South Pole

Southpole caters to the fashion demands of young men and women through major department and specialty stores in the US and international markets. Southpole creates designs based on trends in urban sportswear that have crossed over into the mainstream. Southpole is a division of Wicked Fashions based in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Wicked Fashions is also responsible for another favored brand, Against All Odds, founded by David Khym. Against All Odds has a multi-cultural customer base, consisting of about one-third African-Americans, one-third Hispanic and one-third Caucasian. It has 41 outlets of its 'street clothing' range. Against All Odds recently opened three stores in California, mainly to concentrate on the Northeast. Kenny Khym, brother of David Khym, founded Southpole in the 1980s. Kenny Khym migrated to the Riverdale, US from Korea at the age of 13. His brother David, 9 years elder, moved onto the apparel business followed by the foundation of Wicked Fashions and its first brand, Against All Odds. Gaining popularity among the masses with the upsurge in hip-hop and rap genres of music, Kenny founded Southpole to cater to demands of young men and women for street styled clothing. Southpole launched their major spring/summer advertising campaign on a billboard at Times Square, New York in 2003. A multi-million dollar affair, the billboard was on display on the Marriott Marquis Hotel rotunda on Broadway, between 45th and 46th Street. The location provided Southpole maximum leverage due to the billboard's unique location, directly opposite MTV Studios, and a 180º viewing radius. Major department stores such as J.C. Penney now carry Southpole merchandise. Southpole has recently shifted their headquarters from Carlstadt to Fort Lee.