The Birth of a great Streetwear brand is synonymous with unique design, quality clothing and– most importantly– it’s community

Founder Chelsea Chu cultivated ANIMA ANIMUS through her community, both offline and online, with a strong commitment to her founding ideals. Exploring the theories of psychiatrist Carl Jung, ANIMA ANIMUS speaks to the development of social influences and physiological changes that affect the development of sex roles and gender identity – something Chu reflects in her design. 

ANIMA ANIMUS has organically landed on their brand identity, something which many new fashion brands continue to struggle to find.

For a brand completely started by a Fashion Buying and Merchandising student with no prior experience in building a brand from scratch, the reach of ANIMA ANIMUS has grown too and has been evident with innovative design finding fans in music and fashion scenes all over.

Chu has collaborated with a fashion discovery app, called Tilt, to recruit her audience of 17 thousand Instagram followers to model the brand’s clothing– though she acknowledges that online images “do not give the clothes enough justice”. 

“I’m generally intrigued by masculine and feminine energies that everyone embodies and how that can translate to fashion, hence why my clothing is unisex as standard,” Chu told me.

Performers, all of whom are followers and part of the fashion community, are decked out in ANIMA ANIMUS fits from head-to-toe. 

An Inclusive Streetwear Brand 

Streetwear is traditionally a male-dominated stylistic subculture; this brand’s focus on inclusivity is a shift away from that. This mirrors a sector-wide shift which is all the more important, as streetwear is one of the fastest growing facets of the fashion industry.

With the street style boom, Chu is well aware of the draw of the industry commenting that “streetwear has now become the new standard due to its popularity, and it’s a style that anyone can easily adopt.” The roots of streetwear in music and popular culture can “compliment a certain lifestyle aesthetic that an individual may want to strive for.”

Chu’s success relies on uplifting others as well as herself, helping other young brands establish themselves in her in-person events handpicked by Chu herself.

“I […] host streetwear market events alongside the brand as a way to build a sense of community and give back to the culture. Our events feature many young and motivated clothing brand owners with a real passion for what they do”, Chu explains.

Brand owners have to constantly innovate, developing ways for them to stand out in a saturated market.

This is a challenge which these Gen Z business owners have relished “I almost feel like the younger generation are a lot more active and less traditional to their approach of entrepreneurship which is refreshing to see.”

Explaining the benefit of the markets she hosts, Chu explains “it’s always an amazing and personable experience to meet the community and be able to connect with them one on one.”

A Creative and Conscious Focus on Sustainable Fashion

The reality of the high turnover of fast fashion is never far from Chu’s mind. Chu acknowledged that her own interest in sustainable fashion sparked a greater sense of duty.

“In reality, fashion makes it extremely difficult because we have trends and constant creative designs which will spark “wants” instead of ‘needs’”, she elaborates.

Durability, comfort and clothing that is made to last is key to the brand’s core ideal of helping it’s following create a better more sustainable wardrobe.

New waves of designers, each more aware and tuned into their own climate fears, consistently push the industry forward to better practice.

 “The more I researched, the more I felt like I [needed] to stand up for sustainable fashion, especially as someone who’s super passionate about the industry.” ANIMA ANIMUS was created as proof to not only herself but the industry that “fashion can be fun, creative and conscious all at once.”

The story of ANIMA ANIMUS shows just how far a brand can go when backed by a powerful community of creatives. 

Edited by Suchir Salhan