Streetwear is a crowded room where everyone is screaming for attention. But Bobby Kim—better known as Bobby Hundreds—usually stands in the corner, taking notes. He’s the guy who turned a box of screen-printed T-shirts into a global empire, and he did it without selling his soul to the highest bidder.
Honestly, if you think Bobby Kim and The Hundreds are just about a bomb logo, you’re missing the entire point.
It’s 2026. The fashion landscape is a mess of fast-fashion clones and algorithm-driven "drops." Yet, Bobby Kim is still here. Why? Because he realized early on that product is secondary. Community is the only thing that actually lasts.
The Lawyer Who Never Was
Let’s go back. Bobby wasn't "supposed" to be a streetwear mogul. He was supposed to be a lawyer. He actually finished law school at Loyola.
Imagine sitting in a high-rise office, wearing a suit you hate, while your brain is filled with punk rock lyrics and skate videos. That was Bobby. His parents, like many first-generation immigrants, wanted stability. Art? Art was a hobby.
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A turning point came during a law firm internship. His mentor, Abe Edelman, was dying of cancer. Edelman looked at Bobby’s sketches and gave him the ultimate permission: Don't do this. Don't spend your life doing something you don't care about.
Bobby listened.
In 2003, he and his partner Ben Shenassafar launched The Hundreds with a few hundred bucks. They didn't have a "business plan" in the traditional sense. They had a blog.
Why the Blog Changed Everything
Before Instagram, before TikTok, there was the The Hundreds blog.
Bobby didn’t just post photos of clothes. He wrote. He wrote about the people on Fairfax. He wrote about the history of graffiti. He pulled back the curtain on an industry that was notoriously elitist and "cool-guy" only.
By being transparent, he built trust.
- People Over Product: This became the brand's mantra.
- Storytelling: Every T-shirt had a narrative attached to it.
- Accessibility: While brands like Supreme were gatekeeping, The Hundreds was inviting people in.
It’s easy to forget how radical that was. Most streetwear brands back then survived on being "exclusive." Bobby realized that being "inclusive" was actually the bigger power move. He wasn't just selling a garment; he was selling a ticket to a clubhouse.
The Adam Bomb and Cultural Staying Power
You can't talk about Bobby Kim and The Hundreds without mentioning Adam Bomb.
The character—a cartoon bomb with a fuse that’s always lit but never quite explodes—is a metaphor for the brand itself. It’s that feeling of being on the verge of something big.
But here’s the thing: Bobby didn't just slap a logo on a shirt and walk away. He protected it. When the brand got "too big" in the late 2000s and early 2010s, he had to make hard choices. He famously pulled the brand out of thousands of doors to regain its soul.
That’s a business lesson most people ignore. Growth isn't always good. Sometimes, you have to shrink to survive.
The NFT Pivot (and the "Scam")
Flash forward to the Web3 craze. Bobby went all in on the Adam Bomb Squad. While other brands were just trying to make a quick buck, he saw NFTs as a way to return to that 2003 blog energy—a way to connect directly with his core "hundreds" of people.
He even titled his next book NFTs Are a Scam (which is peak Bobby humor). He knows the technology is often misused, but he’s obsessed with the idea of digital community ownership. He’s always looking for the next way to bypass the gatekeepers.
Not Just a T-Shirt
His memoir, This Is Not a T-Shirt, is basically the Bible for anyone trying to build something from nothing. It’s not a "how-to" guide with 10 easy steps. It’s a messy, honest look at what happens when you try to stay independent in a world that wants to buy you out.
Bobby’s influence extends beyond clothes now. Look at the Family Style Food Festival. He’s merging streetwear with the Los Angeles food scene. He’s showing that "street culture" isn't just about what you wear—it’s about how you eat, who you hang out with, and what you stand for.
What You Can Actually Learn From Bobby Kim
If you’re trying to build a brand or even just a personal project, Bobby’s career offers a specific blueprint that actually works in the real world:
- Be a Documentarian, Not Just a Creator. Bobby didn't just make shirts; he documented the world around him. People didn't buy the shirt; they bought the perspective.
- Piss the Right People Off. He often says that if you aren't annoying the "established" players, you aren't doing anything new.
- The "Underdog" Mentality is a Superpower. Even when The Hundreds became a multi-million dollar company, Bobby kept the mindset of a kid in a studio apartment.
Streetwear moves fast. Trends die. But the community Bobby Kim built? That’s still standing.
He proved that you don't need a massive marketing budget if you have a massive amount of heart. You just need to tell a story that people want to be a part of.
Next Steps for You:
- Read the Blog Archives: Go back to the early 2000s posts on TheHundreds.com. It's a masterclass in organic community building.
- Audit Your "Why": If you’re starting a project, ask yourself if it’s "just a T-shirt" or if there’s a deeper story. If there’s no story, people won’t care.
- Study the Collaborations: Look at how The Hundreds works with unexpected partners like Back to the Future or Garfield. It’s about shared values, not just shared logos.