Editing PbFashion

'''pbFashion''' (also styled '''PBFashion''' or '''PBFashion.com''') was an American paintball lifestyle and apparel brand associated with competitive paintball, clothing, promotional media and the development of paintball streetwear culture during the 2000s and early 2010s.[1][2]

The brand was founded by '''Brandon Fort''', who was publicly identified as its founder in September 2010.[1]

PBFashion.com also appeared as the name of a tournament paintball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The team was registered for the 2005 [[Paintball Sports Promotions]] (PSP) World Cup and competed in Division 3 five-player competition. Its recorded home field was [[Badlandz Paintball Field]] in Crete, Illinois.[3]

During the late 2000s and early 2010s, pbFashion became associated with promotional videos, paintball apparel and the growing influence of online media within tournament paintball. Videographer [[Cassidy Sanders]], who was also associated with [[HK Army]], produced or collaborated on promotional material featuring pbFashion.[2][4]

In September 2010, the company announced the launch of a redesigned website. The announcement included comments from Brandon Fort thanking supporters and referring to future activities dedicated to the brand's fans.[1]

The brand's precise establishment date, ownership structure and eventual operational status have not been independently established.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ pbFashion
|-
! Name
| pbFashion
|-
! Alternative names
| PBFashion, PBFashion.com
|-
! Type
| Paintball lifestyle and apparel brand
|-
! Industry
| Paintball apparel, media and lifestyle
|-
! Founder
| Brandon Fort
|-
! Country
| United States
|-
! Established
| By 2005 (documented tournament use of name)
|-
! Documented activity
| 2005–2012
|-
! Associated tournament team
| PBFashion.com
|-
! Team location
| Chicago, Illinois
|-
! Team home field
| Badlandz Paintball Field, Crete, Illinois
|-
! Associated media figure
| Cassidy Sanders
|-
! Associated organisation
| HK Army
|-
! Website
| PBFashion.com (historical)
|-
! Later status
| Not independently established
|}

== History ==

=== Origins ===

pbFashion developed during the expansion of tournament paintball culture in the 2000s.

During this period, paintball apparel increasingly incorporated elements of skateboarding, streetwear, music and action-sports fashion.

Clothing brands and tournament teams used internet forums, photographs and promotional videos to reach players.

pbFashion operated within this developing market.

=== Brandon Fort ===

Brandon Fort was identified as the founder of pbFashion in a September 2010 report about the company's website relaunch.[1]

The report reproduced comments attributed to Fort concerning the brand's supporters and future activities.

The exact year in which Fort established the company has not been verified.

=== PBFashion.com tournament team ===

A team named '''PBFashion.com''' competed in PSP tournament paintball by 2005.

The official PBLeagues archive identifies the team as based in Chicago, Illinois.

Its home field was listed as Badlandz in Crete, Illinois.[3]

The team registered for the 2005 PSP World Cup on 7 September 2005.

The relationship between the tournament team's original ownership and the later apparel business requires further documentation.

=== Development of the brand ===

By 2010, pbFashion was operating as a recognisable paintball brand.

Its activities included apparel promotion and online marketing.

The company used promotional videos to connect its products with competitive paintball.

=== Website relaunch ===

On 27 September 2010, a contemporary paintball news report announced the release of a new pbFashion website.[1]

The report identified Brandon Fort as the company's founder.

Fort thanked supporters and indicated that upcoming activities would focus on the brand's audience.

The relaunch demonstrates that pbFashion was actively marketing itself in September 2010.

== Tournament paintball ==

=== 2005 PSP World Cup ===

The PBFashion.com team participated in the 2005 PSP World Cup.

The event was held in Orlando, Florida.

The team competed in Division 3 five-player competition.

PBLeagues preserves the team's registration and individual game results.[3]

=== Documented results ===

The surviving tournament record identifies the following games:

{| class="wikitable"
! Opponent
! PBFashion.com score
! Opponent score
! Result
|-
| DSM8
| 98
| 4
| Win
|-
| R.P.S. Factory
| 8
| 96
| Loss
|-
| Team Overkill Factory II
| 0
| 100
| Loss
|-
| Arc Angels
| 94
| 12
| Win
|-
| Gravity KC
| 98
| 4
| Win
|-
| JP Paintball
| 94
| 12
| Win
|-
| Jerzey Finest
| 4
| 98
| Loss
|-
| Mowers Inc.
| 8
| 96
| Loss
|}

The results establish four wins and four losses in the eight games displayed in the archived roster record.

