Streetwear & Independent Fashion Brand Guidelines: Labels from London, Tokyo, Seoul and Lagos
One hundred and two brand guides to streetwear and independent fashion labels — and the cities, scenes and stories behind them.
Streetwear and independent fashion labels build identity from scenes, cities and stories. These guides look at how each presents itself, with honest caveats where the record is thin.
Scenes and cities
Tokyo labels include NIGO’s Human Made, Cav Empt, WTAPS, Neighborhood and doublet, an LVMH Prize winner. London has Corteiz, A-Cold-Wall*, Martine Rose, Wales Bonner and Craig Green; Amsterdam has Patta and Daily Paper; and Seoul has Ader Error, Post Archive Faction and thisisneverthat. Carhartt WIP is the European streetwear licensee of Carhartt.
Labels with a point of view
Many labels lead with a story: Denim Tears’ cotton-wreath storytelling, Telfar’s democratic luxury, Thebe Magugu’s narrative design in Johannesburg, Kenneth Ize’s aso-oke weaving in Lagos, and Madhappy’s mental-health mission.
How to use these guides
Each guide covers a label’s visual identity — its logo, palette and voice — as design commentary, and notes where facts could not be fully confirmed. The table at the end gathers the essentials.
Streetwear icons
Vans, The North Face, Carhartt, Stüssy, BAPE and Champion.
- Vans — The ‘flying V’ wordmark, the OFF THE WALL logo a kid drew in 1976, the checkerboard and sidestripe, and the 1966 Anaheim origin.
- The North Face — The ‘Half Dome’ arc logo, the red-and-black palette, ‘Never Stop Exploring,’ and the 1966 San Francisco origin.
- Carhartt — The script wordmark and ‘C’ mark, the iconic Carhartt Brown, the 1889 Detroit workwear origin, and the Carhartt WIP distinction.
- Stüssy — The hand-scrawled signature logo, the interlocking ‘SS’ link (a Chanel homage), the umlaut, and the early-’80s Laguna Beach origin.
- A Bathing Ape (BAPE) — The Ape Head and College logos, the ABC Camo with a hidden ape, the ‘lukewarm water’ name, and Nigo’s 1993 Tokyo origin.
- Champion — The red-and-blue ‘C’ sleeve logo, the script wordmark, the Reverse Weave heritage, and the 1919 Rochester origin.
Hype brands
Palace, Kith, Aimé Leon Dore, Fear of God and Stone Island.
- Palace — The Tri-Ferg logo (a Penrose triangle by Fergus Purcell), the ’90s-rave aesthetic, and the 2009 London origin.
- Kith — The bold all-caps wordmark, the tonal-neutral palette, the ‘kith and kin’ name, and Ronnie Fieg’s 2011 New York origin.
- Aimé Leon Dore — The elegant custom serif wordmark, the vintage-neutral palette, the family-inspired name, and Teddy Santis’s 2014 Queens origin.
- Fear of God — The refined serif wordmark, the bold ESSENTIALS diffusion line, the muted desert palette, and Jerry Lorenzo’s 2013 LA origin.
- Stone Island — The removable compass-rose sleeve badge, the yellow-green-black palette, Massimo Osti’s garment-dyeing, and the 1982 origin.
Streetwear, part 1
Corteiz, A-Cold-Wall*, Brain Dead, Carhartt WIP, Denim Tears, Undefeated and Patta.
- Corteiz — The London guerrilla streetwear brand, its Alcatraz logo and scarcity drops, with honest caveats.
- A-Cold-Wall* — Samuel Ross’s industrial-brutalist London brand, its cement-and-orange design, with honest caveats.
- Brain Dead — The LA psychedelic-maximalist collective, its collage-heavy design, with honest caveats.
- Carhartt WIP — The European streetwear licensee of Carhartt, its workwear-brown design, with honest caveats.
- Denim Tears — Tremaine Emory’s conceptual brand and its cotton-wreath storytelling, with honest caveats.
- Undefeated — The LA sneaker-culture brand and its five-strike logo, with honest caveats.
- Patta — The pioneering Amsterdam streetwear institution, its community-rooted design, with honest caveats.
Streetwear, part 2
Human Made, Cav Empt, Wales Bonner, Martine Rose, Rhude, Noah and Gallery Dept.
- Human Made — NIGO’s Tokyo vintage-Americana label, its heart motif and retro workwear, with honest caveats.
- Cav Empt — The Tokyo cyberpunk streetwear label, its glitch graphics and dystopian slogans, with honest caveats.
- Wales Bonner — Grace Wales Bonner’s London cultural-luxury label, its warm earthy palette, with honest caveats.
