Display of Power: How FUBU Changed a World of Fashion, Branding and Lifestyle [Hardcover]

Daymond John (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 6, 2007

With worldwide distribution, the FUBU brand is an international symbol of empowerment and success, standing as a blueprint for young business people looking to chart their own course.

In Display of Power: How FUBU Changed a World of Fashion, Branding and Lifestyle, Daymond John (Founder and CEO) gets to the heart of his unlikely run to the top of the fashion world, and shines compelling light on what it takes to succeed-from the dizzying street corners of his old neighborhood to the dazzling corner offices of corporate America-and what it takes to harness and display the power that resides in us all.

"Daymond John is a driven, visionary leader who is not afraid to take risks. This brief glimpse into his life and mind is also a look at the new generation of CEOs. If you want to own your own business, or if you're a veteran executive who wants to know the mindset of this changing world, Daymond walks you through in Display of Power. A must read." -Russell Simmons, Media Mogul

"Daymond John brings his signature style to the world of books, and Display of Power is a must-read for anyone wondering how a kid from Hollis, Queens could climb to the very top rungs of the fashion industry." -Montel Williams, TV Talk Show Host

"This book details the amazing story of how FUBU inspired a new generation of entrepreneurs. The brand's success reaches across the globe to more then 60 countries. In Korea, FUBU is the #1 sports casual brand with over 70 stores. Daymond John's story is an inspiration to businessmen and women worldwide." -Soo Kee Lee Sr., Managing Director, Samsung Corporation

"Display of Power is a remarkable read for all. Daymond John's story is more than how the fashion world was turned inside out by FUBU. It's a lesson on how to overcome obstacles in life and how to unleash your latent talents to make your dreams come true. It's also a very valuable tool for the business world-from start-up companies finding their way, to large companies where policies and politics can often smother the entrepreneurial spirit. And finally, it's a story of how the crucible of life experiences formed the pathway for John to create the exceptional lifestyle brand we know as FUBU!" -Don Franceschini, Vice Chairman [Ret.], Sara Lee Corporation

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

John, the founder and CEO of fashion label FUBU, presents the inspiring story of his life, from his upbringing as a poor black youth to his rise as a fashion juggernaut, recently ranked #15 in men's magazine Details' "50 Most Influential Men," and presented a Crain's Business "Top Forty Under Forty Award." Born into a broken home in Queens, New York, John grew up hustling for money. Always interested in hip-hop and the latest fashion, John got his break selling "urban clothes" at hip hop tours, introducing New York style and trends to the rest of the country. Soon, John went private, creating his own brand name, FUBU-originally BUFU, By Us For Us, until the name got switched around-that would soon become as much an icon of hip-hop as the stars he sought to emulate. An inspirational tale for any reader, John specifically reaches out to aspiring black entrepreneurs, showing them how they too can achieve their goals. Business advice is speckled throughout the text, drawn from such disparate places as the kitchen of Red Lobster (demonstrating the importance of small increments in pricing) to the top of Trump Towers (the importance of branding). Informative and well-written, and less self-congratulatory than its title would suggest, this is a worthwhile read for aspiring businessmen, fashionistas and laymen alike.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Daymond John is a driven, visionary leader who is not afraid to take risks. This brief glimpse into his life and mind is also a look at the new generation of CEOs. If you want to own your own business, or if you're a veteran executive who wants to know the mindset of this changing world, Daymond walks you through in Display of Power. A must read." -Russell Simmons, Media Mogul "Daymond John brings his signature style to the world of books, and Display of Power is a must-read for anyone wondering how a kid from Hollis, Queens could climb to the very top rungs of the fashion industry." -Montel Williams, TV Talk Show Host "This book details the amazing story of how FUBU inspired a new generation of entrepreneurs. The brand's success reaches across the globe to more then 60 countries. In Korea, FUBU is the #1 sports casual brand with over 70 stores. Daymond John's story is an inspiration to businessmen and women worldwide." -Soo Kee Lee Sr., Managing Director, Samsung Corporation. "Display of Power is a remarkable read for all. Daymond John's story is more than how the fashion world was turned inside out by FUBU. It's a lesson on how to overcome obstacles in life and how to unleash your latent talents to make your dreams come true. It's also a very valuable tool for the business world-from start-up companies finding their way, to large companies where policies and politics can often smother the entrepreneurial spirit. And finally, it's a story of how the crucible of life experiences formed the pathway for John to create the exceptional lifestyle brand we know as FUBU!" -Don Franceschini, Vice Chairman [Ret.], Sara Lee Corporation. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595558535
• ISBN-13: 978-1595558534
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Arts & Photography > Fashion

