Who's Your Daddy

“Who’s your daddy?”—that saying is one of the hottest catch phrases going. And now, it’s the name of a new Los Angeles-based clothing line that had its first full launch last month at MAGIC International in Las Vegas.

Line founders Dan Fleyshman and Edon Moyal have only been in the fashion industry a short time but have already been through enough to certify them as industry veterans.

“We’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from investors, gone to five major conventions and dealt with some of the biggest sharks in the industry, from Fortune 500 CEOs to greedy manufacturers,” said Fleyshman. “But, through it all, we’ve learned a great deal.”

Fleyshman and Moyal conceived the idea of the Who’s Your Daddy line in 1996, when they were high school students in San Diego. They incorporated the name in late 2001 and by February 2002, they were showing a small collection of Tshirts at MAGIC.

At that show, the two landed orders from a number of small skate shops, boutiques and a few major chain stores, including Anchor Blue (formerly called Miller’s Outpost) and Kohl’s. And that was enough response to warrant a full launch of clothing, including shoes, hats, jerseys and velour outfits, at the most recent MAGIC.

“We’re in Mervyn’s, Anchor Blue, 24 Hour Fitness, JCPenney and some European stores, but we still want to service the smaller stores,” said Fleyshman. “We started out small-time and we grew and got bigger and bigger because of the smaller stores.”

The phrase “Who’s your daddy?” has in recent times been used on the cover of magazines ranging from Details to Time. It’s also been a part of Super Bowl commercials and it’s a frequent refrain in the new movie “Master of Disguise.”

Fleyshman, who just turned 21, attributes the quick success of the Who’s Your Daddy brand as much to the name as to the styles.

“We’re not Polo or Ecko, so we know it’s because of the name,” said Fleyshman. “Everybody loves the name.”

Who’s Your Daddy has heavy influences of skate and surf culture, paying attention to the latest trends for action sports. But the collection is also streetwear-oriented.

The two young entrepreneurs recently struck a deal to license the name in 15 European countries, which Fleyshman said led them to expand the scope of the line.

“This line was mainly focused on menswear, but ever since our European licensing deal, we have, in effect, opened the door to the women’s market,” he said.

Who’s Your Daddy is showing at the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo through Sept. 7 at the San Diego Convention Center. For more information, call (213) 430- 0200. —Darryl James