Combating racism through cultural sustainability with apparel brand founder Michelle K. Hanabusa
A fourth-generation Okinawan Japanese American born and raised in Los Angeles, Hanabusa recalls being targeted by racial slurs and feeling overlooked throughout her life. This was the impetus for her to start UPRISERS in 2019, a community-driven fashion and lifestyle brand that is stitching together the stories of Asian resistance from past to present.
In 2020, Michelle K. Hanabusa and her team started #HateIsAVirus, which grew into a global movement to combat anti-Asian hate and violence. Now, as the founder of UPRISERS, she’s channeling her activism into fashion and redefining what sustainability means from an Asian American lens.
It is UPRISERS’ distinct visual style and meaning behind their movement that sets them apart. From headlining the New York Times at COMPLEXCON, to partnering with PacSun, to selling out at Coachella and to supporting local community initiatives through the fundraising efforts and the stories behind their designs, Michelle K. Hanabusa and her team are setting an example of what it means to be a fashion–and community–forward brand.
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Fashion as resistance, celebration and storytelling
Fashion can be a powerful tool for memorializing the past while bringing it into a modern context.
UPRISERS’ 1924 collection captured 100 portraits of American immigration stories to mark the 100-year anniversary of the 1924 Immigration Act, which banned immigration from Asia to the United States and placed quotas on immigration from other countries. This led to a system that favored White immigrants while discriminating against immigrants of color, a practice that persisted until 1965 and continues to reflect in attitudes towards Asian Americans today.
“When we explore history through the lens of our own families, not only are we strengthening the understanding of our identity but history feels more relatable and present,” says the brand.
The act of wearing a 1924 T-shirt is more than just a nod to the past: it is a living, moving critique of the systemic racism that persists into the present day.
“Our hope is that by facilitating these community conversations around global migration patterns, we can deepen our understanding and empathy for the complexities of the American immigration experience.”
With organizations and individuals who believe they benefit from anti-immigrant agendas causing a resurgence of anti-Asian hate, this fight is more relevant and urgent than ever.
See also: Dear Kiki: How do I overcome burnout while fighting against anti-Asian hate?
Intentional community-building over performative activism
UPRISERS recently announced that it would be stepping away from social media to focus on authentic community-building. Hanabusa’s community-building approach goes beyond surface level performance: it means engaging with multiple generations and intersections of communities and recirculating funds to help them thrive.
“There’s so much more power when we can figure out ways that we can work with other communities and collaborate together so that we don’t stay siloed,” says Hanabusa.
While many brands have taken the approach to donate a portion of their sales to non-profits or causes near and dear to them, UPRISERS is actively working in community. And while both approaches are needed, Hanabusa and her team are driven by the responsibility to go beyond.
Each year, UPRISERS hosts their ‘Family Drive’ event in partnership with local organizations in Los Angeles, creating an in-person experience for community members. Volunteers gather to pack meals for those facing food insecurity, to write love notes to demonstrate community care and offer mental health and wellness activities.
This same initiative works in partnership with PacSun and local designers to create fashion designs with 100% of proceeds going to non-profit partners. The collective efforts of the annual event have raised over $120,000 USD to date for recirculation directly into communities in need.
It’s a testament to how brand activism, when done right, can go beyond performance to create real, tangible community impact. The brand was also recognized for their work as ‘Supplier of the Year’ by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) in 2024.
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Redefining sustainability to include culture
Hanabusa’s intentional approach extends to UPRISERS’ sustainability ethos, which prioritizes cultural sustainability.
While environmental sustainability often involves selecting eco-friendly materials or implementing environmentally conscious practices, cultural sustainability takes this a step further by centering cultural storytelling in designs.
Sustainability is about protecting the planet, so it follows that the planet’s diverse cultures should be protected as well; however, cultural sustainability is still overlooked by most fashion brands.
In a world where fast fashion brands steal from small BIPOC designers and luxury brands face accusations of cultural appropriation, UPRISERS proves that preserving culture can go hand in hand with preserving the planet.
When family-run restaurant Suehiro Cafe faced eviction from Little Tokyo in 2023, protests erupted in the community, with an urgency to protect this cornerstone of Japanese American history from being wiped out by gentrification. Hanabusa stepped into action and created the Suehiro Forever collection, memorializing the restaurant’s history through fashion designs made from upcycled historical artifacts, noren (traditional Japanese entranceway curtains) and aprons from Suehiro.
The outpour of support for Suehiro Forever made way for UPRISERS to continue creating upcycled collections, from a wall fabrication made of upcycled denim deadstock to an upcoming limited edition collection in collaboration with REVOLVE.
UPRISERS also has a collection of imperfect pieces available for purchase, aiming to ensure that no item is wasted.
See also: Giving the fashion industry an eco-friendly makeover with Selina Ho
The Power of Collective Action – Rising up, together
In Hanabusa’s eyes, an UPRISER is anybody who is curious, caring, and challenging the status quo. For those wanting to take action, Hanabusa recommends starting with their local communities, as there are generations of groundwork that have already been laid for us to continue. She also recommends using the From the Ground Up tool from #HateIsAVirus to find your role, voice, and contributions in the fight for collective liberation.
“At the end of the day, a group of UPRISERS is coming together and rising to the occasion so that we can see our communities thrive for a better future,” says Hanabusa.
UPRISERS hosted a series of events during AANHPI Heritage Month 2025, including a walking historical tour of L.A.’s Little Tokyo, followed by a live community quilting event. On Memorial Day, UPRISERS also hosted a virtual event observing the anniversary of the 1924 Immigration Act, with stories from creatives and the community on how to move forward for the next 100 years.
“You know why UPRISERS is a plural name? Because it’s not just one person or one organization that’s going to be able to change the world. It really takes a village, a collective of all of us coming together.”
See also: Women of colour are leading the change in labour laws
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