It was Christmas 1995 when Paul Frank Sunich, who until then had been surviving with part-time jobs and living with his parents, received a sewing machine as gift.
He used it to start creating accessories such as wallets and key pouches, which he gave away to friends and colleagues.
This included a man named Ryan Heuser, who was already successfully active in the streetwear industry.
When he saw the items Paul Frank was doing, he immediately recognized their great potential !
Heuser gave Paul 5000 $ plus the garage of his house and Paul Frank was born as brand that we know till today.
A few years later, another business man named John Oswald joined the team as CEO, providing additional capital for expansion.
In the following years, sales grew enormously and the product collection reached unexpected levels.
In addition, several big names from the world of brands, art, and lifestyle knocked on Paul Frank's door to start collaborations, for example: Hello Kitty, Bearbrick, Barbie, the Andy Warhol Foundation, Anti Social Social Club, Elvis Presley Enterprises and Tamagochi.
At the height of its success story there was one or more Paul Frank stores in almost every relevant city on the planet.
But as so often, success had its dark side and Paul Frank get tired of the pressure.
In consultation with his business partners, he decided to move into a large studio apartment somewhat removed from the company premises and to work there.
Unfortunately this also marked the beginning of the company's downfall as Paul and his business partners get lost in more and more conflicts over finances and other details which even end in court battles.
The sad highlight came when Paul Frank was fired from his own company and his shares were bought back with the addition that a temporary injunction was applied to prohibit Paul Frank to start or run a business under his own name.
Paul Frank unsuccessfully attempted to fight back and demanded that the company be closed down.
He also made attempts to use his name for business purposes but this was clearly prohibited by the court after a trademark violation lawsuit from Paul Frank Industries.
Since then Paul Frank Industries has more or less continued to exist but the golden days are long gone...
Paul Frank created new start-ups like Park La Fun until fortunately he reconnected with Futurity Brands the new owners of Paul Frank Industries.
He is now back working creatively in the brand design, has launched PF Workshop as brand under which he sells limited edition specials and is once again sharing all the wonderful things from his creative universe around Julius and his friends on Instagram at @heypaulfrank !
So... happy ending : )