If you’re into streetwear, the fashion apparel scene may seem a little dull right now. Fashion labels seem to be repeating their ideas by going rounds in the trend circle. Fast fashion falling seasons behind in trends, vintage getting a little over-saturated, and streetwear can get boring and repetitive. If you’re looking for fresh silhouettes to start a new trend and be ahead of the times, these newer designers’ work might just be what you’re looking for.
Bare Knuckles
Bare Knuckles is a clothing brand started by Jacob Keller and Cole McBride in 2018. Before this brand, they both started hellmart, a curated vintage store. Think of fast fashion variety, but much better quality, silhouettes, designs, and carbon footprint. Bare Knuckles does every category of fashion apparel. Accessories, basics, denim, sweats, their products could cover your entire wardrobe if you wanted to. Bare Knuckles’s style aesthetic would be textured basics, workwear, and a touch of vintage.
The colour palette and knit silhouette of the ‘Alpaca Knit Cardigan’ from Collection Four clinch the spot of my favourite item among all the releases. The ‘Scout Ranch Slub T-Shirt’ from Collection Five gives hints of inspiration from Human-Made by Nigo and makes for a great everyday t-shirt. From Collection Two, the ‘Japanese Nylon Cargos’ makes for a great topper to this look. The contrast stitching on the 3-D pockets adds flair to the overall look. Whatever silhouette you’re looking to add to your wardrobe, Bare Knuckles has something for you.
FUTUREMADE STUDIO (FTMD)
Started by Tunway (a.k.a Xiao Pi Hai), FTMD kicked off in 2014 as an experimental project. Unlike most of the other brands mentioned, FTMD is located in Kuala Lumpur with several stockists in China and Taiwan. Tunway first started on YouTube, reviewing sneakers and basketball shoes. He eventually moved onto streetwear trends and lifestyle vlogs. Being an adventurous person, he records his hiking and camping ventures. He even scaled Mount Everest as well. To date, he has done many collaborations with brands like Vans, The North Face, and Asics. Tunway is also my favourite content creator on YouTube!
FTMD stays true to his interests and hobbies and is generally geared for his daily use. The apparel focuses on outdoor wear with touches of influence from workwear and military uniforms. FTMD has the largest available catalog among all brands I will mention. From accessories to camping gear, FTMD has it all. From the non-apparel section, the triangle carabiners and the paracord necklace takes the spot as my favourite items from their entire collection. The mesh fisherman vest and anorak jacket make for great layering pieces. If you’re looking for something simple, pair their summer patchwork shirt with any pair of shorts. Or a simple white tee with their mesh cargo shorts adds detail. If the outdoor vibe is your style, this brand has something for you. FTMD has also done numerous collaborations with well-known streetwear brands like THE NERDYS from Japan and Yankees from the States.
Midori Worldwide
Midori Worldwide was started recently in late 2020 by Luke Fracher. Fracher is no stranger in the fashion scene. In 2013, Fracher co-founded Round Two with 2 other friends. Fracher also started Mooky Clothing in 2019, which did a shoe collaboration with Lugz. However, Mooky Clothing ended in the same year it started. Midori’s style deviates from Round Two’s trendy streetwear and vintage aesthetic and leans towards minimalistic and basics for everyday wear. Fracher, now 32, is “trying to dress grown” by stepping out of loud statement pieces and into “low-key, toned down things”, as per his interview with Complex and his Instagram bio.
Their first collection draws inspiration from vintage pieces. The ‘Vietnam Cargo Pant’ is reminiscent of the OG-107 trousers. As the name suggests, the ‘Grandpa Trouser’ looks like it was taken directly from your Grandpa’s closet. Silhouettes in a similar colourway can be found at thrift and vintage stores. Midori Worldwide adds flair to already popular silhouettes by using better quality fabric and adding minute details like pearl buttons. As for the jackets, they come with custom hand-sewn patches or hand-stamped branding. The brand seems to be headed in the elevated basics and minimal aesthetic, but I am excited to see more of Fracher’s work!