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Find it hard to recommend, February 28, 2011

By 

IcyH (Georgia, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Display of Power: How FUBU Changed a World of Fashion, Branding and Lifestyle (Hardcover)

I don't agree with another reviewer that the book was ghetto. It was a good illustration of what many black males feel like they have to resort to to make a dollar. I am proud of the fact that his company starting from making hats to a multimillion dollar company. I even have a FUBU jacket which I bought because I was proud of the name of the company, "For Us, By Us." (and it's very fashionable). However, I got six or so chapters in and, even though he was getting his business off the ground, he still had that hustle mentality where he was engaged activities that still had traces of being barely legal or outright illegal. I kept waiting for the moment where once his company finally got off the ground, and he could finally be above board, but I haven't seen it yet and I suppose I have to give the book some time. I read books about entrepreneurs, especially black entrepreneurs regularly. I do seem to find a pattern that, when a sista starts a business, usually it follows the story of her learning on the fly with each mistake and each expansion- but not necessarily doing illegal things. In this book, because of the way he was raised by his mother, he was raised to know better than to engage in some of the activities he did to make money in his teens and young adulthood. I also disliked that he would make assertions like after the makers of Cristal disassociated themselves with black consumers, that there was this mass boycott of it in the black community. That's fine to say if it's backed up with facts or articles attesting to that. It was written conversationally, so I figure that the co-author took a bunch of interviews and fashioned them into a book. What I will say that stuck with me positively was his statement by his mother saying, "It's takes just as much energy to not do anything as it does to try to do something." Basically saying it takes as much effort to be poor as it does to strive to be rich.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought the book was insightful and intelligent. A good read., April 4, 2007

By 

Daryl Bobo (Africa, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Display of Power: How FUBU Changed a World of Fashion, Branding and Lifestyle (Hardcover)

I read this book in two sittings, which in it's self should say, this is a good book. I also read the first ladies' "Mr. Stereotype" review and I had to retort.

This book to me seems to me like an account in Mr. John's life up to a couple years ago. He did not come across and a street thug but more as a struggling black man working on making it in America (he worked at Red Lobster) . I think young lady missed the point, and in turn a lot the knowledge that was passed along in the book like about taking chances, running with new ideas and believing in yourself. The story that was told in this book needs to be heard. There are not to many positive words of encouragement addressed to the hip hop nation, and this is one of them. Young enterpuernuers across the world should tip their hat to this gentleman and persons like the young lady whom wrote the first review, should read the book again.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Queens to High Fashion Down Town, March 3, 2007

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Display of Power: How FUBU Changed a World of Fashion, Branding and Lifestyle (Hardcover)

It is said that all markets are niches. Daymond John found a niche and has been able to really make it pay off. His niche is identified by the name of the company - FUBU - For Us By Us. Mr. John has been able to find a position in the high powered, fast moving world of the fashion industry.

As a young black man in Queens, you would have thought that his chances of spending a life in prison were higher than runing a fashion empire - and they probably were. But through an understanding of power and the appearance of power he was able to move out of Queens, a long ways out.

Two points about the book stand out to me. First was the number of ventures that he worked in while trying to find what fit. An MBA student studies case histories of businesses to (hopefully) help the student learn from others. Mr. day lived them instead. Some were marginally successful, some were less so. But from each he learned, and learned better than the MBA student could possibly learn.

Second Mr. Day seemed to have from the beginning an innate understanding that displaying power, the appearance of power is what makes it work in his space. I was reminded of Arthur Miller 1949 play 'Death of a Salesman,' where the guy is out there 'riding a smile and a shoeshine.' Mr. Day's world is different, but perhaps in detail only.