Top 5 Asian-Owned Fashion Brands that You’ve Gotta Check Out
Fashion is ever changing, ever expanding. Every day, new fashion brands are popping up in the world, and it’s time that they get their time to shine. You always hear about mainstream brands like H&M and Ralph Lauren out there in the news, but what about some other, lesser known brands? What about those owned by Asian minorities — some minorities that you don’t really hear about very often? Here are some Asian-Owned Fashion Brands that you definitely have to check out!
1. Private Policy NY
Private Policy NY is one of the many luxury Asian-owned fashion brands founded by Haolin Li and Siying Qu, two people who came together to create innovative, genderless clothing.
Their clothing provides not only great, stylish fashion, but also provides commentary on important political and social issues each season. They’ve discussed breaking Asian stereotypes, the American dream, and have brought awareness to enslaved fishermen back in their Spring Summer 2017 collection.
According to their website — which you can find here — Private Policy and it’s founders don’t think that fashion should be used for looking pretty, and being beautiful. They strive to create fashion that makes a statement, and that provides commentary on some of the world’s most critical issues.
Their newest Spring Summer 2020 focuses on the Stonewall Riots, and is a call to action to bring everyone together in unity. They acknowledge that the Stonewall Riots was a result of years of suppression and discrimination against LGBT+ people, and it shows through this new collection.
The clothes are comprised of many blacks and whites, as well muted greens and pinks that really emphasize the message they’re trying to send. Be sure to check out Private Policy NY and their clothes today!
2. SiiZU
Taking a step back from high-cost to low-cost, we look at SiiZU, one of the many Asian-owned fashion brands that touts it’s fair price point and was created by Kay Wen.
SiiZU provides clothing that prides itself on its affordability, as well as its environmentally friendly apparel. They really base their mission and philosophy on these two things; directly from their website — which you can shop from here — they mention how their clothes are 100% natural, and 100% sustainably grown.
They cite that they get their silk from Suzhou, and their cashmere from the innermost Mongolian region. They even donate to American Forest, a non-profit conservation organization who’s mission is to plant 2.7 million trees across 44 projects.
They don’t just sell clothes, though! They also sell jewelry, as well as bags. Their jewelry gives off a very feminine, very dainty vibe to them. They’re minimalist, in a way, and it’s clear that the designers are very fond of earthy colors and tones. There’s also a lot of whites and golds that perfectly compliment each other, whether it be in bracelets, or in earrings.
As for their clothes, they let the simplicity and daintiness of the clothing speak for itself, as well as their pastel and earthy tones. The same can be said for their outerwear, scarves, and handbags. Go check out their beautiful clothing at SiiZU’s website today!
3. Freja New York
Fashion isn’t just about what goes on our body, it’s also about what we accessorize with as well. Freja New York works to compliment your outfit with a cute handbag by Chinese founder, Jenny Lei, who is very young — only 24!
This handbag company is one of several Asian-owned fashion brands that incorporate handbags. They’re very new — according to their “Our Story” page, they haven’t even officially launched yet — and they work tirelessly to make bags that can go with anything in your wardrobe.
The bags that are currently on their site right now are $278. These bags come with a sleek, minimalistic style that gives out a cool, modern vibe. Freja is also going to come out with a new collection in August! Be sure to check out their newest collection right here when it comes out!
4. Li-Ning
Jumping straight from fashion accessories into sportswear, Li-Ning provides sleek, fashionable athletic clothing and footwear for the every day athlete. Li-Ning was founded back in 1990 by famous champion gymnast of the same name, Li Ning. His goal was to create athletic wear for athletes to wear to the Olympics.
The founder himself describes his clothing as a mix of modern and traditional Chinese silhouettes that incorporates the founder’s own sports-orientated heritage to create this unique modern look that’s full of bright colors that just scream sports.
When you go to the site, their clothes are actually being sold on Amazon. They provide six collections that all serve a different purpose; they have their Premium Collection, their Running collection, their Training collection, Basketball collection, Badminton collection, and finally, their Sports Life collection.
Their footwear is pretty affordable; most pairs range from $16-$20, with a few choice pairs totaling up to around the $100 range. Go ahead and view their collections from their website, and you might find something you’ll like!
5. HUISHAN ZHANG
Delving right back into more bold fashion, Huishan Zhang created a brand that’s part of many luxury Asian-owned fashion brands, and who’s been in the game since 2011 with his own brand of the same name, HUISHAN ZHANG.
His fashion plays on a lot of warm colors: blacks, whites, deep reds, and even pastel pinks. He also uses a lot of different flowy material like feathers, tulle, and specializes in ruffles and sheer cloth. It really gives his work that feminine, very classy, sophisticated, and romantic clothing that just makes you wanna try it on!
His clothing — more importantly, his dresses — are very reminiscent of the ballroom aesthetic, and stretches into looks that are ready for the red carpet. The designs include big dresses with jewels, tulle, and ruffles.
Huishan Zhang’s style for his brand includes mixing his Eastern nationality with Western ideals to create the unique style that we all love! Zhang was also the recipient for the 2016 BFC Fashion Trust and a nominee for the Vogue Fashion Fund in 2017. Safe to say, he knows his fashion. If you want to pick up his fashion, go to his website right here to check it out!
When trying to change up our style to fit something different, it’s important to consider all options, and that includes all of these Asian-owned fashion brands.
Which brand are you going thinking of checking out? Tell us in the comments below!
Featured Image Source:
https://pixabay.com/photos/fashion-asian-japanese-chinese-4254232/
Hi! My name is Carolina Cisneros, and I am a new intern at Society 19. I’m so glad to have this opportunity! I have an Associates in Studio Art, and I will be heading into university for Cinematic Arts and Technologies. I plan to go into the animation industry, designing characters and bringing more diversity into the world. For now, I’m building my skills. Thank you for reading!