The Baton Has Been Passed: Tahir on School of Hard Knocks, Legacy, and Building What Comes Next

Written by Jayona Monique Dorsey
Writer, Creative Strategist, and Cultural Storyteller.
Hampton University, Class of 2027
Strategic Communications major, concentrating in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing.

Thirty years after School of Hard Knocks was founded in Queens, Tahir is bringing his family’s streetwear legacy into a new era under the LegacyHistoryPride umbrella. The relaunch is more than a return to the market; it is an act of cultural preservation, transforming a family legacy into lasting brand equity while introducing a new generation to the story, values, and vision behind School of Hard Knocks.

The baton was never just passed—it was built, carried, and rebuilt across three generations. Now, Tahir is running with it.

School of Hard Knocks, the streetwear brand founded by his father in 1996, is entering a new chapter under his direction. But its roots stretch back further: to his grandfather, Ortner “Von” Murray, a Trinidadian immigrant who arrived in America in the ’60s, became a self taught cobbler in Corona, Queens, and eventually owned two buildings along Northern Boulevard, laying the foundation for a family legacy defined by ownership and self determination.

“A Trini man came to America in the ’60s and ended up owning two buildings on Northern Boulevard in Corona, Queens? Acquiring the first Black owned Nike account in the country? That speaks for itself,” Tahir says.

From that foundation came Von’s Sneaker Store, and eventually School of Hard Knocks. A brand built around celebrating people who chose unconventional paths, bet on themselves, and turned lived experiences into something meaningful.

Thirty years later, that philosophy is being reactivated—not as a revival, but as a continuation of a family legacy rooted in migration, ownership, Black entrepreneurship, and the belief that you can build something of your own.

“I was raised to take a lot of pride in where we come from and what we’ve been able to build,” Tahir says. “Black people have had so much influence on culture, but historically, we haven’t always had the same level of ownership.”

That distinction is at the heart of School of Hard Knocks.

“Hard Knocks isn’t just clothing to us. It’s ownership, legacy, and proof that we could build something of our own.”

For Tahir, bringing the brand back was never really about bringing back the past. It was about figuring out what to do with everything that had already been built.

“My generation is so creative and resourceful,” he says. “We’re building brands, making art, starting businesses, and creating our own opportunities with whatever we have access to.”

That same energy is what he wants to bring into this next chapter of School of Hard Knocks.

“I always knew it was going to happen. I dreamt it,” Tahir says. “For me, it was never really a matter of if, it was just when.”

Getting to that “when,” though, meant taking his own route first.

Tahir describes traveling the world by himself, experiencing the good, the bad, and the ugly, and learning who he was outside of the expectations that came with his family name.

“Looking back, it feels like I was training my whole life to be a part of this relay,” he says. “My grandfather ran his race. My dad ran his. Now the baton has been passed to me, and it’s time to run mine.”

He’s not trying to recreate either of their races. It’s to take what they built and run further with it.

That means keeping the spirit of School of Hard Knocks intact while still giving himself room to make it his own.

“Being true to who I am and the values passed down to me,” Tahir says. “I think keeping it as simple as that will allow everything to fall into place gracefully.”

That approach also explains why School of Hard Knocks and Legacy History Pride make sense together. SOHK will officially live under the LHP umbrella alongside its HBCU and lifestyle collections, bringing the family brand into a larger ecosystem centered around culture, community, and storytelling.

“I see the two brands as one big venn diagram,” Tahir says. “When you get to the middle, there’s so much overlap in their ethos—community, culture, storytelling, ownership, and creating something bigger than just clothes.”

For Tahir, the two brands may have different histories, but they share the same question: What can you build when you have something meaningful to build from?

And that question shows up in the way he approaches creativity, too.

“Childlike. Curious.”

That’s how Tahir describes himself as a creative. He likes to start with the idea before worrying too much about the rules.

“Dude, let’s break some rules. Let’s throw a bunch of shit at the wall and see what sticks.”

It’s playful, but there’s still intention behind it. Before an idea becomes something real, Tahir wants to understand why it needs to exist in the first place.

“Why do we need this? Why does this need to exist? What emotion do I feel, and how do I communicate that? What does this mean to people? What do I want someone to walk away thinking?”

For him, history, storytelling, and culture are part of that process.

“History, storytelling, and culture give me something deeper to create from.”

His time at Howard University helped shape that perspective, too.

“Howard showed me the best in myself, then taught me how to bring that into the world, my life, and my career,” he says. “Howard taught me that I belong. My ideas belong. My work belongs.”

That belief continues to show up in LHP’s HBCU collections and Tahir’s approach to celebrating HBCU culture through fashion.

“HBCU’s are a commitment to Black life. Period,” he says. “So celebrating HBCU culture through fashion isn’t just important to me, it’s my responsibility.”

And underneath all of it is community.

“In community you find strength. In community you find healing. In community you find yourself and your purpose,” Tahir says. “Not much can be done without community.”

In a way, that brings School of Hard Knocks right back to where it started. A Trinidadian immigrant came to Queens and built something. His son expanded it. School of Hard Knocks became part of that story. Now, thirty years later, Tahir gets to decide where the story goes next.

He’s thinking beyond nostalgia and toward the next 30 years.

His grandfather came to America looking for opportunity. Tahir wants to keep creating it.

“He saw fashion as a vehicle for change,” Tahir says. “Real change starts with access and opportunity.”

For Tahir, that means more than making clothes. It means creating the tools, access, and opportunities that allow someone else to build something of their own.

Because eventually, every baton gets passed.

And when asked what he hopes the next generation says about the legacy he left behind, his answer is simple:

“He did everything he said he would.”

Check out the new SOHK 30th Anniversary Collection Here!