Alan King and his AKINGSNY brand is about to get even hotter.
Cue Eminem's "Lose Yourself." If you only had one shot........never mind.
Remember when you were a kid and you started that lemonade stand? Squishing all those lemons, pouring sugar, setting up shop on the curb and hoping you'd get at least one person to stop and buy your delicious concoction?
Of course you do. We all tried it. That was our first taste of the business world. We felt like we were on top of the world, selling the greatest drink known to man. Now imagine setting up that lemonade stand, parked next to hundreds of other lemonade stands. And those lemonade stands had extra flashing lights, they were bigger and had more friends helping them out. This is what it feels like to start a business as an Asian-American and other businesses started by people of color.
We should know, CROSSxOVER was built by a Vietnamese-American. It's tough as hell. And it's especially tough when younger Asians and Asian-Americans tell their parents they don't want to finish their degree, be a doctor, be a lawyer, or any other stereotypical occupation that was thrust upon us by our parents. Like, we appreciate it mom and dad, but stop forcing us to take piano lessons or math tutoring class! Let us do something we really love!
Freedom to Create
This brings us to Alan King (real name Alan Cheung); founder of AKINGSNY, a streetwear fashion brand based in NYC. Starting his brand in 2016, he brings what we like to describe as a "biker meets punk rock" style to his designs. His "Anarchy" collection showcases mostly a black motif with his initials in the shape of a pentagram-looking graphic design. And we dig it.
Most of his clothes showcase an edginess, and this is why we like the brand. Coming from Asian-descent, it's easy for people to stereotypically (either intentionally or unintentionally) say how we can be pretty docile, low-key individuals. Not when you see the bite AKINGSNY offers with their apparel. It's anything but, and it's refreshing to see Alan turn the reputation of Asians on its head through his clothing. We want to believe that was part of the reason why he designs that way, and we are for it.
His unique J-shape jeans give his denim a unique, ripple or stack look. Biker jeans usually do this artificially, punk rockers usually wear ripped or skinny jeans. This feels like a hybrid of both and gives a cool look with sneakers or if you're rocking some nice boots. With the denim being sources from high quality Japanese and Italian mills, the style feels like it's as if a ninja has traded in his black pajamas for a night out on the town.
The 'Hype'
Naturally, AKINGSNY is going to be highlighted on HBO Max's "The Hype" starting August 12th. And finally, more eyeballs are going to get the chance to see Alan King work his magic. And rightfully so.
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