Top Asian-Owned Streetwear Brands You Can Support Now
Supporting Your Local Asian-Owned Streetwear Brands
With the proliferation of Asian hate crimes on the rise since 2020, we felt the need to address the support that is needed in the Asian community now more than ever. We want to remind everyone affected by this negativity to stand strong do their part in spreading awareness. We want to take this time to praise some of the amazing Asian-owned brands and show our own way of support by advocating their message and vision, whether it is to empower, to preach about freedom, sustainability, or to bring attention to the issues of inclusivity in the LGBTQ community. Here are our picks of Asian-owned streetwear brands you can support right now (and forever).
Lychee the Label
First on the list is Lychee the Label, a both Asian-owned and women-owned small business based in New York. It all started in 2019 when two fashion bloggers turned best friends saw an opportunity to introduce street Asian fashion and Kpop fashion to a market that largely neglects women’s streetwear, particularly styles that work and complement the female body. Focusing largely on women’s streetwear clothing, they hope to popularize Asian street styles that break free from the baggy and unisex silhouette that you traditionally find in streetwear and hip-hop clothing. With mainstream media slowly influenced by the music industry of the east, several fashion trends are beginning to make their way into the western streetwear industry. Lychee the Label offers a variety of trendy Asian streetwear clothing including slit streetwear skirts, plaid skirts, buckled crop tops, strappy bottoms, and more. Their branding is all about female empowerment and looking as good as you feel. They hope to encourage women to feel confident and strong, using clothes as a medium to express themselves. To support this Asian-owned business, you can shop their Asian streetwear now!
Private Policy NY
Second on the list is another Asian-owned brand that is based in New York City. Founders Haoran Li and Siying Qu are both graduates of Parson with the vision to create a brand that lives and breaths the new york lifestyle. Believing that New Yorkers themselves are never afraid to speak up, they wanted the brand to reflect the strength and freedom that is the city. Their street-style Asian fashion can be seen in the uses of Chinese characters found in selective streetwear tops and bottoms. Private Policy NY focuses largely on minimalist summer streetwear, with designs that are largely genderless. This was a decision made by the founders to emphasize simplicity and youthfulness in their style, encouraging any gender to rock what they want and break out of the social norms and confinements of what people expect them to wear. To support this Asian-owned business, you can check out Private Policy NY.
Cres. E Dim
Asian streetwear brand Cres E. Dim was founded by Hongbum Kim in South Korea over two decades ago. The name of the brand refers to the musical term Crescendo e diminuendo, which translates to ‘gradually getting louder’ and ‘ gradually getting softer’, a concept he aimed to apply in his fashion theory. This can be seen in the way he toys with the concept of fabrics and shapes to add rhythm to his piece. While the price tag may be higher-end, this is certainly reflected in their quality as well. They focus largely on luxury Asian streetwear and billowing oversized silhouettes, a style that is very popular in Korea. Their sister brand Dim E Cres is a more affordable street Asian fashion option that offers similar styles for less. Slightly more youthful, they have more casual wear like graphic tees, cropped bottoms, and the likes. To support this Asian-Owned business, you can find them at Cres. E Dim.
Syro
Syro is another Asian streetwear brand that emerged out from New York City. Co-founded by Henry Bae and Shaobo Han, the creative duo aimed to create an LGBTQ-positive brand that preaches messages of acceptance and inclusivity. They both had an instant connection through the ways they mutually identify themselves - being an Asian-American that is feminine and nongender-conforming. Their aim is to dismantle the status quo and create feminine footwear that can be worn by men and gender-nonconforming people, a market they both believed was extremely lacking. With that being said, they have a variety of platform heels and booties that are specifically made up to size Men 14, encouraging the use of heels as an everyday staple and not just for performances. The duo has since amassed a loyal social following that believes in their same vision, even catching the eye of notable clients like Rupaul from Rupaul’s Drag Race. To support this Asian-owned business, you can find them at Shop Syro.
Novel Supply Co.
This sustainable Asian-owned brand is based in Vancouver, Canada. Founder Kaya Dorey first started the brand when she realized synthetic fabrics simply aren’t recyclable and she couldn’t find anything that was eco-friendly, locally made, and fair trade that suited her style. Novel Supply Co. focuses on design that caters to the urban look, making it perfect for the best summer streetwear pieces. It is conscious of the way it creates clothing to minimize its impact on the planet, creating a take-back program they called AFRESH to encourage sustainability. They also encourage local brands to reach out to them as they heavily preach in supporting other local entrepreneurs in the industry. While they offer a variety of women’s streetwear clothes and men’s streetwear clothes, they also offer fun products like recycled art prints, coffee mugs, and accessories suited to the great outdoors. To support this Asian-owned business, you can find them at Novel Supply Co.
We hope this list can help shed some light on some amazing Asian-owned streetwear businesses that are currently operating. If you don’t have the means to support your local Asian streetwear brand, feel free to share these brands with others to encourage support in our own Asian community!
