Chinese hip hop meets streetwear, Singapore’s punk rock fashion label, and life’s big question: city or not city?

Chinese hip hop meets streetwear, Singapore’s punk rock fashion label, and life’s big question: city or not city?

It finally stopped raining in Shanghai! But now it’s boiling hot. Looking back on some of our streetwear coverage in June, this raises an important question — how do people wear all that stuff in extreme heat? In Singapore, writer Wei Ting Wong helped us get the scoop on the early days of cult fashion label Youths in Balaclava. Though co-founder Taufiq Iskandar didn’t share any tips for donning denim and leather in tropical climates, that doesn’t make the brand’s dizzying rise to the top of the fashion world any less impressive. Back in China, we had a look at how the success of Chinese hip hop is bringing a new wave of streetwear brands with it.

Moving on from our June theme of streetwear, in July we’ll be focusing on sports. So stay tuned for looks at Chinese athletes at the Olympics, sports communities, and more.

Here’s what else was happening around China last week:

An expat influencer has coined the Chinese internet’s latest favorite catchphrase. But is that “city” or not?

Two Fujianese fashion empires were united by marriage, with possible implications for Western brands like Saucony and Merrell.

Intrigued? Keep scrolling, my friend.

How Chinese Streetwear Has Risen Alongside Chinese Hip Hop

Nowadays, being an artist is simply not enough. In an age where celebrities dominate both pop culture and fashion through their own brands, Chinese rappers are getting in on the action. As Chinese hip hop (also sometimes known as C-rap) has emerged as a global phenomenon, Chinese artists have joined the lineup by launching streetwear brands. Fans have shifted their allegiances from established streetwear names like Stüssy or Supreme to supporting Chinese rapper-owned brands like Team Wang, CLOT, and AFGK.

Read the full article from Xinrou Shu on our website.

This Chinese Streetwear Brand is Shaping Dune-Style

Guangzhou streetwear brand PERSONSOUL is rising rapidly in the fashion scene, capturing the zeitgeist of a new trend among Chinese youth: the “Wasteland Aesthetic.” Their SS24 collection, “The Ancient City of Sunset,” went viral with audiences worldwide thanks to the strong visual impact of a photo shoot in the desert around Dunhuang, featuring raw, deconstructed designs and models with punk-yet-decadent makeup.

What’s your take on the “Wasteland Aesthetic”?

Josh Feola has an excellent profile of Beijing punk band Xiaowang, which sheds light on how the new opportunities offered by reality shows like The Big Band have also led defiantly DIY artists to search for new ways of operating.

Stepping out of Hollywood thrillers and into real life, criminals in China are apparently using realistic silicone masks to trick facial recognition scanners.

Chinese netizens, along with the governments of Japan and China, have paid tribute to Hu Youping, who tragically died from injuries sustained protecting a Japanese woman and her child from a knife attack in Suzhou.

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