crooks and Castles The Royal Jacket
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  Crooks and Castles The Royal Striped Button Hoody
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  Crooks and Castles The Graphite New Era Hat
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  Crooks and Castles The Nautic Jacket
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  Crooks and Castles The Ampersand Crew in White
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  Crooks and Castles The Snakecheck Hoody in Red

Growing up in the suburbs of Los Angeles during the 80’s and 90’s was a tumultuous time for the brains behind the label Crooks and Castles – Robert Panlilio and Dennis Calvero. While many individuals weren’t able to escape from the gang lifestyle, some were able to transcend what they learned growing up on the streets into something profitable and lucrative. As for the founders of Crooks and Castles, they chose to take the path that would lead them to something positive.

The independent fashion and graphic brands in the mid 90’s were just some of the inspirations of the label. Despite the fact that the founders weren’t officially trained to hold a business, much more a clothing company, they have managed to learn about the ins and outs of the business.

In 2002, the partners opened Crooks and Castles to bring a different twist to the existing streetwear business and to create a lifestyle brand which reflects their own interests. Coming from the founders themselves, “We’ve been around for awhile just playing the background but now we’re starting to shine. Since we started we’ve pushed the same graphics and styles to thoroughly instill branding but now we’re moving towards a more creative, experimental lifestyle.” Although the brand took a short hiatus, it was relaunched in 2004, and has not stopped gaining success ever since.

The name Crooks and Castles, in fact, was inspired by their life in LA. “Crooks” meant criminals, hustlers, pimps, thieves and other hoodlums, while “Castles” meant those who got filthy rich by becoming a crook. Prominent families like the Vanderbilts, Carnegies, and Rockellers, including Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates inspired the label’s gritty asthetic to become the “next rich crook.”

As the Panlilio and Calvero put it, “Behind every Castle stands a Crook. Meaning behind every Empire, someone did something crooked to achieve their goal. Castles represents our goal, for every street hustler, entrepreneur, or mogul. We’re all crooks in some way, some just choose not to show their true colors…”

Crooks and Castles is known for breathing new life to a familiar logo or icon like labels of high fashion brands. As a way of asserting its righteousness, Crooks and Castles takes the label and make it its own. Some of the brand’s staunch patrons include the biggest names in the hip hop business: Scott Storch, Big Boi of Outkast, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nas and Kanye West.

In its effort to serve up something fresh everyday, Crooks and Castles has collaborated with Vans to come up with a trendy sneaker which features an exclusive red and green color scheme. The limited edition shoe is only available at the label’s official website, www.crooksncastles.com and at the brand’s flagship store, located at Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California.

The 1,200-square meter space near Fred Segal and Kid Robot is a 2-story space of Crooks and Castles heaven. The ground floor is open to the general public who want to view or avail of the products. The mezzanine, on the other hand, is a special place for VIP guests who want their own private shopping haven.

With regard to the 2007 flagship store opening, co-founder Dennis Calvero said: “With the demand for the brand increasing more and more over the past few seasons we felt the timing was right to open a retail space. We are very excited about building a lifestyle destination where fans of the brand can drop by, shop for the latest Crooks product, and hang out with friends.”

Looks like Crooks and Castles is finally able to get its own ‘castle’ – so buy your own merchandise now before the stock runs out!