Since the pandemic started last March, Asian-owned businesses and restaurants have seen a significant drop in sales, and some had to close shop altogether — either due to COVID-19 restrictions or racial discrimination against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
And with the recent hate crimes happening, right now is an especially important time to support Asian-owned brands, and doing so is one of the easiest ways to show solidarity with your AAPI colleagues, neighbors and friends. Shopping from Asian-owned bookshops, clothing brands and restaurants can help us better understand the culture and contributions the AAPI community continues to offer.
Ahead you’ll find a list of Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned brands and businesses across the nation that you can shop today, including popular beauty labels, Etsy shops and decor brands that you can shop longterm. Note that there are a ton of brilliant AAPI-owned businesses out there — and, because we’re just scratching the surface with these recommendations, we promise to continue updating this list. We also encourage you to shop locally to support the businesses in your neighborhood.
Beauty
Blume
Sisters Taran and Bunny Ghatrora created Blume, a beauty and self-care company for young women. They aim to de-stigmatize periods with their brand and empower the next generation to feel confident in their bodies.
Cellular MD
Asian-American beauty expert, mom, and entrepreneur, Erin Moy founded Cellular MD, a bio-advanced skincare line backed by science. She created the brand with her dad, Ronald Moy, MD, FAAD, a cosmetic and facial plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills.
Filthy Rich Barbershop
Based out of Brooklyn and Queens, NY, owner Richard Mendoza has worked his barber magic on big names including comedian and actress Awkwafina and actor and singer Quincy. The shop, named after himself, was rated Top 10 Best Barber Shops in the world by David Beckham’s team.
Glamnetic
Ann McFerran is the genius behind Glamnetic, a cult-favorite beauty brand that specializes in magnetic eyelashes and eyeliners. McFerran is Thai American, and she immigrated to the United States at just 7 years old with her single mother.
Insert Name Here
Founded by Korean American Sharon Pak and co-founder Jordyn Wynn, Insert Name Here’s hair extensions let you try out the latest hair trends — like bangs and colored hair — without damaging your strains in the process.
The beauty brand’s story begins with founder and beauty blogger Deepica Mutyala, who went viral with her red lipstick hack video to cancel out dark under-eyes. Today, she runs Live Tinted to serve all women.
Pink Moon
Lin Chen created beauty retailer Pink Moon to mix her love of wellness and self-care with her Chinese heritage pride. The online shop features eco-friendly, self-care, wellness, and lifestyle brands, with over 30% of them being founded by women of color.
Seiso J Beauty
This Japanese beauty system features four products that aims to restore, strengthen, and rebuild the skin’s barrier function via Ceramide technology and clean ingredients.
Soko Glam
Soko Glam is all about making K-beauty brands and products more accessible to the American audience. The brand features its own exclusive products, but you can also find anything from Etude House to Then I Met You.
Strange Bird Beauty
Chinese American Tina Rudolf founded the brand because she wanted to make skincare a spiritual experience. The brand uses ginger, ginseng and goji berry as the star ingredients of the line.
Books and Art
A Good Used Book
This Asian-owned bookshop resides in California, where the owners carefully choose, clean, and condition their books. They started off as an online marketplace but built their physical pop-up, where orders are available for curbside pickup.
You can find Arkipelago Books in San Francisco’s Historical District. There, you’ll see an extensive collection of specialty culture books along with contemporary and historical cultural titles.
Bel Canto Books
Jhoanna Belfer is a Filipina-American poet and former hospitality executive who founded Bel Canto Books, a California bookshop that offers a selection of fiction, nonfiction and children’s books. The shop hosts special themes every month to celebrate books by women and people of color.
If you’re in the Berkeley, CA area, East Wind Books has been a major source for Asian American literature since 1982. Find anything regarding Asian Studies, Ethnic Studies, Language Learning, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Martial Arts books.
Femme Fire Books
Located in Jacksonville, Florida, the Asian-owned bookshop celebrates diversity and sells used and new books across a variety of titles, topics, authors and genres to choose from.
Giant Robot
Established in 2001, the Los Angeles shop features products from around the world, notably Asian pop culture products, including fun housewares, gifts, stationeries, t-shirts, comics, plush, and toy figures.
Based out of Los Angeles, this cookbook and culinary shop marries food and stories together. Right now, the retail store is closed for general browsing, but you can place orders online or by phone.
Philippine Expressions Bookshop
What started out as a Los Angeles mail-order bookshop in 1984, this bookshop is dedicated to Filipino Americans in search of their roots. Today, the brick and mortar bookshop is located in the Historic Arts District, San Pedro, CA.
Sam Makes A Mess
This Asian-owned Etsy shop sells detailed art prints, stickers, pins, and even takes commissions to create any custom illustration you imagine.
Silk + Sonder
Founder Meha Agrawal worked in a couple of startups before starting her own. Silk + Sonder is a subscription-based mental wellness journaling experience that encourages productivity, planning and mindfulness.
Fashion
AMYO Jewelry
Find layered necklaces, bracelets, rings and more at AMYO, starting from just $30. The brand was founded by Korean American founder Gina Nam, who runs an all-female team who crafts the jewelry by hand.
