XLARGE began in November 1991. The very first XLarge store opened in Los Angeles on Vermont Ave - a street in which a scene had already been developed. It was a combination of skateboarding, hip-hop, art, and cultural changes that were happening in the early 90’s.There were a few other shops that sold similar products, but XLarge was the only store that had everything - from Ben Davis to Carharrt,Adidas to Puma - and an original line of clothing with a utilitarian flavor.
The line was named XLarge—a combination of Gen X and Living Large, a descriptive term for the oversized baggy jeans they made. XLarge is the first street label to use the gorilla or monkey as a logo, long before many of the other similar streetlabels that came after XLarge.While merchandising all of these products together, the store began to present a unique style and perspective - a representation of utilitarian-wear as fashion as opposed to everyday wear. Soon the XLarge style became a “look” for many. XLarge had it all—a shop with its own concept and its own line of clothes.
The most popular items created by XLarge were the baseball caps and original T-shirts. You can arguably say that XLarge, along with other earlier brands, were the first to raise the t-shirt as a coveted wardrobe piece. Along side FUCT, Freshjive, and Stussy, XLarge is one of the founding brands of streetwear. Soon celebrities like Ice Cube and Mike D were seen wearing XLarge clothing.