An image from Akademiks Fall 08 campaign

Akademiks will celebrate its 10-year anniversary next year, cementing its place as one of streetwear’s most consistent, popular clothing brands.

The brand’s parent company, Kemistre 8 LLC, has announced the appointment of new Chief Executive Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, Curtis Charles.

Alongside co-founder Donwan Harrell, Charles will guide the overall strategic brand direction and vision of the group’s roster of brands: Akademiks, PRPS and Stash House.

“I am extremely excited Curtis has joined our team at Kemistre 8,” says Harrell. “His proven track record of success in the apparel industry, coupled with my creative direction will cultivate new strategic opportunities for our brands while further solidifying our presence in the marketplace.”

A seasoned professional with over 15 years in the apparel industry, Curtis began his career as a buyer for Sak’s Fifth Avenue, evolving to key executive management roles with respected brands such as Cole Haan and Donna Karan International. He also spent seven years with Rockport as their Senior VP and Head of US Operations.

“I look forward to working with Donwan and the entire team at Kemistre 8 in taking the PRPS, Akademiks and Stash House brands to the next level,” says Charles.

“Together we will evolve PRPS, Akademiks and Stash House into lifestyle brands through strategic partnerships and licensee deals in the areas of footwear, accessories and outerwear while maintaining the core focus on the apparel business.”

The Kemistre 8 LLC group of companies was founded in 1999 by brothers Donwan and Emmett Harrell and their joint venture partners, the Betesh Group and Oved Apparel. That same year, Donwan and Emmett created Akademiks, which quickly became and remains one of the top urban apparel labels today.

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