School of Hard Knocks - A 25th Anniversary
Kenny Anderson, Mark Jackson, Kenny Smith….
These were some of the last group of universally recognizable Queens names on the back of the Von’s School of Hard Knocks t-shirt, produced on this day in 1995, 25 years ago.
With each new shirt produced from that day forward, more names, businesses and Queens locations were added. Each time a new shirt was released, the popularity of the garment would grow throughout all of Queens’ inner cities. Before they ultimately took a break in making the iconic t-shirt, they would have notable Queens names filling up the entirety of the back of the shirt.
Some back history:
Von Murray came to United States in 1968 and quickly followed the American Dream by becoming a business owner and opening up Murray’s Shoe Repair on 106-11 Northern Boulevard, in Corona, Queens. The original store fixed shoes and also created custom women footwear and handbags.
Von eventually became immersed in the surrounding Corona community, a historically African American enclave. As President of the Northern Boulevard Business Association, Von received credit for leading and transforming the area all while revitalizing the Northern Boulevard businesses.
In 1985, Von’s son Gerard joined his father and together they turned the shop into a younger and more culturally relatable clothing and sneaker shop.
The store became a go-to place for the urban Queens youth, and in 1990 Von’s was the first black owned business in the United States to have an account with the global sneaker giant, Nike. In 1992, Gerard introduced the “School of Hard Knocks” moniker, a theme created to help the brand connect more to the area’s identity.
in 1995, the first Queens 7 t-shirt debuted, featuring the number “7” on the front, and the notable Queens names on the back.
Gerard is quoted in the April 2004 edition of the Queens Chronicle, “Everyone’s story of where they came up is different. Brooklyn cats think they are tough. Queens contributed to Hip Hop. If there was no Queens, there would be no Hip Hop, and I realized I was proud to be from Queens. The shirt is a little bit of pride, a little bit of bragging.”
On their own the Murray’s decided to close its doors on August 2010 and have successfully shifted the focus of their company and currently produce apparel for historic black universities.
The brand S.O.H.K name however still lives on. Click on the link https://www.shoplhp.com/collections/queens for a chance to relieve the golden age of an authentic and proud Queens brand.
Words by Adolfo Steve Vazquez, Photography & Historical Footnotes by Gerard Murray