- Martine Rose — The London label reworking British subculture, its off-kilter design, with honest caveats.
- Rhude — Rhuigi Villaseñor’s LA luxury-streetwear brand, its luxe-Americana and motorsport design, with honest caveats.
- Noah — The values-forward NYC label blending prep, skate and workwear, with honest caveats.
- Gallery Dept. — Josué Thomas’s LA hand-painted, upcycled art-driven label, its DIY design, with honest caveats.
Streetwear, part 3
KidSuper, Wacko Maria, Aries, Chrome Hearts, Awake NY, ERL and Wasted Youth.
- KidSuper — Colm Dillane’s painterly, surreal Brooklyn art-fashion label, its playful colour, with honest caveats.
- Wacko Maria — The Tokyo “Guilty Parties” label of aloha shirts and music, its vintage design, with honest caveats.
- Aries — Sofia Prantera’s subversive London label, its temple logo and psychedelic graphics, with honest caveats.
- Chrome Hearts — The private LA gothic-luxury house of sterling silver and leather, its dark design, with honest caveats.
- Awake NY — Angelo Baque’s NYC-coded streetwear label, its script wordmark and pop graphics, with honest caveats.
- ERL — Eli Russell Linnetz’s Venice Beach label of sun-bleached Americana, its faded palette, with honest caveats.
- Wasted Youth — Verdy’s Tokyo punk-skate graphic label, its rose logo and pop iconography, with honest caveats.
Streetwear, part 4
Cactus Plant Flea Market, WTAPS, Sky High Farm Workwear, Bianca Saunders, Madhappy, Sp5der and Online Ceramics.
- Cactus Plant Flea Market — Cynthia Lu’s playful Brooklyn label, its four-eyed characters and puff prints, with honest caveats.
- WTAPS — Tetsu Nishiyama’s Tokyo military-utility label, its field-and-outdoor design, with honest caveats.
- Sky High Farm Workwear — Dan Colen’s art-driven brand funding a food-charity farm, with honest caveats.
- Bianca Saunders — The London menswear label of drape and Caribbean diaspora, its refined design, with honest caveats.
- Madhappy — The LA optimism label and its mental-health mission, its colourful design, with honest caveats.
- Sp5der — Young Thug’s hyper-bright hip-hop label, its spiderweb and 555 motifs, with honest caveats.
- Online Ceramics — The LA psychedelic Deadhead tee brand, its hand-drawn tie-dye, with honest caveats.
Streetwear, part 5
Neighborhood, Rassvet, doublet, Story mfg., Perks And Mini, Nahmias and Broken Planet.
- Neighborhood — Shinsuke Takizawa’s Tokyo biker-heritage label, its rugged design, with honest caveats.
- Rassvet — The Gosha-linked post-Soviet skate label PACCBET, its Cyrillic design, with honest caveats.
- doublet — Masayuki Ino’s playful, surreal Tokyo label and LVMH Prize winner, with honest caveats.
- Story mfg. — The Al-Rubeyis’ slow, naturally-dyed craft label, its earthy design, with honest caveats.
- Perks And Mini — The Melbourne psychedelic art-fashion label Perks And Mini, its cosmic design, with honest caveats.
- Nahmias — Doni Nahmias’s elevated California luxury-streetwear label, its coastal design, with honest caveats.
- Broken Planet — The London cosmic, sustainability-minded Gen-Z label, its earthy design, with honest caveats.
Independent labels, part 1
Needles, Bode, 032c, Post Archive Faction, Daily Paper, Our Legacy and Nicholas Daley.
- Needles — The Tokyo label’s vintage-Americana reworking, with honest caveats.
- Bode — The New York label’s antique-textile menswear, with honest caveats.
- 032c — The Berlin magazine turned apparel brand, with honest caveats.
- Post Archive Faction — The Seoul label’s deconstruction system, with honest caveats.
- Daily Paper — The Amsterdam label’s diaspora storytelling, with honest caveats.
- Our Legacy — The Stockholm label’s elevated staples, with honest ownership caveats.
- Nicholas Daley — The London designer’s Jamaican-Scottish craft menswear, with honest caveats.
Independent labels, part 2
Casablanca, Palomo Spain, Soulland, Orange Culture, Kiko Kostadinov, Pronounce and Ader Error.
- Casablanca — The Paris house’s luxe après-sport fantasy, with honest caveats.
- Palomo Spain — The Andalusian house’s genderfluid baroque, with honest caveats.
- Soulland — The Copenhagen label’s elevated streetwear, with honest caveats.
- Orange Culture — The Lagos label’s soft-masculinity storytelling, with honest caveats.
