How to Start a Profitable Clothing Brand with Purpose
Executive Summary
A Shopify Masters interview with Michelle K. Hanabusa, founder of the streetwear-inspired clothing brand Uprisers, which tells stories of immigrant communities. She says it began with a grassroots project that photographed over 500 people in one T-shirt, and that the brand started five years ago in 2019. She describes campaigns like Hate Is a Virus, which she calls passion projects and not the money maker, an annual family drive with nonprofits, a collaboration with Panda Express, and being invited to Complex Con, where she created a Family Market to bring Asian-owned brands. She explains why the brand is stepping away from social media, how she thinks about values-aligned partnerships, and a planned story-capture tour across US cities. Sponsor: Shopify, which produces the show and is named in the description with a free trial offer. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, the origin story, the campaigns and community sections, the partnerships section and the closing, and may not cover every point in the roughly 28 minute video. Business claims are the guest's own and not independently checked.
Key Takeaways
A grassroots start
The guest says the brand began with a project photographing over 500 people across the United States in one T-shirt.
Stories first
She says her goal is to make sure underrepresented stories are told and that clothing is a vehicle for change.
Passion projects
She says campaigns like Hate Is a Virus are by no means the money maker but keep her team motivated.
Leaving social media
She says the brand is stepping away from social media and investing in channels it owns, which she once would not have imagined.
Complex Con and Family Market
She says Complex Con invited the brand in year three, and she created a Family Market to bring as many Asian-owned brands as possible.
Values-aligned partnerships
She says she looks at whether values align and whether a partner like Panda Express can uplift other brands.
Servants to the community
She says that even as a clothing brand, they are also servants to their community and take its feedback to heart.
The Conversation Breakdown
A grassroots start
⏱ Untimed topicThe guest says the brand began with a project photographing over 500 people across the United States in one T-shirt.
Stories first
⏱ Untimed topicShe says her goal is to make sure underrepresented stories are told and that clothing is a vehicle for change.
Passion projects
⏱ Untimed topicShe says campaigns like Hate Is a Virus are by no means the money maker but keep her team motivated.
Leaving social media
⏱ Untimed topicShe says the brand is stepping away from social media and investing in channels it owns, which she once would not have imagined.
Complex Con and Family Market
⏱ Untimed topicShe says Complex Con invited the brand in year three, and she created a Family Market to bring as many Asian-owned brands as possible.
Values-aligned partnerships
⏱ Untimed topicShe says she looks at whether values align and whether a partner like Panda Express can uplift other brands.
Servants to the community
⏱ Untimed topicShe says that even as a clothing brand, they are also servants to their community and take its feedback to heart.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Community first - the guest's concept
Build around the community's stories and feedback.
Values alignment in partnerships - the guest's test
Check partner goals and whether there is room to give back.
Own your channels - the guest's shift
Invest in channels you control instead of only social platforms.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Check the guest's collaboration and event claims against the brand's own announcements.
- ✓Think about which stories your community wants told, and whether your product can carry them.
- ✓Make a short list of partners whose values match yours and what you could give back.
- ✓Treat the advice as the guest's experience, not a guarantee.
Notable Quotes
“Our stories are just as important and they deserve to be heard.”
“we're also like servants to our community”
“I want to bring as many Asian-owned brands with me as possible”
The One Thing to Remember
The guest argues that putting community stories first, choosing values-aligned partners and owning your own channels can build a clothing brand with a message.