Sangiev
Sangiev is no stranger to anyone in the world of fashion. Best known for his high fashion styling, he has been consistently putting out menswear fashion and lifestyle videos on YouTube for about 6 years now. Sangiev also dabbles in reworking pieces for himself. In the 2019 Best Dressed YouTuber series by PAQ, Sangiev emerged as the final 3 contestants alongside Magnus. Recently, on 27 October 2020, he announced the launch of his clothing line “Sangiev” with 2 outerwears and a pair of cargo trousers to be released on the 1st of November 2020. Today, only 30 pieces in size S of his ‘Hooded Zip Up Sweatshirt’ remain for sale online. The style aesthetics of his brand stays true to his own, high fashion with a touch of street.
Despite admitting that the design isn’t “the most original of ideas” and is in fact “inspired by Undercover”, the ‘Reversible Cropped Temple Sweatshirt’ remains a favourite of mine among the 3 pieces. The nice crop paired with thread-sewn detailing makes it a little bit more unique. The ‘Flared Cargo Trousers’ are also much more unique than any other cargos you may ever see. It has a hint of high fashion behind its overall techwear look. It has a total of 14 pockets with some buttons surrounding the hem to modify the fit and look.
Sadly, he has admitted that his pieces aren’t ideal for summer use. The outerwears weigh 420gsm (regular tees are usually about 180gsm) and the trousers are constructed with canvas and denim mix. If you don’t mind sweating or almost always in an air-conditioned area, these would be perfect.
Ronning
Ronning was started and founded by Magnus Ronning in 2018. In the year before, he did a small floral capsule with 2 different coloured tees with floral embroidery, which was a hit. Magnus first gained popularity with his constant YouTube videos regarding fashion. In the 2019 Best Dressed YouTuber series by PAQ, Magnus emerged as the final 3 contestants alongside Sangiev. Most of his brand followers started with his YouTube following. With his constant flow of lookbooks and styling tips, his subscribers trust him to produce quality garments.
Ronning consists of mainly basics, with occasional statement pieces of tie-dye, bandana, and leopard prints. What makes Ronning basics different from Uniqlo or Muji you may ask? Most notably, the vintage wash they use. Ronning pieces have a unique look through the use of special washing methods. They mimic that of a “vintage look” despite it being brand new. The tonal colour palette they use for their ‘Everyday’ collection is pretty unique and not easily found elsewhere. Ronning was also one of the pioneers for bandana print jackets as he was the first to create one in that colourway. Ronning pieces are usually sold out within a few hours from release.
GRAYE Studio
GRAYE Studio is a local Singaporean label founded by Xie QianQian in 2016 that aims to promote a modern zen lifestyle. In the i-D International Emerging Designers, Xie was a shortlisted finalist. GRAYE pledges to create sustainable clothing by reducing waste in all aspects of their business practices. GRAYE is popular for its basics that have the cut and sewn feel. They have many bags that are in shapes and sizes like no other. Most notably, they released a vest that doubles as a tote bag.
The ‘Artefact’ section of their shop is easily the reason why they are different from other brands that offer basics. They upcycle leftover fabric into bags and belts in uncommon shapes that have a resemblance to Japanese culture. During the peak of Covid-19, they created face masks that solved the problem that surgical masks create: sustainability, style, comfort, and the fact that it left gaps between the mask and the cheeks. For Japanese streetwear and culture lovers, this brand is for you.
Wacky Wears
Rebranded in late 2020, Wacky Wears has moved from accessories to producing original graphic tees, tote bags, and prints. Being a local Singaporean brand, they welcome all creators to sell their works using their transparent sales model at no upfront cost. All their designs are pre-ordered, leaving no excess product lying around in warehouses and a cleaner carbon footprint. They are also very transparent with their price models and break down the cost of their supplies and process.
With new designers creating brands ever so often, it’s difficult to keep track of the good ones you’d buy into. These brands not only create cool stuff that I would spend my money on, but are also somewhat sustainable. Smaller brands do not mass produce too much of their products — which can be seen from a large number of sold-out items. They also can’t afford to incinerate unsold clothing like big corporations practice. Albeit the prices are a little bit higher than the popular streetwear brands, it can help fund a more ethical production process. Some of these designers and brands are already pretty well known. But, hopefully, I can bring about more traffic to the amazing work they’re creating.
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