Bobby Hundreds Steps Down as Creative Director of The Hundreds
Announcing the news shortly after the beloved brand closed down its Fairfax Avenue flagship.
Shortly after announcing the closure of The Hundreds‘ Fairfax Avenue flagship, co-founder Bobby Hundreds (Bobby Kim) revealed that he will be stepping down as creative director of the brand.
Sharing the news in an interview with GQ, Kim confirmed that David Rivera will be taking over the role. “I am effectively stepping back as far as creative control and oversight of how The Hundreds looks and feels from here on forward,” he said. He shared that Rivera “grew up on the brand as a fan,” starting his stint at The Hundreds as a photo assistant and eventually becoming an accessories designer, then an apparel designer, “He’s worked every role in design, worked his way up to the point of creative director where we now have entrusted him with the brand over the last couple of years.”
Kim goes on to share that stepping down is “the best thing that could ever happen for the brand at this point in time,” even referencing Souls of Mischief’s “Limitations” lyric “MCs should know their limitations” as a point of reflection. “I know my limitations,” he states. “Do I think I know how to design well? Do I think I understand street fashion well? Absolutely. But am I the one to do it the best for The Hundreds at this point in time? I’m not, and David is. Having to swallow that pill was incredibly humbling.”
“If it were up to me, we would still have a store on Fairfax and Rosewood, but that’s not where streetwear is at anymore. That’s not where The Hundreds is at. That customer doesn’t even exist. That customer has grown up,” he continued. “[We want to] keep this thing going and see where it takes us. Now, let’s see where David takes us.”
Kim says, however, “I still want to be a part of it, and I want to be enjoying the ride.”
The Hundreds closed its Fairfax Avenue flagship last week — officially marking the end of an era. “We lived a full life here. We built it and they came in droves and generations. And nobody can say we didn’t finish what we’d started,” Kim wrote. “Fairfax provided fertile soil for The Hundreds and a class of streetwear brands to root their foundation. Sometimes I feel like we’re the fashion equivalent of music artists who got in right before Napster and streaming. We were able to cultivate a company organically because of this neighborhood and the dreamers that filled it.”
