The Fossil firm and Fossil watches had been founded in 1984 by Tom Kartsotis, a college student living in Dallas. His older brother, Kosta was working as a merchandising executive and told Tom in regards to the massive earnings that might be created by importing retail goods from the East. Tom took his brother's suggestions and began a firm that focused on economical style watches as its most important product. Lots of with the watches had an appealing, retro look and caught the attention of shoppers instantly. The firm was initially named Overseas Goods International, however the name was quickly changed to Fossil. Within the 1990s, Fossil branched out into leather goods and sunglasses at the same time because the popular Relic line of Fossil watches. The firm became a publicly traded firm in 1993.