Hip Hop's Online Shop

Ed Foy, CEO of Web retailer eFashion Solutions and self-described "hick from the sticks," was lingering near the display booth for Rocawear, rapper Jay-Z's apparel line, at a fashion trade show in Las Vegas in February. Suddenly hip-hop impresario Damon Dash, who is Rocawear's celebrity CEO and JayZ's longtime business partner, grabbed Foy's hand and leaned his shoulder against Foy's--"a half a hug," Foy calls it. "eFashion Solutions. Nice," a smiling Dash told Foy. "Real nice." Dash dished out "props" for good reason: powered by eFashion's Web design and marketing, Rocawear is on pace to nearly triple its online sales this year. There was only one problem with the cozy encounter: Foy thought he was hugging some Web geek; he had no clue what Dash looked like.

This Van Halen head should sort out rap's players, because they surely have eyes on him. Led by new hip-hop entries like Eminem, Jennifer Lopez and Nelly, the celebrity-branded-clothing market nearly doubled over the past two years, from $3.2 billion in 2001 to $6.1 billion in 2003, according to research firm NPDFashion World. Snoop Dogg entered the mix last month, announcing a partnership with Pony to release his own sneaker line, "The One and Only," in November.

Online sales are still a small portion (less than 5%) of the celebrity-clothing market. But driven by suburban America's growing fascination with hip-hop (about 40% of this apparel is sold outside urban areas), Web sales have doubled over the past two years. So it's fitting that when rappers decided to peddle their wares online, they turned to a techie suburban couple: Foy, 33, and his wife Jennifer Silano Foy, 31, president of eFashion Solutions. The company, started four years ago, operates websites for, among others, Rocawear, Eminem's Shady line, J. Lo by Jennifer Lopez and Baby Phat, the women's line from Kimora Lee Simmons, wife of hip-hop godfather Russell Simmons. "I don't know specifically what eFashion does," says Dash. "All I know is that since I've hired them, sales are up, which makes me very happy, because I love more money."

What rapper-actor-designer wants to deal with IP addresses, anyway? "Anyone would have questions about setting up websites, especially someone whose main job is to record hit music," says Marshal Cohen, senior analyst at NPDFashion World. That's where the Web company, based in Secaucus, N.J., steps in. eFashion helps with image work too. Silano Foy who, like her husband, is a former Calvin Klein exec sits down with Kimora Lee Simmons to review each garment displayed on Baby Phat's site. In the corner of eFashion's warehouse are two mannequins, one for Rocawear's Web shots, the other for J. Lo's. (The latter has the bigger derriere.)

The company also helps the brands reach international markets and provides sales-data analysis. Says Andy Hilfiger, a co-owner of Lopez's line and Tommy's younger brother: "They totally get it eFashion has turned our website into a global marketing tool." eFashion books a 40% commission on all online sales and expects $30 million in revenue this year, up from just $5 million in 2002.