An early interest in art and, in particular, graffiti led to a fondness for clothing design. It wasn't long before the entrepreneurial teen was selling painted t-shirts out of his family's garage.

It was an uphill journey, but those modest beginnings led to the creation of one of the most influential urban clothing lines of our generation - Ecko Unlimited. Today, the Ecko umbrella of brands include Zoo York, Avirex Sportswear, G-Unit Clothing Company and the Marc Ecko "Cut and Sew" Collection.

In 1993, Ecko Unlimited was one of the few apparel lines in the urban space. Today, there are dozens of lines competing for the same dollars. That said, as one of the original hip hop clothing lines ? Ecko Unlimited remains a leader in the industry, racking up more than a billion dollars in sales each year.

As recognition for his many success, Ecko has been included in New York Magazine's "Influential" list and Crain's New York Business "Under Forty" list. He recently earned the first ever Stoked Award for Outstanding Achievement

Of course, Marc Ecko has used his success in fashion to explore new opportunities and challenges that have become available to him: He publishes a men's style magazine, Complex Magazine. Also, the thirty-seven year old has expanded into entertainment - teaming with Electronic Arts to produce a successful graffiti-based video game appropriately titled Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.

And even with successes, it's possible Ecko will become best known for his philanthropic work. He has been very active in trying to reverse the plight of the world's rhinoceros population and has lobbied to have the ban on graffiti art lifted in New York City.