As a Texas A&M University student, Tom Kartsotis began designing watches. In 1984, he introduced the brand Fossil — a nickname he and his brothers called their father — and started selling inexpensive fashion watches in Hong Kong. His brother, Kosta Kartsotis, began approaching department stores to carry their merchandise.
The company has this saying “Greater Together.” That philosophy has served it well and speaks to why Fossil joined our open source community. Now a multi-billion brand, Fossil owns Relic, BMW, Michele Watch, Skagen Denmark, Misfit, WSI and Zodiac watch brands; manufacturers licensed accessories for Puma, Emporio Armani, Michael Kors, DKNY, Diesel, Kate Spade New York, Tory Burch, Chaps and Armani Exchange; produces collectibles, some based on popular films and pop culture characters, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Elvis Presley, Snoopy, Pokémon, Star Wars, Chronicles of Narnia, Cars and The Matrix. In 2006, Fossil agreed to make official watch collections for each if the United States’ National Football League teams.