New York, NY1/27/09 (Hip Hop PR Wire) — Fritswa B. initially launched her clothing company Afrik in order to keep her friends from taking her clothes. Fritswa started out painting images of Pan-African culture onto her favorite hoodies for a fashion show at Cornell University. The response from the show was so positive that she decided to form Afrik Clothing from her dorm room in 2007. “I’d get like 12 phone calls a day from people I didn’t know asking me to paint them a hoodie,” she stated. “I was like, ‘Seriously? I have to graduate’.”

Afrik has since expanded the line to include t-shirts, sweaters, vests, and dresses all with the goal of spreading a culturally responsible message. The most popular pieces include the ‘Afrik’ hoodie and the ‘Barack Star’ t-shirt which features a gRaphically enhanced portrait of Barack Obama’s face embedded in a star. “The underlying concept is that the communities represented in the designs all have ties back to Africa. I wanted to fill in the history in a unique way.” Afrik plans to include little known facts on their tags as a way to display the dynamic history of the Diaspora. She explains, “I think mainstream culture has really ignored an amazing story.”

The past year has seen Rapid growth for the company. Afrik has been embraced by a number of celebrities and is currently sponsoring an orphanage in Juba, Sudan. The proceeds of their launch on February 13th, 2009 at Katra Lounge in New York City will be used to purchase vital supplies and fund programming for 66 children separated from their families during wartime. The line can be found in streetwear boutiques across New York City as well as online at www.afrikstyle.com.

For more information, contact:
Michelle Brown
347.394.2620
instinctpr@gmail.com