- Kiko Kostadinov — The London label’s technical pattern-cutting, with honest caveats.
- Pronounce — The Shanghai-Milan label’s East-West tailoring, with honest caveats.
- Ader Error — The anonymous Seoul collective’s concept fashion, with honest caveats.
Independent labels, part 3
Études, GCDS, thisisneverthat, Feng Chen Wang, Auralee, Han Kjøbenhavn and Walter Van Beirendonck.
- Études — The Paris house that is also an art-book publisher, with honest caveats.
- GCDS — The Milan label’s logomania pop engine, with honest caveats.
- thisisneverthat — The Seoul label’s graphic-archive streetwear, with honest caveats.
- Feng Chen Wang — The Chinese designer’s two-become-one deconstruction, with honest caveats.
- Auralee — The Tokyo label’s fabric-first design, with honest caveats.
- Han Kjøbenhavn — The Copenhagen house that began with eyewear, with honest caveats.
- Walter Van Beirendonck — The Antwerp designer’s maximalism, with honest caveats.
Independent labels, part 4
Drôle de Monsieur, Magliano, iise, Samuel Guì Yang, Eytys, Botter and TAAKK.
- Drôle de Monsieur — The Dijon-born label’s anti-Paris streetwear, with honest caveats.
- Magliano — The Bologna label’s poetic Italian tailoring, with honest caveats.
- iise — The Seoul label’s Korean-craft streetwear, with honest caveats.
- Samuel Guì Yang — The label’s reimagined Chinese dress, with honest caveats.
- Eytys — The Stockholm label’s footwear-first design, with honest caveats.
- Botter — The Antwerp-based duo’s Caribbean couture, with honest caveats.
- TAAKK — The Tokyo label’s invented-fabric design, with honest caveats.
Independent labels, part 5
Andersson Bell, Toga, Vitelli, Mfpen, Shushu/Tong, GmbH and Willy Chavarria.
- Andersson Bell — The Seoul label’s Korean-Scandinavian collision, with honest caveats.
- Toga — The Tokyo label’s hybrid-collage design, with honest caveats.
- Vitelli — The Milan knit label’s regenerated-yarn craft, with honest caveats.
- Mfpen — The Copenhagen label’s deadstock menswear, with honest caveats.
- Shushu/Tong — The Shanghai label’s subversive femininity, with honest caveats.
- GmbH — The Berlin label’s techno-born politics, with honest caveats.
- Willy Chavarria — The New York designer’s Chicano dignity, with honest caveats.
Independent labels, part 6
Wooyoungmi, Marco Rambaldi, Angel Chen, Telfar, Thebe Magugu, MISBHV and Les Benjamins.
- Wooyoungmi — The Korean house’s Paris-runway tailoring, with honest caveats.
- Marco Rambaldi — The Bologna label’s craft-as-activism, with honest caveats.
- Angel Chen — The Shanghai designer’s maximalist East-West fusion, with honest caveats.
- Telfar — The New York house’s democratic luxury, with honest caveats.
- Thebe Magugu — The Johannesburg house’s narrative design, with honest caveats.
- MISBHV — The Polish label’s post-socialist rave streetwear, with honest caveats.
- Les Benjamins — The Istanbul label’s New Silk Road streetwear, with honest caveats.
Independent labels, part 7
Luar, Hyein Seo, Federico Cina, Rich Mnisi, Song for the Mute, Holzweiler and Marques’Almeida.
- Luar — Raul Lopez’s Dominican-American luxury, with honest caveats.
- Hyein Seo — The Seoul label’s dark youth-subculture streetwear, with honest caveats.
- Federico Cina — The Romagna designer’s memory-led fashion, with honest caveats.
- Rich Mnisi — The Johannesburg designer’s Tsonga heritage, with honest caveats.
- Song for the Mute — The Sydney label’s textile-first design, with honest caveats.
- Holzweiler — The Oslo house’s scarf-to-wardrobe story, with honest caveats.
- Marques’Almeida — The frayed-denim house’s reinvention, with honest caveats.
Independent labels, part 8
Eckhaus Latta, Craig Green, Susan Fang, Kenneth Ize, Hodakova, Bevza and Barragán.
- Eckhaus Latta — The art-world NY/LA house’s deconstructed craft, with honest caveats.
- Craig Green — The London designer’s conceptual workwear menswear, with honest caveats.
- Susan Fang — The CN/London designer’s ethereal craft-tech, with honest caveats.
- Kenneth Ize — The Lagos designer’s aso-oke heritage weaving, with honest caveats.
- Hodakova — The Stockholm house’s radical upcycling, with honest caveats.
