Kemio, the Japanese influencer, is continuing the #StopAsianHate conversation via a T-shirt collaboration.
Kemio has partnered with Private Policy and Uprisers on the creation of a T-shirt, the proceeds from which will be donated to nonprofit Hate Is a Virus. The shirt, $30, will be sold via Uprisers’ website.
“I wanted to use my platform to raise awareness to the community,” Kemio told WWD via phone. The shirt design incorporates a flower, the type of which he did not specify, that his grandparents would keep in their home in Japan. Kemio celebrated the launch with a party at the Public Hotel on July 8.
The significance of the shirt, said Siying Qu, Private Policy’s cofounder, is “respect for the AAPI community.”
“We think fashion has a responsibility to be a part of this, to spread this to a people-to-people level, design, marketing, retail production,” Qu said. “It’s important for those who work within the industry to see and feel supported.”
Michelle Hanabusa, founder of Uprisers, said fashion brands are integral to building “a more equitable future. As everyone’s level of awareness is different, people are “in a different place when it comes to activism work,” she said.
“There’s a lot of un-learning and learning to do, and paying homage to those people who have been on the ground doing this work for decades now,” she said. “It’s really important for brands to stand by something and be able to share that with our audience.”
More from WWD.com:
30 Asian-Owned Brands Are Donating Sales to Fight AAPI Hate
Fashion Designers, Beauty Community Speak Out Against Anti-Asian Violence