Those of you who regularly read our fashion columns know I’m not wild about graphic t-shirts but I am a fan of nice casual clothes and if graphics are used tastefully then I’m all for it. While shopping for some t-shirts recently, I stumbled upon Madina, a UK based clothing line that features iconic hip-hop artists in very cool ways. There’s no question that if you’re a fan of real hip-hop, Madina has something for you. Even the name of the company has its roots based in hip-hop. When asked about the company name, owner and designer Mark said, “In this case, it has no religious connotations. It’s a nickname I was given from the Tone Loc song “Funky Cold Madina” and then it became my tag name, back in my graffiti days.” A true student of hip-hop and design, it seems that Mark is definitely playing to his strengths and doing so with incredible artistry and knowledge of hip-hop culture. When asked what made him want to start a clothing line Mark said, “I wanted to set up a clothing range since college where I studied fine art, graphics and photography but didn’t have access to the resources until a lot later on. I spent a few years with my head inside a computer, developing web design skills and delivering digital work, for other people, which was often limited to small audiences. I started to crave recognition for and the freedom to produce my own work and came back to my dream from college, of incorporating my love of hip-hop with my designs skills, to create my own niche clothing company. An obvious advantage of taking this direction with my work was the excuse to go to loads of gigs, which led to the opportunity to meet some of hip hop’s legendary artists, such as Chuck D, Ultra Magnetics MCs, Lord Finesse, Big Daddy Kane and more. This resulted in getting my designs acknowledged and endorsed by my childhood heroes, which has been a highlight of my work so far. For this reason, my Golden Era design was a bit of an indulgence. I woke up one day and realized I need to put my favorite artists on stamps. Why? ‘Cause “most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamp”. The quote from ‘Fight the Power’ spoke to me nearly 25 years later and my Golden Era design delivered this interpretation.” Some of the artists used in Mark’s include legends like Chuck D, KRS-One, Tupac, and Rakim. It’s really no wonder why the brand is gaining traction not only with us fans of hip-hop but some of the key players in the game of hip-hop. Mark says, “Madina continues to grow and, more recently, has been approached by a number of musicians, bands and hip-hop artists to collaborate on future projects”. What makes Madina so cool is that the graphics say something. They’re not thrown together and meaningless. What better way to rep for hip-hop than rocking a Chuck D hoodie or a Rakim t-shirt? Madina is a line on the rise and it’s only a matter of time before a lot of trendsetters in high places are seen sporting it. Madina definitely gets the Mens Mag Daily seal of approval and has the distinction of being the first clothing line to get the seal.
To get more information on Madina and shop the collection visit http://www.madina.co.uk/.
Article By: Jon DaBove