- Bevza — The Kyiv house’s Ukrainian minimalist heritage, with honest caveats.
- Barragán — The Mexican designer’s provocative identity-led fashion, with honest caveats.
At a glance: founding, base and signature
Taken from each guide’s fact panel. Follow the link for detail and caveats.
| Brand | Founded | Based | Signature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 032c | See guide | Berlin, DE | Magazine made cloth |
| A Bathing Ape (BAPE) | 1993 (Tokyo) | See guide | Ape Head |
| A-Cold-Wall* | ~2015 (London) | See guide | Brutalist |
| Ader Error | 2014 (South Korea) | Seoul, KR | Anonymous concept |
| Aimé Leon Dore | 2014 (Queens) | See guide | Serif wordmark |
| Andersson Bell | 2014 (South Korea) | Seoul, KR | Korean-Scandinavian collision |
| Angel Chen | 2014 (China) | Shanghai, CN | Maximalist East-West |
| Aries | 2009 (London) | See guide | Subversive |
| Auralee | 2015 (Japan) | Tokyo, JP | Fabric-first design |
| Awake NY | 2012 (New York) | See guide | Very New York |
| Barragán | c. 2015 (Mexico) | Mexico City, MX | Identity-led provocation |
| Bevza | 2006 (Ukraine) | Kyiv, UA | Ukrainian minimalism |
| Bianca Saunders | 2017 (London) | See guide | Elevated menswear |
| Bode | 2016 (USA) | New York, US | Antique-textile piece |
| Botter | c. 2017 (Belgium) | Antwerp / Paris | Caribbean couture |
| Brain Dead | 2014 (Los Angeles) | See guide | Psychedelic |
| Broken Planet | 2020 (London) | See guide | See guide |
| Cactus Plant Flea Market | 2015 (Brooklyn, NYC) | See guide | Four-eyed faces |
| Carhartt | 1889 (Detroit) | See guide | Script + C |
| Carhartt WIP | See guide | See guide | The square-C label |
| Casablanca | 2018 (France) | Paris, FR | Tennis-club fantasy |
| Cav Empt | 2011 (Tokyo) | See guide | Dystopian |
| Champion | 1919 (Rochester) | See guide | The C |
| Chrome Hearts | 1988 (Los Angeles) | See guide | Dark luxury |
| Corteiz | ~2017 (London) | See guide | Guerrilla drops |
| Craig Green | 2012 (United Kingdom) | London, UK | Conceptual workwear |
| Daily Paper | 2012 (Netherlands) | Amsterdam, NL | Diaspora story |
| Denim Tears | 2019 (New York) | See guide | Storytelling |
| doublet | 2012 (Tokyo) | See guide | See guide |
| Drôle de Monsieur | 2014 (France) | Dijon-born, FR | Anti-Paris streetwear |
| Eckhaus Latta | 2011 (USA) | New York & LA, US | Deconstructed craft |
| ERL | ~2018 (Venice Beach, CA) | See guide | California nostalgia |
| Eytys | 2013 (Sweden) | Stockholm, SE | Footwear-first |
| Fear of God | 2013 (Los Angeles) | See guide | Serif + FG |
| Federico Cina | late 2010s (Italy) | Sarsina, Romagna, IT | Memory-led fashion |
| Feng Chen Wang | 2015 (China) | London / Shanghai | Two-become-one deconstruction |
| Gallery Dept. | ~2016 (Los Angeles) | See guide | Distressed craft |
| GCDS | 2015 (Italy) | Milan, IT | Logomania pop |
| GmbH | 2016 (Germany) | Berlin, DE | Techno-born politics |
| Han Kjøbenhavn | 2008 (Denmark) | Copenhagen, DK | Eyewear-first house |
| Hodakova | 2021 (Sweden) | Stockholm, SE | Radical upcycling |
| Holzweiler | 2012 (Norway) | Oslo, NO | Elevated everyday |
| Human Made | 2010 (Tokyo) | See guide | See guide |
| Hyein Seo | 2014 (South Korea) | Seoul, KR | Dark youth-subculture streetwear |
| iise | c. 2012 (South Korea) | Seoul, KR | Korean-craft streetwear |
| Kenneth Ize | 2013 (Nigeria) | Lagos, NG | Aso-oke handweaving |
| KidSuper | 2010 (Brooklyn, NYC) | See guide | Surreal, art-driven |
| Kiko Kostadinov | c. 2016 (UK) | London, UK | Technical cut |
| Kith | 2011 (New York) | See guide | KITH |
| Les Benjamins | 2011 (Turkey) | Istanbul, TR | New Silk Road streetwear |
