Marc Ecko

Marc Eckō (born Marc Louis Milecofsky; August 29, 1972) is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, and artist best known as the founder of Ecko Unltd., a pioneering urban streetwear brand launched in 1993 that popularized graffiti-inspired apparel and grew into a billion-dollar global enterprise. Eckō began customizing clothing and designing T-shirts during high school, drawing from his interests in hip-hop culture and graffiti art, before dropping out of Rutgers University Pharmacy School to pursue his venture full-time with early partners. The brand's iconic rhino logo, initially a tag from his graffiti alias, became a hallmark of its edgy, authentic aesthetic, appealing to youth subcultures and generating massive retail success through licensing deals in apparel, accessories, and footwear. Beyond fashion, Eckō established Complex Media in 2002, a influential platform for pop culture, music, and lifestyle content targeting young men, which he expanded into events and digital media. Notable achievements include developing the video game Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure in 2006, inspired by his street art roots, and philanthropic efforts such as founding DC Scores to combat childhood obesity and support education through soccer programs. Eckō courted controversy in 2007 by purchasing Barry Bonds' record-breaking 756th home-run ball for $752,467 and branding it with an asterisk to symbolize doubts over performance-enhancing drugs, before donating it to the Baseball Hall of Fame, sparking debates on sports integrity and publicity stunts. In 2008, he sold a majority stake in Ecko Unltd. to Iconix Brand Group, but later accused the company of mismanagement that eroded the brand's value, leading to legal tensions and the label's repositioning amid declining sales.

Marc Milecofsky, who later adopted the professional name Marc Ecko, was born on August 29, 1972, in New Jersey to a Jewish family. He was raised alongside his twin sister, Marci, and older sister, Shari, in the suburban community of Lakewood, New Jersey.

Marc Ecko, born Marc Louis Milecofsky to Jewish parents, maintains a private family life despite his public business profile. He married Allison Rojas in October 2000, and the couple has three children, including at least one son named Alex and one daughter.

The family resides in Bernardsville, New Jersey, in a restored Gilded Age mansion purchased in 2005, prioritizing suburban privacy over urban settings like New York City where Ecko's early business operations were based. Ecko's Jewish heritage, reflected in his original surname and self-description as a "white Jewish kid from New Jersey," informs aspects of his personal identity but remains secondary to his entrepreneurial pursuits in public statements.