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Teddy Fresh
Teddy Fresh is an American street wear brand founded in 2017 by designer and web personality Hila Klein, who is the CEO. The Los Angeles, California-based company focuses on high quality pieces and artist collaborations. Consistent with this, the brand has collaborated with cartoon brands including SpongeBob Squarepants, Looney Tunes, and Rick and Morty, as well as with singer Elton John.

Inspired by an apparent lack of colorful and expressive clothing in the street wear market, Klein established this brand to fill this space in the market. With this goal in mind, the pieces Teddy Fresh makes are reminiscent of the playful nature of childrens’ clothing and involve the epic colors of vintage pieces. In addition to this, Teddy Fresh creates ethically-produced, bright, fun, premium quality clothing for adults, at a consumer price.

History
Klein launched the Teddy Fresh apparel range in 2017. Teddy Fresh products are designed to be “colorful and playful” and are inspired by ‘90s fashion. Their apparel is known for featuring pastel and color-block patterns. Its products include t-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, and jackets, both for men and for women. The brand uses materials such as denim, jacquard, angora wool, and sueded fleece.

Teddy Fresh products have been worn by celebrities such as Post Malone,   Billie Eilish, and Imane “Pokimane” Anys.

Collaborations
In 2020, Teddy Fresh had a clothing collaboration with the animated television series SpongeBob Squarepants.

In 2021, Teddy Fresh released a clothing collaboration with the Care Bears brand.

In October 2021, Teddy Fresh worked closely with Japanese artist Yurie Sekiya to translate her unique and accomplished style onto clothing to create wearable art. Sekiya brings her own interpretation of “kawaii culture,” inspired by manga, cartoons, toys, and her everyday experiences.

On November 13, 2021, Teddy Fresh hosted a pop-up event in Los Angeles. The event featured the brand’s November 2021 collection, which was a collaboration with the Looney Tunes brand.

In February 2022, Teddy Fresh announced a clothing collaboration with singer Elton John. The new collection will be called "Teddy Fresh x Elton John” collection and according to Teddy Fresh “inspired by the way John has revolutionized music and broken boundaries and by his outlandish style and lust for life.” It will features "sequins…intricate patchwork and vibrant fabrics that convey Elton’s luxurious and regal taste for fashion and life.”

In March 2022, Teddy Fresh released their "Teddy Fresh x Rick and Morty" capsule collection. This clothing collaboration features several of the beloved characters from the Rick and Morty animated sitcom, including the main characters, Rick and Morty, as well as the long-time family friend of the Smith Family known as Mr. Poopybutthole. In addition to this, other articles of clothing are dedicated to various aspects of the Rick and Morty universe such as Dimension C-137, Mr. Meeseeks, and Snuffles the family dog. The items of clothing released as part of this collection include a range of hoodies, sweatpants, and t-shirts.

James Charles Controversy
In September 2020, fellow YouTuber James Charles came under scrutiny after revealing a new range under his own fashion line, 'Sisters Apparel'. After direct messaging Charles, Ethan Klein posted a comparison of their designs on Twitter. He claimed that the choice of color palette and color-block design of this range was identical to Teddy Fresh's most popular hoodie. Klein stated that, though their brand was not the first to use this style of apparel, he feared Charles' fanbase, which is significantly larger, may later accuse the Teddy Fresh brand of plagiarism themselves.

The accusations were denied by Charles and subsequently began an online feud between the two YouTubers which, as of November 2020, is seemingly unresolved.

Gone But Not Forgotten Sweater Controversy
Teddy Fresh came under fire in November 2021 when a Reddit user named AmberLouiseb noticed that the piece of art featured on the brand's "Gone But Not Forgotten" sweater design was copied from a 1955 book of knitting patterns by Gary Kennedy which they found in a thrift store. This jumper featured vintage-style artwork of a dinosaur in front of a volcano with text including but not limited "Gone But Not Forgotten," "Teddy Fresh," and "Smiling Down Upon Us" scattered around the article of clothing. The copied dinosaur design was submitted by one of Teddy Fresh's former employees who, at the time of the controversy, had not been working at the clothing brand for seven months. For this reason, Hila Klein and the other employees at the company were unaware that the design for this sweater was not original which is why the design was used in the first place. Once the mistake was realized, Ethan and Hila Klein set out to contact Gary Kennedy, the author of the book, they could be rightfully credited for their work. They managed to get in touch with the author so as to properly license the art and sell the "Gone But Not Forgotten" jumper on the Teddy Fresh website.