[2][1][3] At age 16, Williams started designing clothes after learning the essential handcraft at his father's company.
[7] They made no profit at this location, and after the shop was robbed, they moved to Hollywood, where he started selling catalogs for $2 that he and his partner had put together.
He was inspired by his passion for hip hop music and fashion and decided to design clothes that appealed to a large public, including friends and celebrities from his hometown Brooklyn, New York.
In addition to his old partners, Kani now faced a marketing onslaught from hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons's Phat Farm and a number of mainstream clothiers.
He also had reason to worry that his involvement in Cross Colours might taint his operation in the minds of retailers.
"[6] Staying ahead of fashion counterfeiters who aped his signature and sold cheaper versions of his clothes, Kani began fastening a metal-and-leather plate to his product.
[10] After some resistance from the people who made the plates, Kani decided to go ahead with it and it turned out to be his best-selling jeans ever.
The idea for the big & tall line came to Kani after numerous conversations with National Basketball Association stars, who complained that they could not fit into much of his merchandise.
Kani Ladies offers a wide range of jeans, dresses, shorts, tops and more.
The brand has been featured in fashion magazines like Cosmogirl, Elle Girl, and Glamour, and TV shows like the Idols franchise.
Kani has been called "The godfather of hip-hop clothes", and paved the way for other hip hop fashion brands.