Why former NBA journeyman Nate Robinson launched his own clothing brand without banking on help from Nike or Adidas - and why he eventually wants to push into sneakers

• Nate Robinson recently launched his new clothing brand, HOLDAT.
• The former NBA journeyman and three-time Slam Dunk Contest champion partnered with former teammate and two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer to launch the brand.
• Rather than partner with an established brand like Nike or Adidas, Robinson said he wanted to do it on his own.
• "We want to earn our fans, we want to earn our love and respect," Robinson said of his decision to essentially start the brand from scratch.
• Robinson also said he hopes to eventually expand into footwear.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Nate Robinson has done a lot more than just play basketball.

The former NBA journeyman has written a book, started a podcast, and even acted in movies.

Now, the three-time Slam Dunk Contest champion has partnered with his former teammate and two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer to launch HOLDAT, a new clothing brand that lives at the nexus between streetwear, sportswear, and luxury lifestyle.

"I mean, honestly, I just got tired of buying everybody else's clothes and I wanted to just make my own," Robinson told Business Insider of his decision to start the brand. "Something different for the world."

HOLDAT, which officially launched during Super Bowl Weekend in Miami, Florida, is named after Robinson's famous catchphrase, which he describes as "the ultimate word for success."

'We wanted to start from the ground up'

Robinson said the brand's name speaks for itself, imbuing its wearers with positivity. But it also represents the origin story of the brand itself, which is still in its early stages of growth. Instead of taking the more classic route of partnering with an existing brand like Nike or Adidas for an exclusive line, Robinson did not want to take any shortcuts in his path toward business success.

"We wanted to start from the ground up," Robinson said when asked why he opted for what appears on the surface to be the harder path for growing a brand. "We want to see our brand go through being born to crawling to walking to running to flying with things."

Though Robinson said he's open to collaborations with brands like Nike or Supreme, he sticks by his decision to grow the brand organically, without getting a leg up from the established industry giants.

"We want to earn our fans," Robinson said. "We want to earn our love and respect."

'It's exciting, it's nerve-racking'

So far, Robinson says, he's been overwhelmed with the support he's received for his brand from fans and customers.

"It's exciting, it's nerve-racking," Robinson said. "It's all emotions."

HOLDAT merchandise will be sold at various pop-up shops, some of which will be located at arenas that Robinson has played at, to pay homage to his fans. Some items will only be available at exclusive limited drops, which will help encourage a culture of hype around the brand.

"Just to get that classic feel and that classic vibe from it," Robinson said.

People can also buy merchandise via the brand's website, which currently sells t-shirts, sweatpants, shorts, and other novelty merchandise. Robinson says people can expect to be able to shop the brand for sports bras, kid's clothing, and maybe even shoes at some time in the future.

Nate Robinson: Sneakerhead

Robinson said he plans to expand his brand into footwear after he gets the apparel offering off the ground.

"I'm a big-time sneakerhead," Robinson said. "And I would love to create my own sneaker, that would be pretty cool."

Robinson said he admires the footwear collaborations that have come from deals with athletes like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, and he's taken note of other companies like Puma and New Balance that have made it big in the footwear category.

"One day hopefully HOLDAT will have its own sneaks and people [will be] rockin HOLDAT kicks," Robinson said. "We'll see."

Robinson definitely has high hopes for his new brand. But for now, he's taking it slow, one step at a time.

"We're not going to do everything right in the beginning and that's the learning curve in the the fashion world," Robinson said.

"You just got to keep going and keep at it."