The numbers are PSP game scores rather than modern X-Ball point totals.

The team's final divisional placing has not been independently established.

=== Badlandz ===

The team's registered home field was Badlandz Paintball Field in Crete, Illinois.

Badlandz was an established tournament paintball venue in the Chicago region.

The association places PBFashion.com within the Midwestern American tournament scene during the mid-2000s.

=== Team identity ===

The use of PBFashion.com as a tournament team name demonstrates that the brand identity was present in competitive paintball by 2005.

However, the surviving registration record does not establish whether the team was directly operated by Brandon Fort or represented a separate organisation using the same name.

Further evidence is required before treating the 2005 tournament team and later apparel company as a single continuous business entity.

== Apparel and lifestyle ==

=== Paintball fashion ===

pbFashion was associated with the development of paintball-specific lifestyle apparel.

During the 2000s, competitive paintball increasingly developed a visual culture influenced by other action sports.

Clothing and accessories became important ways for players to identify with particular teams, brands and communities.

=== Tournament culture ===

pbFashion's marketing connected apparel with tournament paintball.

The brand was associated with the imagery of professional and divisional competition.

Its promotional material emphasised the relationship between playing paintball and participating in the sport's wider culture.

=== Online promotion ===

The company used online media to promote its identity.

Videos, photographs and website announcements helped distribute its marketing beyond traditional paintball stores and magazines.

This approach reflected a broader transition in paintball advertising toward internet-based content.

== Cassidy Sanders ==

=== Association with pbFashion ===

Cassidy Sanders was a paintball videographer associated with HK Army and early online tournament paintball videos.

A June 2010 report described a promotional video involving Cassidy Sanders, HK and the pbFashion line.[2]

The video was associated with the PSP Chicago Open.

This establishes a documented relationship between pbFashion and Sanders's promotional media work.

=== ThePBFashion ===

Sanders also used the YouTube channel name '''ThePBFashion'''.

A February 2012 interview published by ProPaintball directed readers to the channel as a source for his videos.[4]

The channel name demonstrates a connection between the pbFashion identity and paintball video distribution.

However, the available sources do not establish the channel's original ownership or the exact business arrangement between Sanders and Brandon Fort.

=== HK Army ===

Sanders was an early participant in the Hostile Kids paintball community.

He later contributed video production to HK Army.

In his 2012 interview, Sanders described his involvement with the original HK group and his return to paintball media after a period away from competitive play.[4]

His association with both HK Army and pbFashion illustrates the overlap between tournament teams, lifestyle brands and independent video production.

The companies should not be treated as the same business without evidence of shared ownership.

== Promotional videos ==

=== PSP Chicago Open 2010 ===

A June 2010 paintball news report described a promotional video produced by Cassidy Sanders and HK for the pbFashion line and the PSP Chicago Open.[2]

The video connected pbFashion with a major national tournament.

The report provides evidence of the brand's use of online video marketing.

=== Online distribution ===

Paintball promotional videos became increasingly important during the late 2000s.

They allowed brands to present tournament footage, player personalities and apparel in a single format.

Video platforms also enabled fans to share material directly.

pbFashion participated in this development through its association with Sanders and online promotional releases.

=== ThePBFashion channel ===

ThePBFashion was identified as Sanders's YouTube channel in 2012.[4]

The channel is relevant to the history of online paintball videography.

A complete inventory of its original videos, publication dates and associated brands has not yet been established.

== Relationship with HK Army ==

=== Shared media culture ===

pbFashion and HK Army were both associated with the growth of paintball lifestyle marketing.

The brands operated within a community where tournament competition, clothing and video production increasingly overlapped.

=== Promotional collaboration ===

The June 2010 report specifically linked Cassidy Sanders, HK and pbFashion in a promotional video.[2]

This demonstrates collaboration or promotional association.

It does not independently establish common ownership, an acquisition or a formal corporate partnership.

=== Distinct identities ===

pbFashion should be distinguished from HK Army.

