Why did they sue us?

My name is Jürgen Wolf. I founded Homeboy in 1988.

Streetwear. Before the word even existed.
In 1991, Homeboy was the first brand in the world to sell baggy jeans. We had sewn a thick, brightly striped tab onto the back pockets of our pants. On a whim. The pants were extra large, and so was the tab.
For 35 years, nobody cared.
Now mail arrived from San Francisco. Levi's Corporate. Backed by lawyers. They claimed the tab belonged to them, exclusively, worldwide.
Homeboy is not a corporation. We cannot afford a huge team of lawyers and fight for years. Levi's Jeans can. They put massive pressure on us, and before we would have had to close the company, I gave in and replaced the tab with Homeboy embroidery. This lawsuit would have otherwise cost us our head and neck.

The pants with the iconic tab are disappearing from our range because of Levi's. We unfortunately have to part with the last pieces now. An era that began in 1991 is thus coming to an end.

We have to sell off these pants and have therefore heavily reduced them. We will get through this too.

This is not a sale. This is the last appearance of something that has belonged to us for 35 years.

Jürgen Wolf
Homeboy Loud Couture
Since 1988. Independent. Still.