Born x Raised is a Los Angeles streetwear brand founded in 2013 by Chris “Spanto” Printup and Alex “2Tone” Erdmann. Rooted in the culture of Venice, California — and specifically in the community Spanto grew up in during the 1980s and 90s — the brand built its identity as a love letter to old Los Angeles and a protest against the gentrification erasing it. From its first run of shirts bearing the phrase “Gentrification is Genocide,” Born x Raised became one of the most culturally significant and authentic streetwear labels to emerge from the West Coast.
Key Facts
- Founded: 2013
- Founders: Chris “Spanto” Printup and Alex “2Tone” Erdmann
- Headquarters: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Industry: Streetwear, Lifestyle
History
Chris Printup — known as Spanto — grew up in Oakwood Park, Venice, a community with deep roots in Chicano gang culture, surf culture, and street art. He started Born x Raised while incarcerated, printing the first three dozen shirts himself and selling them from the back of his car for $30 each before landing the brand in Union LA. Within a month of the launch, Spanto was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He spent the next four and a half years undergoing chemotherapy while simultaneously building the brand, eventually being declared cancer-free in late 2017. The resilience that defined his personal story ran directly through everything Born x Raised produced.
The brand grew steadily through collaborations with Levi’s, Nike SB, Converse, Reebok, Babylon, the LA Dodgers, and LAFC, and earned coverage in Vogue, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. Spanto consistently resisted the “streetwear” label, insisting Born x Raised was something more elemental — a cultural document, a defence of a community that had been systematically displaced.
Spanto’s Death and the Brand’s Continuation
On 27 June 2023, Chris “Spanto” Printup died at the age of 42 following a car accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The response across Los Angeles was described by 2Tone as “Nipsey-level” — graffiti writers painted his name across the city, hundreds gathered for a lowrider procession near his birthplace in Oakwood Park, and surfers held a paddle-out at Venice Beach. He is survived by his wife Anna and their three children.
Co-founder Alex “2Tone” Erdmann announced that Born x Raised would continue. The first drop after Spanto’s passing was a tribute collection featuring artwork by Mr. Cartoon, a close friend and collaborator. 2Tone has stated the brand’s obligation to Spanto’s family and its community ensures it will keep operating, carrying forward the vision Spanto built over a decade.
Aesthetic and Cultural Identity
Born x Raised builds its visual language from Old English typography, Chicano art traditions, Los Angeles iconography, and references to the specific communities, streets, and subcultures Spanto grew up in. The brand produces T-shirts, hoodies, headwear, and accessories. Every piece operates as cultural testimony — less about fashion trend cycles and more about preserving and celebrating the Los Angeles that existed before mass gentrification transformed it.
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