Hooded sweatshirts have always been a street wear staple, their popularity spread by skateboard fashion companies and hip-hop influenced designers. They’re comfy, casual and depending on who makes them, a cheap alternative to donning an actual coat.

But, as the New York Times recently noted, one label with street-fashion credibility is pushing its commodity of coolness a new level.

“These are not just any pullovers. Made by Billionaire Boys Club, a brand owned by the musician-producer Pharrell Williams and Nigo (of A Bathing Ape, the cult Japanese label), they are electric Easter egg-colored sweatshirts covered with garish images like dollar signs and diamonds. Think of a mutated version of the ubiquitous Vuitton Murakami rainbow print.”

Apparently the Billionaire Boys Club (which by the way, is also the name of some wimpy looking emo rock band) sweatshirts are so popular that kids are waiting in long lines outside stores that sell them just to drop upwards of 250 bucks on one.

Nigo, a the designer behind the Bathing Ape label told the Times that:

''I wasn't thinking about appealing to the hip-hop market, although it is what I listen to and am influenced by. I think that the original inspiration for the look comes from luxury brands. Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Fendi monogram prints, which were only applied to luggage.''

The article also quoted Bradley Carbone, an editor at a hip-hop magazine called Complex, who speculated that the cartoon-ish sweatshirts are “a parody and an aspiration to be a luxury product at the same time.”

While I first thought that the huge price tag would just turn the sweatshirts into yet another intense yet short-lived trend, the label apparently has other problems. A writer for fashion blog KITMEOUT reported that:

“Originally Reebok were to produce the Billionaire Boys Club range of garments and the complimentary Ice Cream Sneakers range too back in 2004. However, for one reason or another that failed to transpire and the Billionaire Boys Club label failed to materialize [sic] in the exclusive fashion stores as expected. Apparently Pharrel Williams is in the process of suing Reebok for $4 million for breach of contract - Ouch! Looks like being messy.”

The blogger also concluded that:

“Maybe Pharrel should go back to what he does best and Nigo should stop and think about the potential negative impact BBC could have on his Bape [A Bathing Ape] brand?”

Not willing to trek to some store in SoHo to spy on the sweatshirts myself, I searched online to see if I could find any of them online and stumbled across what looks like an official site for Billionaire Boys Club with the words “Wealth is the heart of mind- not the wallet” on the front page, and “Made for everyone who realizes that true wealth is within,” on the site’s “about” page.

I’m always amazed by “lifestyle brands” like Billionaire Boys Club. On one hand, I like the idea of supporting small, artist-designed labels, but on the other, I still find obvious marking agendas and the overblown price tags that make ownership impractical for most kind of sleazy.