Stüssy

Complex's oral history describes Shawn Stüssy as a surfboard shaper who, to promote his custom boards, started making graphic T-shirts emblazoned with his last name. Complex dates his shaping career to 1980 but gives no date for the first T-shirts.

Sources differ on the date. Wikipedia says the brand was founded in the early 1980s in Laguna Beach. Farfetch says Shawn opened a surfboard shop in Laguna Beach in spring 1980 and that Stüssy Inc was officially formed in 1984. Our directory lists 1980.

Wikipedia says that in 1984 Stüssy and his friend Frank Sinatra Jr., who it notes is no relation to the singer, partnered to sell the apparel. In the Complex oral history, Frank Sinatra Jr. is credited as a certified public accountant and co-founder of Stüssy, and says "It was my money".

Wikipedia says Shawn Stüssy resigned as president in 1996 and that Sinatra bought his share; it adds that as of 2017 the Sinatra family owns the brand. Farfetch says Shawn left his position as president in the mid-1990s and sold his stake to Sinatra Jr.. Frank Sinatra Jr. is quoted by Complex as saying Shawn left at the end of 1995. We found no source on current ownership more recent than Wikipedia's 2017 statement.

Wikipedia's infobox describes Stüssy as a private company headquartered in Irvine, California, while RetailBoss lists the headquarters as Laguna Beach. Neither source is the brand itself, so we show both. The directory lists Laguna Beach as the origin.

In Complex's oral history Frank Sinatra Jr. says the company had about 15 to 20 stores in Japan by 1996, retrenched in America that year and put its focus on Japan and Europe. The same piece relays a remark from Frank that without Japan in the mid-1990s the company would have had to close.

Paul Mittleman is quoted in Complex's oral history calling it "a brand of the remix, not a brand of Americana". Complex said in 2013 that the 8 Ball graphic was one of the original designs from the early collection, fell out of favour in the 1990s when Polo Sport items became more popular, and has been revived several times since.

Farfetch lists T-shirts and shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts, jackets and coats, trousers and hats, and sneakers through Nike collaborations, and mentions a historical womenswear line called Stüssy Sista. Wikipedia reports that in 2025 Nike and Stüssy released limited-edition boots and apparel including the Baltoro boot, which Wikipedia says was originally released in 1990 and was initially part of the ACG line.

stussy.com works as an online store and lists shipping destinations including the United States (USD), Japan (JPY) and the United Kingdom (GBP). Wikipedia, citing the company's website, says the apparel is sold in branded stores and other retailers in Europe, Asia, the U.S., Canada and Australia, with 25 Stüssy-branded stores and 4 third-party retail stores in 2022.

We could not capture prices from the official site, so these are third-party figures checked in October 2026. StockX lists retail prices of $80 for a Basic Stussy Thermal Woodland Camo top released in September 2025, $325 for the Micro Ripstop Down Jacket released in October 2025, $160 for the Big Ol' Denim Jean and $50 for the Nike x Stussy NRG bucket hat. Those are StockX's listed retail prices, not figures we checked against stussy.com. HBX showed a Basic Stussy long-sleeve T-shirt at £30 reduced to £20, which is a retailer sale price. Stadium Goods listed an 8 Ball Fade Hoodie at $164, a consigned resale price rather than retail. For a historical reference, Hypebeast put the 2013 Skater's Fit Jean at ¥15,540, approximately $160.