Brandon Fort is documented as pbFashion's founder.

HK Army developed from the Hostile Kids paintball community.

Although individuals and promotional activities overlapped, the available evidence does not justify describing pbFashion as a division or subsidiary of HK Army.

== Historical significance ==

=== Tournament-associated apparel ===

pbFashion represents an example of the relationship between tournament teams and commercial paintball brands during the 2000s.

The PBFashion.com team name was documented in PSP competition by 2005.

=== Online video marketing ===

The brand was associated with promotional video production during a period when internet video was becoming increasingly important to paintball marketing.

Its connection with Cassidy Sanders provides a link to the development of modern paintball videography.

=== Paintball lifestyle culture ===

pbFashion participated in a broader movement that connected paintball with action-sports clothing and youth-oriented marketing.

This movement helped establish apparel and media as important elements of tournament paintball culture.

=== Historical documentation ===

The surviving records provide evidence of pbFashion's activities but leave several questions unresolved.

The brand's founding date, corporate structure, full product catalogue and eventual fate require further research.

== Timeline ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Event
|-
| By 2005
| PBFashion.com documented as a tournament team name
|-
| September 2005
| PBFashion.com registers for PSP World Cup
|-
| October 2005
| PBFashion.com competes in Division 3 five-player competition
|-
| June 2010
| Promotional video involving pbFashion, Cassidy Sanders and HK reported
|-
| September 2010
| pbFashion announces redesigned website
|-
| September 2010
| Brandon Fort publicly identified as pbFashion founder
|-
| February 2012
| ThePBFashion identified as Cassidy Sanders's YouTube channel
|-
| After 2012
| Later brand activity and status require further verification
|}

== See also ==

* [[Brandon Fort]]
* [[Cassidy Sanders]]
* [[HK Army]]
* [[Hostile Kids]]
* [[Badlandz Paintball Field]]
* [[Paintball Sports Promotions]]
* [[PSP World Cup]]
* [[Paintball apparel]]
* [[Paintball media]]
* [[Paintball videography]]
* [[History of paintball]]
* [[Paintball in the United States]]

== References ==

# [https://jrdominguez32paintball.blogspot.com/2010/09/pbfashion-releases-new-website.html "PBFashion Releases New Website"], JR Dominguez 32 Paintball, 27 September 2010. Reproduces contemporary ProPaintball reporting identifying Brandon Fort as founder and documenting the website relaunch.
# [https://jrdominguez32paintball.blogspot.com/2010/06/ "Clever Paintball Marketing: PBFashion & the PSP Chicago Open"], JR Dominguez 32 Paintball, June 2010. Contemporary report identifying a promotional video involving Cassidy Sanders, HK and the pbFashion line.
# [https://pbleagues.com/team/roster/bDS1G9d23zoXayra "PBFashion.com at World Cup"], PBLeagues. Archived 2005 PSP World Cup team registration and Division 3 five-player game results.
# [https://davemcauley14.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/cassidy-sanders-interview/ "Cassidy Sanders Interview"], reproduction of ProPaintball interview, originally February 2012. Documents Sanders's association with HK Army and identifies ThePBFashion as his YouTube channel.
# [https://www.socialpaintball.com/2012/04/28/video-hk-armycassidy-sanders-nppl-las-vegas-2011/ "Video: HK Army/Cassidy Sanders NPPL Las Vegas 2011"], Social Paintball, 28 April 2012. Contemporary reporting on Sanders's tournament video production.

== External links ==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.pbfashion.com/ pbFashion — Internet Archive]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePBFashion ThePBFashion — Historical YouTube Channel]
* [https://pbleagues.com/team/roster/bDS1G9d23zoXayra PBFashion.com — 2005 PSP World Cup Results]
* [https://jrdominguez32paintball.blogspot.com/2010/09/pbfashion-releases-new-website.html pbFashion — 2010 Website Relaunch]

[[Category:Paintball apparel manufacturers]]
[[Category:Paintball brands]]
[[Category:Paintball media]]
[[Category:Paintball teams]]
[[Category:American paintball teams]]
[[Category:Paintball history]]
[[Category:Paintball in Illinois]]
[[Category:Paintball in the United States]]