4 Filipino American Street wear brands You and your friends wish they knew about sooner

Clothing for some, is a thing of function and service, while for others it’s a medium for art and self expression. With the growing trend of street wear in music and sports, expressing yourself through personal style is the focal point to any night out, music festival, or social media post. The art of street wear is more than just wearing the newest trends or most fashionable garments, it is a formal display of what you believe in and how you want to be represented. Luckily, we have a few pioneering brands injecting Filipino culture into the bloodline of street wear. These 4 brands are changing the way we can still express our Filipino roots in the fashion industry today:

 

1. Illa Manila

The Filipino balisong (Philippine butterfly knife) has been one of the iconic traditional Filipino weapons highlighted in the Illa Manila clothing line. The thought process behind their unique apparel and accessories, is to create a clothing line for younger generation Fil-ams to connect to the homeland. Drawing on skate wear fashion, Illa Manila has embraced Filipino art as a focal point to the artwork of its clothing. Fast forward a few years and they have added multiple elements of Filipino culture to their clothing line such as sampaguita earrings, a barong inspired pullover jacket, and one of my personal favorites, a fork and spoon matching skateboard deck. If skate wear is your go to, spice up your closet with some Illa Manila clothing. 

Photos: https://illamanila.com/

2. KuyateCo

KuyateCo pronounced [ koo-YAH-teh ] is a relatively new brand that was birthed during the pandemic but nonetheless has had plenty of success in their first year on the scene. A majority of their clothing plays on pop culture, infusing our heritage into a lot of what we see in streetwear today. One of my favorite pieces from a previous sports collection was the “Pamilya x LA Dodgers” tee. Using the original Dodger logo, they replaced the word “Dodger” with the word “Pamilya”, giving our Filipino baseball fans the chance to support both an MLB team while still proudly representing being Filipino. Their catchy graphics can keep anyone related to pop culture in a stylish manner.

Photos: https://kuyate.com/

3. MondaySuck

Based out of San Diego, California. Mondaysuck skyrocketed with their fashion forward pieces that paid homage to the 90s and 2000s style. For Filipinos and non-Filipinos, Mondaysuck is a big name in the streetwear game which makes it that much more endearing knowing that they have used their platform to showcase the owners Filipino heritage. The owner, Orcino, has had several drops that featured Filipino statements such as a Jollibee character, the Manila Sun, and more recently a modern take on the traditional barong, that can be worn as an everyday statement. Adding Mondaysuck to your wardrobe is one of the quickest ways to make all your friends envious of your wardrobe.

Photos: https://www.mondaysuck.com/collections

4. Abakada

Abakada, celebrating its 4th year as a fashion line, has been one of the more established Filipino clothing brands who doesn’t shy away from boldly showcasing its Filipino inspiration. They frequently embrace the phrase “for the kultura” signifying that everything they embody in their clothing is to represent our Filipino culture. Their Abakada Classic Tee was also featured in GQ magazine as 19 of the best new menswear items to buy. If bright colors and edgy looks are your go to aesthetic, Abakada should be your first stop shop “for the culture”.

https://www.gq.com/gallery/best-new-menswear-items-to-buy-06-24-22

Yes, we can wear the big brands like Gucci, Nike, or Pac sun, but what if there is a world where the kultura is trendy. Now is a prime era in fashion to support our Filipino brands for the world to see and look real good doing it. 

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Written By Niko Del Rey

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