Chris Printup, one of the founders of the Los Angeles-based streetwear label BornxRaised, has passed away.

Printup's death was initially reported on social media and later confirmed on June 28 by Printup's partner, Alex 2Tone, and a representative for BornxRaised.

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Printup, more commonly known by his nickname “Spanto,” died following a car accident on the evening of June 25 and hospitalization that lasted until June 28.

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Since news of Spanto's passing spread, friends and colleagues across the industry have publicly paid tribute to the influential Californian.

Jewelry designer and former collaborator Ben Baller, who posted an image of the BornxRaised founder to Twitter, was one of the first to commemorate Spanto's death.

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Since co-founding the streetwear brand alongside Alex “2Tone” Erdmann in 2013, Spanto oversaw BornxRaised collaborations with the likes of New Era and Converse, occasionally tying in some of the biggest sporting franchises across the United States, including the Lakers, Dodgers, Kings, Rams, and the LA FC soccer team.

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Spanto launched BornxRaised in 2013 as a response to gang violence in his Venice, California neighborhood.

"Compression creates culture," he told Highsnobiety.

The month after he helped found BornxRaised, Spanto was given a terminal cancer diagnosis. He eventually beat cancer in 2018, as his label was rising to imminent success, with the diagnosis serving as proof of Spanto's unconquerable spirit.

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BornxRaised's biggest win was, arguably, cultivating its devoted Los Angeles community. Spanto's focus was never on the greater fashion industry, but the people who grew up with and supported BornxRaised since its inception. Family came first.

BornxRaised never puts Los Angeles second. Its output encompasses merch co-created with local sports teams, the LA Lakers, and even when it didn't, BornxRaised would hire its friends to model the new goods, underscoring the communal attitude at the core of the brand.

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Recently, BornxRaised worked with Nike to create its own own SB Dunk sneaker, first seen in leaked images of a coastal blue suede and crisp white leather sneaker began surfacing online.

That came only just prior to the release of BornxRaised's Levi's collaboration that Spanto envisioned as a tribute to his late father, with the design details serving as tangible odes to his family heritage.

These are signifiers of BornxRaised's impact on the industry and Spanto's lingering influence.

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