Wal-Mart, Master P Team on Affordable Hip-Hop Wear

If you thought the idea of Wal-Mart and AC/DC teaming up was just a little bit of a mismatch on the cool scale, they look like milk and cookies compared to the latest product launch.

On July 3, Wal-Mart announced it was partnering with Percy Miller, better known as the rapper Master P, and his son Romeo to launch an affordable, urban clothing line called P.Miller Designs.

P.Miller Designs is the first black hip-hop supplier to Wal-Mart.

“Wal-Mart is such a diverse organization, they’re making a lot of opportunities available to minority-owned companies that are ready to do business with a big corporation,” Miller said. “This is the makings of a great partnership with the number-one retailer in the world. Together we’re making it cool to shop for clothes at Wal-Mart.”

Collared, Polo-type shirts cost $9, button-downs cost $10 and jeans cost $20. Some trendy brands go for $90 to $200 and more for similar products Miller said his goal was for kids to “dress fresh for less.”

“I figured out a way to make clothes affordable for inner-city families,” Miller said. “We use the same factories and the same materials as Sean John, Rocawear and Ed Hardy. These are quality clothes you’d normally find at a department store.

“Now you can pick up the same high-end fashion at an affordable price.”

Sean John was created by hip-hop producer Sean Combs and Rocawear by rapper Jay-Z.

Miller is one of the most successful entrepreneurs to come out of the hip-hop world, turning $10,000 to start his No Limit record label into hundreds of millions in record sales.

Like NBA star Stephan Marbury, who launched a line of $15 basketball shoes to help inner-city parents who couldn’t afford $150 Air Jordans, Miller hasn’t forgotten his tough roots in New Orleans.

“Kids don’t need to worry anymore about being bullied at school for wearing old clothes,” he said. “Likewise, parents don’t need to choose between filling up the gas tank or filling up the closet.”

Kendal King Tackles Big Project for Nick

Kendal King Group has worked with the biggest names in retail, but its latest project in Springdale is the biggest it’s ever done.

Nothing says “family friendly” at a baseball game more than a giant image of SpongeBob Squarepants on the outfield wall.

Creating that kind of atmosphere was one of the goals behind Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, home to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, a Double A minor league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals playing its debut season.

While no one was surprised to see names like Arvest or Tyson Foods Inc. around the stadium, the expansive Nickelodeon presence is certainly a testament to the benefits of having so many major corporations surrounding Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Nickelodeon leases one of the 24 luxury boxes at Arvest Ballpark and relied on KKG to put it all together.

KKG has a staff of 10 in Bentonville working with Wal-Mart and other corporate clients like the popular kids network.

“We’ve had a lot of fun with this, in addition to working hard for our client,” said Parker Hunt, a vice president sales and account executive for KKG in Bentonville.

“It’s great to go to the games and see fans having such a good time with the activities.”

KKG, a retail marketing solutions specialist, designed and implemented the entire sponsorship of the Naturals.

KKG designed the graphics and audio/video for the scoreboard, the decorations in the suite, the “Slime Sling Shot” game between innings and the branded gift bags for the Nickelodeon “Surprise Seat” at each game.

KKG Scholarship Awarded to Poe

Kendal King has always been involved in the community. Another vice president in Bentonville, Jakob Nilsson, was instrumental in forming youth soccer leagues here and has taken several teams to tournaments around the country and to his native Sweden.

In May, KKG awarded its ninth Graphic Arts Scholarship at Bentonville High School to Holly Poe.

The $1,000 award will help Poe, an honors student who graduated seventh in her class, in her studies to become a professional photographer at Loyola University in Chicago.