Q&A Excerpts from Hypebeast Tough Times: A Look Into the Current State of Streetwear

For small start-up brands, do you have any suggestions given both saturation and economic factors breathing down their neck?

Take it easy. I know sometimes you just want to make massive leaps and bounds but remember, five great products can speak a helluva lot louder than fifty generic ones. There’s no need to come guns a blazin’ and try and to create a gargantuan collection to prove a point. Pick your steps carefully. Good products position brands.

Frank Liew - Qubic/Quarters


For small start-up brands, do you have any suggestions given both saturation and economic factors breathing down their neck?

It’s a very tough time to start up a new brand I think. As a buyer I like to have a little bit of a proven track record. I want brands with global recognition and growth potential. New brands will have to go all out guns blazing. The market is over-saturated and there a very few brands that are providing something exciting and different. I think the days of starting a t-shirt line and evolving into a cut-and-sew program are gone. Myself, I am looking for something that I can say “Wow” that’s fresh, different, and exciting.

Arthur Chmielewski - HAVEN