What’s next in iconic re-issues? The Logo Cuff Jeans

Ask any hip-hop fan of the 90s what was one of their favorite articles of clothing from that era and they would be likely to call out the Logo Cuff Jeans. When I came up with the idea of placing the logo on the hem of jeans it had never been done before. The difficulty explaining to the factory how to make the style for mass production was another story. The Logo Cuff was so strikingly different at that time, once you saw them, you never forgot. Everyone had to have the jeans with the white band and logo on the bottom.

The logo cuff furthered the explosion of the brand and was the perfect follow-up to the chain-link overalls. I had gained a reputation for coming up with new ideas, not just new styles. My partner and Head of Sales, Ertis Pratt would often tell me that retailers would ask him, “what new ideas are Maurice coming up with for the coming season?”

Directly following the increased demand for the jeans and the brands rise in popularity, the Maurice Malone brand began to be marketed as Mojeans. This was inspired by youth all over the U.S. asking their local retailers for Mo’s jeans. We shorten the moniker and so began the brand name Mojeans, which I choose to categorize the sportswear collection.

After years of renewing and evolving the logo cuff design, other mass-market brands began their own spin-offs and copies. It never upset me personally when brands seem to copy my work, I took it as a compliment. However, there was a time when I was really irate at The Source Magazine after they published an article praising this new Polo by Ralph Lauren leather kick plate jean – which I felt was one of those instances of being complimented. What upset me was that I had been advertising my logo cuff jeans in The Source Magazine for years. I was friends with the founder David Mays and upper management, whom I played basketball with every week. These guys knew me and my work well. So, when they published a product feature which made it seem like this was some great new idea, saying something like (and I’m quoting from my memory because I can’t find the exact article) “Leave it up to Polo by Ralph Lauren to come up with…. blah, blah, blah...” I was truly hurt and depressed and thinking to myself, “can a nigga get a break?”

@basshammerbk – Maybe has more vintage MMD than me, in nylon reflective jacket, Mojeans t-shirt & Logo Cuff jeans.

@supreme_magnetic_36 – My favorite quote from the post "Y the Jeans harder than the shoe".

@manufacturedproducts – Displays the reflective Logo Cuff, another popular incarnation of the design.

In the 90s was spending anywhere between $7,000 to $28,000 per month advertising with these guys and my brand received far less product placements as compared with the regularity of competitors like Mecca, Karl Kani, Fubu, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo by Ralph Lauren, Walkerwear, Enyce, etc. They knew I came up with the logo cuff jeans years earlier and I felt like they credited a spin-off as if it was some great new design.

My staff did let them know how I felt about that article and they did write a brief retraction in the following issue. Decades later, I have to admit, I do get a certain satisfaction being able to re-release this style, not on the back of some other brand having previously spun-it-off to a new customer base, which likely would have perceived it as that brands new and original concept.