| Luar | 2011 (USA) | Brooklyn, New York, US | Dominican-American luxury |
| Madhappy | 2017 (Los Angeles) | See guide | See guide |
| Magliano | 2017 (Italy) | Bologna, IT | Disheveled tailoring |
| Marco Rambaldi | 2014 (Italy) | Bologna, IT | Craft-as-activism knitwear |
| Marques’Almeida | 2011 (Portugal / UK) | London & Porto | Frayed raw-hem denim |
| Martine Rose | 2007 (London) | See guide | Off-kilter |
| Mfpen | 2015 (Denmark) | Copenhagen, DK | Deadstock menswear |
| MISBHV | c. 2014 (Poland) | Poland (Kraków) | Post-socialist rave |
| Nahmias | 2018 (Los Angeles) | See guide | Coastal luxury |
| Needles | 1995 (Japan) | Tokyo, JP | Butterfly track |
| Neighborhood | 1994 (Tokyo) | See guide | See guide |
| Nicholas Daley | 2015 (UK) | London, UK | Heritage weave |
| Noah | 2015 (New York) | See guide | See guide |
| Online Ceramics | 2016 (Los Angeles) | See guide | Deadhead art |
| Orange Culture | 2011 (Nigeria) | Lagos, NG | Soft masculinity |
| Our Legacy | 2005 (Sweden) | Stockholm, SE | Elevated staple |
| Palace | 2009 (London) | See guide | Tri-Ferg |
| Palomo Spain | c. 2015 (Spain) | Andalusia, ES | Genderfluid baroque |
| Patta | 2004 (Amsterdam) | See guide | See guide |
| Perks And Mini | 2000 (Melbourne) | See guide | See guide |
| Post Archive Faction | 2018 (South Korea) | Seoul, KR | Deconstructed edition |
| Pronounce | 2016 (China) | Shanghai / Milan | East-West tailoring |
| Rassvet | 2016 (Russia) | See guide | See guide |
| Rhude | ~2015 (Los Angeles) | See guide | Luxury streetwear |
| Rich Mnisi | 2015 (South Africa) | Johannesburg, ZA | Tsonga heritage, reimagined |
| Samuel Guì Yang | 2015 (China) | London / Shanghai | Reimagined qipao |
| Shushu/Tong | 2015 (China) | Shanghai, CN | Subversive femininity |
| Sky High Farm Workwear | See guide | See guide | Funds a food charity |
| Song for the Mute | 2010 (Australia) | Sydney, AU | Textile-first design |
| Soulland | 2002 (Denmark) | Copenhagen, DK | Elevated skate |
| Sp5der | 2019 (Atlanta / LA) | See guide | See guide |
| Stone Island | 1982 (Italy) | See guide | Compass badge |
| Story mfg. | ~2013 (London / India) | See guide | See guide |
| Stüssy | early ’80s (Laguna Beach) | See guide | Signature |
| Susan Fang | 2017 (China) | London & Shanghai | Air-Weave craft-tech |
| TAAKK | 2012 (Japan) | Tokyo, JP | Invented fabric |
| Telfar | 2005 (USA) | New York, US | Democratic luxury |
| The North Face | 1966 (San Francisco) | See guide | Half Dome |
| Thebe Magugu | 2016 (South Africa) | Johannesburg, ZA | Heritage as IP |
| thisisneverthat | c. 2010 (South Korea) | Seoul, KR | Graphic streetwear |
| Toga | 1997 (Japan) | Tokyo, JP | Hybrid collage |
| Undefeated | 2002 (Los Angeles) | See guide | Five Strike |
| Vans | 1966 (Anaheim) | See guide | Flying V |
| Vitelli | c. 2016 (Italy) | Milan, IT | Regenerated-yarn knit |
| Wacko Maria | 2005 (Tokyo) | See guide | The aloha shirt |
| Wales Bonner | 2014 (London) | See guide | Cultural luxury |
| Walter Van Beirendonck | 1983 (Belgium) | Antwerp, BE | Maximalist avant-garde |
| Wasted Youth | 2016 (Tokyo) | See guide | The rose |
| Willy Chavarria | 2015 (USA) | New York, US | Chicano dignity |
| Wooyoungmi | 2002 (South Korea) | Seoul → Paris | Korean tailoring |
| WTAPS | c. 1996 (Tokyo) | See guide | See guide |
| Études | 2012 (France) | Paris, FR | Fashion and publishing |
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Human Made?
NIGO, according to our guide.
Is Carhartt WIP the same as Carhartt?
Our guide describes Carhartt WIP as the European streetwear licensee of Carhartt.
Part of our Fashion & Apparel brand guidelines. See also all collections.