The Crooks and Castles clothing line is a hip hop streetwear brand that was founded in 2002 by two friends
named Dennis Calvero and Robert Panlilio. Calvero and Panlilio grew up together in
Los Angeles, California and they were daily witnesses to the criminal lifestyle. Gangs and other
criminal activity was everywhere in LA in the ‘80s and ‘90s. A lot of people were forced into
gang life because they felt like they didn’t have a better option or a way out. However, Calvero
and Panlilio noticed the independent fashion that was flourishing in Los Angeles. They dedicated
years to learn about the fashion industry with idea of creating their own company in mind. They
finally started Crooks and Castles clothing in 2002, however they still did not have any
concrete knowledge about how to run a clothing company.
The concept for Crooks and Castles clothing is inspired by the crooks that ran the streets of LA and had their castles and
riches to show for it. They integrate this crooked mentality into their designs by taking popular logos or icons from other fashion brands and incorporating the symbol into their own, and then adding a little twist to it. They use several detailed logos that are essentially similar to the logos of other well known labels.
The creators of Crooks and Castles clothing did not like that other brands only sold clothing in
the spending budget of consumers with fairly high incomes. However, Crooks and Castles tries to
bring a new element to the fashion industry at reasonable prices. Crooks and Castles clothing
reflects the interests of Calvero And Panlilio and also where they come from. The brand consists
of a variety of t-shirts, button down tops, jackets, hoodies, and accessories. Celebrities you
may catch wearing Crooks and Castles clothing are rappers Jay-Z, Fabolous, Rick Rose, Kanye West,
Ludacris, The Game, Lamar Odom, and Nas. They have all been spotted wearing Crooks and Castles
in the past. The line is easily recognized by its signature logo which is a chain link shaped
like the letter “C”. Crooks and Castles clothing is still trying to make their way to the
top of the fashion industry and they are doing it by being a “crook” in a creative and of
course sneaky way, in order to one day build their own castles.
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