Chinatown Market Announces Name Rebranding
The cult streetwear brand issued a rebranding statement following demands in response to recent attacks on the AAPI community.
Chinatown Market has officially announced they will be changing the brand’s name following demands for rebranding on behalf of the Asian-American community.
In a campaign sparked by Instagram fashion account @diet_prada earlier this week, calls for the white-owned streetwear brand to acquiesce profiting off the name appropriating historic Chinatown neighborhoods and cultures sparked to life.
“NYC’s Chinatown is a bustling culture beloved for its amazing restaurants, fish and produce markets, and countless small businesses, but it’s also one of Manhattan’s few remaining neighborhoods for low-income residents,” read the post’s caption. “For a brand that claims roots/ties to Chinatown, they seem to have done very little to support them in a year that’s seen a shocking surge of xenophobia and violence against the AAPI community.”
In a statement released by brand co-founder Michael Cherman today, the brand announced it would be moving away from the established name, announcing its replacement in “coming months.”
“The Asian American community is rightfully demanding all of us think and act more honestly. We should have done this sooner but it is never too late to do the right thing,” read the statement. “Our name was inspired by the shops, people, and vibrance of Canal Street and Chinatown in New York but it’s not our name to use. We did not do enough to consider what this name would mean to the communities in Chinatowns across the world and we need to take ownership of this mistake.”
Enter the slideshow below to view the full Chinatown Market statement.