ABOUT US
“The soul of innovation thrives on cross-cultural inspiration. If we are restricted to our lanes, culture will die.” – Cathy Park Hong
About the Founders:
SASAI STUDIOS was founded in 2015 by Cameron Sasai. As SASAI STUDIOS’ Creative Director, his passion for curating and reselling streetwear led to a mission to bring pieces from Asian fashion houses to the American mainstream. Cameron aims to make these styles accessible to diverse communities and focuses on his clientele in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Kyle Sasai serves as the Chief Operating Officer of SASAI STUDIOS and manages the social impact focus of the studio. His daily work focuses on representation, equity, and justice, and approaches his work with the studio with these perspectives in mind.
Our Philosophy:
SASAI STUDIOS is a love letter to the role of AAPI designers and their influence on culture and fashion.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought racism against Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) people to the forefront. While “Yellow Peril” sentiments were amplified during the pandemic, fashion houses run by Asians–for example, Hiroki Nakamura of Visvim, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market, Rhuigi Villaseñor of Rhude, and more–were prime examples of excellence and inspiration in the world of fashion. Because of this, we believe that access to Asian brands must be a priority so that our audience can see themselves reflected in fashion and authentically rep themselves and their culture.
To us, fashion is an expression of our culture. We believe that fashion should inspire, spur conversation, educate, be worn and shared, and brought to the intersections of culture and society. Much of society aims to place labels or put culture in a box or in a specific place; at its core, SASAI STUDIOS aims to take pride in that place, to empower those labels, to give recognition and respect to Asian brands in mainstream fashion, and to communicate and relate yellow excellence to the larger world.