Global Grind & Karmaloop, Two Businesses Representing the 'New America' , Join Forces

Global Grind & Karmaloop, Two Businesses Representing the 'New America' , Join Forces

- Launch New Fashion Channel, Retail Website & Content Syndication Agreement; will work together to promote new cultural paradigm -

NEW YORK, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Grind (www.globalgrind.com), the premier online destination for celebrity entertainment, hip-hop, and youth culture, and Karmaloop (www.karmaloop.com), the world's leading streetwear retail website, have announced a unique partnership. One that includes the creation of a co-curated online retail store to launch on Wednesday, November 25th on the Global Grind website as well as a powerful content syndication/collaboration deal, it was announced today by Russell Simmons, Founder, GlobalGrind.com and Greg Selkoe, Founder and CEO, Karmaloop.com.

The partnership represents the combined vision of two leading cultural influencers, Russell Simmons with his Global Grind platform and Greg Selkoe with Karmaloop/KarmaloopTV, his streetwear and cultural e-commerce destination. It is a meeting of the minds around a shared vision of where young America is taking the country: away from rigidly defining themselves by race, ethnicity, or musical genres and toward a "new America" were people are grouped by shared ideas and values. The first generation to grow up with the internet is coming of age and their style and tastes are as eclectic, blurred, and fast moving as the cut and paste DIY culture of the world-wide web that has nurtured them.

The Global Grind Fashion channel will appeal to the style and sensibilities of this powerful new American youth culture and will be one of Global Grind's seven primary channels. Global Grind will provide exclusive and curated content to the channel with Karmaloop providing the e-commerce background as well as some content from their online video site KarmaloopTV.com. Global Grind's editors have worked with Karmaloop to select the top designers/brands to be featured in the retail section of the Global Grind Fashion channel.

"I am excited about promoting the next generation of designers to a new and powerful demographic of sophisticated, progressive and style-forward consumers who see no boundaries to their aspirations and reject the old barriers of race, color or ethnicity. I built Global Grind to be the communication hub for this community and I am thrilled to be working with Greg and the Karmaloop team to bring cutting edge new designs to this new American mainstream," says Simmons.

"Karmaloop has identified an important and rapidly growing demographic we call Verge Culture," says Selkoe. "Like hip-hop culture which has been a major influence, Verge Culture refuses to be defined by race or ethnicity, they are from many backgrounds but form one culture. This generation sees America the way the U.S. Census Bureau predicts America to be by the year 2042 where no single racial or ethnic group dominates. The young tastemakers ushering in the new America are highly creative, stylish, and socially conscious; hustle, innovation, and drive are celebrated. My partnership with Russell and Global Grind will help to promote this new American youth culture around the world."

Some of the brands included in the Global Grind/Karmaloop store include Crooks & Castles, Alife, Married to the Mob, and Hellz Bellz. The content will include exclusive interviews, blogs, fashion shows, photo galleries, and other content.

Global Grind is a multi-platform media company that includes GlobalGrind.com, a community of over 50 lifestyle and entertainment sites, CelebrityTweet.com and a host of offline events and programs. Based on the vision of Russell Simmons and launching in 2008, GlobalGrind.com is the only Hip Hop site that's all encompassing; bringing the broadest array of content such as music, fashion, news and politics, video, celebrity gossip/entertainment, and hip hop culture, to an active 18-49 year old audience. Global Grind is The New American Mainstream; we call this the Hip Pop audience. They are today's most influential and active consumers growing from a niche segment to the center of American culture.

Our special connection to celebrities provides us with the inside track to sharing their personal blogs in our unique Celebrity Blogger Network program, featuring blogs from T-Pain, Ne-Yo, Alicia Keys, Brooke Hogan, Russell Simmons, Tila Tequila and more! Our mission is to give a voice to the best content from The New American Mainstream and this is why we created the Global Grind Community of over 50 sites. The community is focused on lifestyle and entertainment verticals with an emphasis on celebrity, gossip and music. The community averages 3 million uniques, 22 million page-views and 80K opt-in subscribers.

Karmaloop.com is a cross-platform web retailer specializing in global streetwear fashion. The Karmaloop family of sites includes online retailer Karmaloop.com, online video channel KarmaloopTV.com, and social network Junglelife (in development). Since its creation in 2000 by streetwear enthusiast Greg Selkoe, the site has evolved from a one-man-show into the largest and most successful streetwear retailer online. Retailing over 200 brands to both men and women Karmaloop receives 4 million monthly unique visitors comprised primarily of the highly sought after young influencer demographic. The site's visitors, made up of alpha-consumers and key influencers ranging in age from 18-34, set and make trends for their peers. Karmaloop is more than just a retailer, it's a community of style that provides a daily, interactive dose of the people and movements fueling and shaping street culture.

KarmaloopTV, Karmaloop.com's online video channel, provides an insider's look at all elements that fuel cutting edge "Verge Culture" - the intersection of lifestyle, music and fashion. KarmaloopTV features exclusive interviews with designers, brands, artists and musicians, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at events and parties, emphasizing the street culture phenomenon at large. From educational political content, to entertaining celebrity interviews and informational segments on the hottest new streetwear brands, KarmaloopTV is the world leader for streetwear culture.

Since launching in early 2008, KarmaloopTV's millions of viewers have seen exclusive segments with artists, performers and cultural icons such as Mos Def, Shepard Fairey of Obey Giant, Danny Boyle, Director of Slum Dog Millionaire, Kid Cudi, Bun B, Russell Simmons, Talib Kweli, Gym Class Heroes, Jonas Bevacqua of LRG, Steve Aoki, Kid Sister, Clipse, Three 6 Mafia, Leah McSweeney of Married to the Mob, Pete Rock, Slick Rick, Dennis Calvero of Crooks & Castles, The Cool Kids, Atmosphere, Common, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Fafi, M.I.A., DJ Muggs, Uffie, Bigfoot, The Pack, and many others. KarmaloopTV continues to launch original shows, such as The Daily Loop, The Kelly Show, The Johnny Polygon Show, Globaloop and Their Words.

To learn more about Karmaloop, KarmaloopTV, the co-curated online retail store

or to speak to CEO, Greg Selkoe, please contact Sarah Cirkiel

(scirkiel@pitchcontrolpr.com) or Sonali Bijor (sbijor@pitchcontrolpr.com) at Pitch Control Public Relations, 212.475.4919. To learn more about Global Grind

or to speak to Russell Simmons, please contact Adair D. Curtis

(acurtis@rushcommunications.com) at RUSH Communications, 212.997.3047.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Global Grind; Karmaloop

CONTACT: For Karmaloop: Sarah Cirkiel, scirkiel@pitchcontrolpr.com, or
Sonali Bijor, sbijor@pitchcontrolpr.com, both at Pitch Control Public
Relations, +1-212-475-4919; For Global Grind or to speak to Russell Simmons:
Adair D. Curtis, acurtis@rushcommunications.com, RUSH Communications,
+1-212-997-3047

Web Site: http://www.globalgrind.com/
http://www.karmaloop.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment