But the question of how far to expand is particularly tough for a company such as the Hundreds, because its success is predicated on the notion that its products are somewhat underground.
Ilse Metchek, a retail analyst and president of the California Fashion Assn., said the company faces a tough balancing act: The Hundreds needs to grow enough to remain a viable business, but not so much that it loses its street cred.
"If they focus on their core customer base, they could create long-term credibility based on the loyalty they seem to have," Metchek said.
"That limits just how big they can get. But getting too big would ruin the allure of their brand, so they have to grow and stay small. That's hard to do."
She offered as an example the Ed Hardy brand, which expanded into mainstream stores and is no longer as popular among the underground crowd.
"Street-wear brands come and go, and very few show a streak of longevity," Metchek said. "Ed Hardy started as a street-wear brand, and they expanded and they were everywhere for a while, and they're already yesterday's news. They diluted their brand."
Shenassafar said the Hundreds had been approached by department stores but had decided not to go that route.
Still, when Walt Disney Co. came calling, the partners responded, designing T-shirts, caps and hooded sweat shirts with the Lost Boys from Disney's "Peter Pan" dressed in the Hundreds gear.
"Everyone's like 'Doesn't that go against everything in your ethos?' " Kim said.
"If we can use it to our advantage -- to where the man is not using us, but we're using him to gain exposure and to make it look like we're beating Goliath -- I'm going to do it."
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nathan.olivarezgiles@latimes.com
