Marc Ecko


Marc Louis Ecko is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, and artist. He is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of fashion company Ecko Unlimited. He also founded Complex magazine in 2002.

Early life and education

Milecofsky was born in New Jersey on August 29 1972. He was brought up with his twin Marci and an older sister, Shari, in suburban Lakewood, New Jersey, where his father was a pharmacist and his mother was a real estate broker. In 1996, Milecofsky legally changed his name to Ecko; he had intended to use "Echo", a name he was known by at home, but since he wanted to build a brand out of the name and the name "Echo" was already taken, he settled on the alternate spelling.
Ecko entered Rutgers University's School of Pharmacy in New Brunswick, New Jersey after high school. During his time in college he painted graffiti and practiced drawing, taking "Ecko" for his name. In his third year, the school's dean encouraged Ecko to take a year off and pursue art.

Career

In 1993, Ecko started Ecko Unltd. as a T-shirt company, with small investments from his sister and a friend, Seth Gerszberg. He traveled to Hong Kong to learn about the clothing industry. Early clients Spike Lee and Chuck D helped bring attention to his fledgling business, as did a Good Morning America segment that featured his T-shirt designs. The company expanded further into hip-hop and skater styles, and began to sport a rhinoceros logo.
Ecko's businesses have expanded to include Complex magazine, video and social gaming, and venture capital.
Ecko was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Council of Fashion Designers of America ; the youngest designer to do so. Since 2010, he has been a member of the Emeritus Board.
In 2008, he created the new jackets for the Iron Chefs on Iron Chef America.

Personal life

Ecko is Jewish. In 2000, Ecko married Allison Rojas. They have three children and live in Bernardsville, New Jersey.

Philanthropy

In 2011 Ecko started Unlimited Justice, a social activism campaign which opposed corporal punishment in U.S. schools.

Published work

On October 1, 2013, Ecko released an autobiographical business book, Unlabel: Selling You Without Selling Out.