Teruo, Inc. was founded in 1999 by Brian Watters, Timothy Watters, and Koji Sakai. The company was named after the Watters's grandfather, Teruo Iyama.
Teruo Artistry clothing has appeared in feature films such as Thirteen and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift as well as many prime time television programs, record albums and music videos. In 2007, two shirts were featured prominently on Montana's new hit music video "Rock On (Do the Rockman)," an MTV Jam of the Week.
They also have been commissioned to do designs for Grammy Award winning band Ozomatli, rock group OneRepublic, and the #2 radio station in the country, KIIS-FM, based in Los Angeles.