Cross Colours Walked So You Can Look Fly

Courtney Richardson
20 August 2020

Founded in 1989, streetwear brand Cross Colours has always used fashion as a form of protest. With its bright dynamic designs, social messaging and hip-hop influence, the brand was created to unite Black and brown communities during a time of national unrest, fighting racial injustice, police brutality and the war on drugs.

Rooted in producing "Clothing Without Prejudice," the Cross Colours mission proves just as pivotal today as it was three decades ago.
The brainchild of creative geniuses Carl Jones and Thomas "TJ" Walker, Cross Colours dominated the late '80s and '90s, with their signature baggy pants, baseball caps and oversized shirts making appearances on Black cult-favorite films and TV shows like In Living Color, Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Menace II Society. The brand was quickly embraced by notable names including Will Smith, TLC, Muhammed Ali, Mary J. Blige and Raven-Symoné and now it's seeing a resurgence with younger celebs including Rihanna, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Drake, Jhenè Aiko, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Diplo, Zoë Kravitz and more.

Cross Colours started during a time when race relations in the US were tense, the war on drugs had begun and the AIDS epidemic was taking a toll. Tell me what it means to have launched during a time when so much healing was needed?

TJ: Cross Colours was established in turbulence. The drug abuse, the AIDS epidemic, the gang violence — those issues were an integral part of why we thought Cross Colours was necessary. Carl and I have gotten comfortable navigating turbulent times. Honestly, that's when we do some of our best work. When there are issues to address, that's when we're inspired.

Carl: Things have always been turbulent. And in my mind, things were always a bit stressful and turbulent. It comes with the territory when you're doing something new. Trying to carve out space for our clothing line and our message, it wasn't easy. Everything about what we were doing was considered controversial; everything we said, everything we did. You learn to navigate that space.