History of Sean John Clothing

Owned by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs's Bad Boy Entertainment Group, Sean John Clothing, Inc. is a designer and marketer of men's, boy's, and women's apparel. Sean Jean Clothing caters to customers aged between 12 and 45, selling its apparel through retailers such as Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Belk's, Carson Pirie Scott, Bernini, and Fred Segal. The company also operates its own store in New York City, the first of what is expected to be a chain of company-owned retail outlets.

Origins

Sean John Combs's eponymous apparel company represented one facet of a business empire that ranked the hip-hop mogul as the wealthiest entertainer under 40 in the United States. Combs's rise in the business world was exceptionally quick and boundless in scope, beginning with an internship that, a decade later, evolved into annual salary of more than $300 million. Sean John Clothing represented a sizeable portion of that fortune. The company was an expression of the personality and vision of its founder, and, as such, the history of Sean John Clothing was one part of the story of Sean John Combs's remarkable rise in the business world.

Combs was born in Harlem in 1969, the son of Melvin and Janice Combs. Melvin Combs was killed when Sean was two years old, the victim of a homicide, which prompted Janice Combs to take Sean and his sister Keisha to a safer environment. Janice Combs moved the family to Mt. Vernon, New York, where she worked three jobs to support her two children. Sean Combs attended Mount Vernon Montessori School and Mount Saint Michael Academy, where he earned a nickname that millions of music fans would come to know a decade later. When he was playing football, Combs had a tendency to expand his chest in an effort to intimidate others, a habit that led his teammates to call him "Puffy."

After leaving Mount Saint Michael, Combs enrolled at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He began pursuing a business degree, but an internship at Uptown Records in New York City diverted his attention away from his studies, prompting him to leave Howard University after two years. Combs now focused entirely on making a name for himself at Uptown Records, and in the process he quickly becoming a driving force in the city's hip-hop scene. One year, after starting as an intern at the company, Combs served as Uptown Records' director of A&R (Artists and Repertoire), a position that made him responsible for scouting, signing, and promoting music talent. At 21 years old, he was charged with ensuring that the debut albums of artists Jodeci and Mary J. Blige were hits. Combs succeeded, lending his vision of urban youth to help create a new niche within the hip-hop genre, making Jodeci and Mary J. Blige the new stars of hip-hop soul.

Combs left Uptown Records in 1993, ready to start his own business in the music industry. He signed an exclusive agreement with Clive Davis of Arista Records to distribute the recordings of artists signed to his newly formed record label, Bad Boy Entertainment, a business that began in Combs's home. Starting out, Combs had two artists, Craig Mack and his friend and frequent collaborator Christopher Wallace. Craig Mack's album was the first recording released by Bad Boy Entertainment and sold more than one million copies. However, the breakthrough moment for Combs's record label arrived with the introduction of Wallace's monikers to the record-buying public. Ready to Die marked the debut release by "Notorious B.I.G.," one of the names ("Biggie Smalls" was the other) used by Wallace. This release sold well over one million copies, earning the "multi-platinum" distinction used by the recording industry.

The success of Ready to Die confirmed Combs's reputation as a skillful producer, arranger, and manager in the recording industry. Soon after, he was inundated with requests from other artists to lend his touch to their work. Mariah Carey turned to Combs for production help, as did TLC, Lil Kim, and Usher, fanning the legitimacy and expansion of Bad Boy Entertainment. Combs's growing reputation and power gave his company the leverage to negotiate a 1996 joint venture with Arista Records that resulted in a rarely heard of 50-50 split between the two labels. Continuing to rise in professional stature, Combs signed, developed, and produced albums for a string of artists such as Faith Evans, the female trio Total, and the male vocal group 112, all of which earned the platinum designation. Combs then began a recording career himself, releasing his first single, Cant Nobody Hold Me Down, in January 1997 under the name "Puff Daddy." His next venture involved forming an apparel company that operated under the corporate umbrella of Bad Boy Entertainment Group, the corporate entity that governed all of Combs's business ventures.