Marc Ecko has quietly turned Ecko into one of the premier urban clothing lines, and with Complex, he’s one of the few hip-hop entrepreneurs to successfully sustain a magazine (Remember Diddy’s short-lived Notorious and Dame Dash’s America?)

The former graffiti writer is in a new Portfolio interview and talks about how he started Ecko with a Yoda-Like lesson he got from a stoner weed head. This guy taught him how to print t-shirts, quality-wise, the way those Nike guys were doing it.

Marc said it was the best advice he ever got in his life.

The lesson being..

“Success and mentors show up sometime and they don’t necessarily look or dress the part. In business, especially today, you can’t discern what they’re going to look like before you meet them. And you certainly shouldn’t discriminate against them. All of your preconceived notions of what was.. who they should be, those players and thought leaders.. they don’t necessarily show up and bestow you with the blessings of information.”

Hey Marc! When is this store gonna open?

 

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It’s already been 3 three years with that “Under Construction” wrapping.