African-Americans have Phat Farm. Caucasian frat-boys have Chaps. East Indians have Stitches. People of my tax bracket have Winners. Asian North Americans, however, are stuck without a label to call their own [no, Club Monaco doesn’t count]. Well good news, folks – there are now duds for the rest of us who refuse to sport Hello Kitty on our tees. Yellow Fellow Clothing has hit the market and is expanding faster than an American’s waistline. Proprietor Kirby Szeto gives us the low-down.

What is the Yellow Fellow philosophy?
Yellow Fellow Clothing Company basically revolves around these three tenets:

• Challenge stereotypes and ways of thinking of and by Asian North Americans.
• Promote a better cultural understanding of Asian North Americans
• Prove the viability of an ANA company and of the Asian North Americans market place.

Part of what we're doing is nostalgia-driven, so it’s about putting parts of our culture out on display. One thing we're digging up out of the collective Asian conscious is Master Q, who most would remember as Lo Fu Zi. We're currently working with the creators of the comic strip to do a few shirts that give the old Master a bit of North American flavour.

What was your inspiration to dive into the clothing business?
Well, the company has grown in stages so I guess there have been different inspirations at different stages of the game. I shit you not, it first started out of boredom. I was working at a big ad agency in '98 and was bored out of my skull so I started doodling. After awhile I came up with something I thought would look cool on a t-shirt and voila, Yellow Fellow was born.

Fast forward a couple of years and it changed up a bit, where I wanted to do something a little more intelligent with it. And part of that second phase of growth was really born out of frustration with a lot of the shit you see out on the market these days -- every label's got some manner of "Asian" writing or patterning incorporated into their work now, and I think there's a danger in that. What we're doing now, I guess, is almost a reclamation and redefinition of our culture.

How hard was it to start up? Did you experience any resistance?
It depends on what level you want to take it to. Just to start off a t-shirt line, shit, everyone and their moms can do it. It just takes a bit of cash to get that initial run out. The hard part, really, is taking it to the next level, where it's not just you that's putting a stake in the company, but investors and stores and banks and whatnot. Convincing people to put money into something so "niche" is tough, especially when it's something so ethnically specific like this. You face a lot of skepticism from people. It's like that family friend that everyone has that's the same age as them. You're nice to them and all, but you don't want to see them get good grades 'cause that just makes you look stupid. I say to hell with all that. That kind of skepticism just motivates me to work that much harder.

Is it geared for only the Asian community? Should I hurt the feelings of any other race sporting the clothes?
It's meant for everyone really. I mean, Asians will pick it up because it's something they can identify and relate to. And non-Asians? Well, we are a company based on cultural understanding so for a non-Asian to pick it up, it does show a certain level of open-mindedness and acceptance. The last thing I want is for this to turn into a For-Us-By-Us type of thing where Asians start hating on anyone else they see wearing the shirts. No, that's not what it's about.

This is about Asian North Americans promoting and sharing their Culture. When I initially launched it, the first person I saw wearing the shirt was at a rave, and he was Caucasian. Go figure.

How available is the merchandise in Canada?
It’s available on the website. Right now, in terms of stores, we're really concentrating on the Toronto market. Midtown, there's Tripp at Fairview Mall. Downtown, there's Alter Ego and Spy Labs. West end, there's Ola at Square One and up north we've got Meca at First Markham Place (You can also check the website for a list of more stores in the GTA). In a few years, you can also expect to see us expanding to other cities. Plans are in place for Vancouver and Montreal, among others.

Your website is about more than just the clothing line. Explain.
Well the website is there because I've always enjoyed hard core pornography and I wanted a place where I could find some quality Asian porn. None of that pixelated shit, y'know? I mean, it's so hard to find these days.

But in all seriousness, I consider the website to be a natural extension of the clothing line. It's an elaboration of the ideas and themes that we push in our clothing. I see it as three main things: There's the Gear section that's strictly about the clothes. There's the YF101 section, which is a more personal, reflective look at Asian North America in general. And then there's the DimSum section, which is a light-hearted look at the things that make up Asian North American culture. I guess it's just stuff to read to help people get in touch with that side of themselves and with that side of the culture. A lot of people don't realize how rich the culture is and that there's a lot more to it than karaoke, bubble tea and Honda Civics.

Any advice for any young entrepreneurs?
Make sure your designs are tight and do your research. And never sacrifice on quality.