Founded: 1996
Founder: Aaron LaCrate
Location: Baltimore, MD

Milkcrate Athletics was founded by Aaron LaCrate in 1996. Aaron is a jack of all trades artist, but unlike most, he’s a master of many. He’s a renowned graphic and design artist, graff writer, DJ, music producer, streetwear clothing line founder, podcaster and all-round scene OG.

While Milkcrate, internationally known as Baltimore’s original streetwear brand, is a huge brand, it is and has always been indie at its core. Milkcrate got started when DJ Cool Aaron, who was also a graff writer at the time, started making and selling mixtapes locally. That expanded to him selling custom tees too. It wasn’t long before Milkcrate had established themselves within the hip hop, music and streetwear scene of the late 90s and early 00s. Seeing celebs in Milkcrate became a common occurrence with the brand being rocked by heavy hitters like Eminem, who was an early adopter, Mobb Deep, Schoolboy Q, Bun B, Rakim, Prime Minister Pete Nice, Damon Albarn (Blur and Gorillaz), 45 King and countless others.

The Milkcrate collabs are countless as well, but the fact that HBO tapped them for “The Wire” holds weight. Over the years, Milkcrate has had collabs with New Balance, Vans, X-Large and Beats by Dre, to name a few.  They’ve been involved with tour and merch lines by the likes of Jay-Z, Justice, Lily Allen (who should have taken that Second Life Bitcoin in 2009), John Waters and Mark Ronson.  A personal favorite is the Milkcrate x Rakim x Janette Beckman tee. I still need to get my hands on one of those.  That one is a certified banger to this day.  

Summarizing Aaron LaCrate and Milkcrate Athletics in a few paragraphs seems like a disservice. The tentacles reach into too many silos to cover and none of them are insignificant: The clothing line, the kicks, the DJing, the production, the collabs, the event sponsorships, the graff, the podcast, the design, and so much more.

Milkcrate Athletics is the true pioneer of music-inspired streetwear, the first brand to combine street style and the music scene. Long before the mainstream embraced the connection, Milkcrate led the way — creating a brand embraced by DJs, artists and fans. Milkcrate has always been about more than just the clothing, it’s about the culture.