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The month of May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the AAPI community and its countless contributions to society. Among the many are fashion brands that every style girlie needs to know, stat.
Designer Sandy Liang, for example, built a cult following in New York for her whimsical and ’90s-inspired collections. Meanwhile, YanYan and Ph5 continue to impress with their mastery of knitwear. When it comes to accouterments, fans of playful Y2K-era styles are also well-represented with brands like BONBONWHIMS and NOTTE, beloved by celebs like Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo, respectively.
Accessory brand from Singapore Charles & Keith has been an institution since 1996, and shows no signs of slowing down — especially after K-pop stars have been spotted rocking the on-trend items. Meanwhile, JW Pei’s Gigi handbag was catapulted to it-bag status after being spotted on the arms of Emily Ratajkowski and Gigi Hadid.
Especially with the Asian community having been severely impacted by racism and anti-Asian sentiments in the last few years, supporting Asian American-owned brands not only shows solidarity, but many brands are donating proceeds to organizations like the W.O.W. Project and Heart of Dinner. So your hard-earned dollars also go to charities and underserved communities — a total win in my book.
Ahead, you’ll find 20 AAPI-owned fashion brands that you should support today and every day.