Asian American Girl Club
From trendy bucket hats to T-shirts and hoodies, AAGC sets to redefine what it means to be a modern Asian American woman through their powerful apparel.
AVRE
Each shoe at AVRE is knitted with fibers created from recycled P.E.T. plastic from water bottles. The brand, owned by Taiwanese American immigrant sisters, Julie and Connie Kuo, offers various women’s styles, masks and mask filters.
B.Zaar Collective
Owned by three Asian founders, Monica Recto, Gabie Tanjutco and Trisha Lim, B.Zaar collective is a curated, in-house digital marketplace that elevates artisanal brands and designers to the forefront, inspired by the bazaars or marketplaces, in the Philippines.
Donolli
Good Housekeeping‘s video producer, Tessa Donolli, is half Filipina and has always dabbled in creative hobbies. Donolli accessories feature statement jewelry, like clay chains and earrings.
Grey State
Saima Chowdhury was born and raised in Bangladesh and founded relaxed luxury clothing brand Grey State in 2015. The female-owned brand’s mission aims to keep their environmental impact low, using upcycled textiles for their clothing.
The sustainable accessories brand makes for men and women, including ethically-made jewelry and leather bags, like their newest launch the Tulip Bag (which had a 120,000 person waitlist after being sold out months ago).
M.M.LaFleur
Whether you’re in need of womenswear for work or cozy loungewear, the Japanese-owned fashion brand has something for you, like their cashmere joggers and matching hoodies, leggings, terry sweatpants, pullovers, t-shirts and more.
Oro Latino Jewelry Inc.
Tommy F. is a jeweler located in Lower Manhattan at 82 Bowery, New York, NY 10013. His gold rings, Cuban links, name plates and more has gotten the attention of influencers and celebrities alike.
Paper Project
Founded in New York by way of Japan, Paper Project is known for their unisex socks, tees, underwear and face masks, all of which are made of Japanese paper yarn.
Pax Philomena
Jean Marie was born in Calcutta, India to Anglo-Indian parents and emigrated with her family to Phoenix, Arizona at a young age. She tailored and sewed her own clothing growing up and continues to share her passion for beautiful textiles through her clothing line.
Petite Studio NYC
For petite ladies, Petite Studio NYC is a slow fashion brand that offers clothing for smaller women. It was founded by Jenny Wang, a self-taught fashionista who grew up in Zhejiang, China.
The Filipina-owned Los Angeles shop ships authentic 14k solid gold jewelry to customers worldwide. From custom sets to assorted chains to jade pendants, the shop has something for everyone.
Food
Dang Foods
Plant-based Thai-American snack brand Dang Foods offers yummy whole food product lines, including Coconut Chips, Thai Rice Chips and the Dang Bar. All snacks are vegan, non-GMO, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Deep Indian Kitchen
Founded by an Indian-American family, Deep Indian Kitchen provides tasty and authentic Indian cuisine meals like Chicken Tikka Masala and Garlic Naan delivered frozen to your door.
If you’re in NJ, Just BeClaws is a family-owned restaurant that offers Southern cuisine with a Vietnamese twist. Located in the heart of downtown Jersey City, this is the spot to get seafood boil. Tip: Make sure to order the special JB sauce!
Omsom
Vietnamese co-founders and sisters Vanessa and Kim Pham are daughters of refugees, who grew up at their family’s kitchen counter. They created Omsom to offer food starter packs that celebrate Asian flavors right to your door.
Yobo Soju
Korean American mom and lawyer, Carolyn Kim, created this premium spirit line to pay homage to her roots. Yobo drinks are gluten, sugar and additive-free and they’re keto-friendly.
Home
Bumo Brain
Korean American digital influencer Chriselle Lim and Vietnamese American educator Joan Nguyen founded Bumo Brain, an online space that makes education more accessible and entertaining for families around the world.
Canva
No matter if you need a graphic for your side hustle, school project or personal social media accounts, Canva has custom-sized templates so even beginners can easily create their own designs.
KonMari
You’ve probably already heard about the KonMari method, a way to tidy up your home, thus bringing more joy into your life. The Japanese brand offers a collection of products and services that help you organize your home without the fuss.
Lu France Interiors
Filipina-owned brand Lu France Interiors works with artisans and small businesses from about the world to provide curated decor pieces for every home. From textile weavers in the Philippines to artists in Canada and graphic designers in Singapore, Lu France Interiors strives to pay homage to the hard work of its creatives.
Material
Two Asian-American food lovers created Material cookware when they noticed that none of the kitchenware they used checked all the right boxes. That’s why Material offers stylish and functional cookware at more affordable price points.
Puzzle Sensei
These food-themed jigsaw puzzles almost look too good to eat! The brand wishes to celebrate cultural diversity and currently features three styles: Lucky Ramen, Dimsum Factory and Shabu Frenzy.
Rendall Co.
You can thank Southeast Asian American co-Founder Syama Meagher for the brand’s durable chambray denim aprons and premium face masks.
Shoott
Founded by actor Jennifer Tsay, Shoott is a photography service that puts creatives and freelancers first. This female-run company seeks to make professional photography more accessible for everyday consumers, having customers only pay $15 for photos they love.
Jenny Fagel, D.O., and Kathleen Wang, MD teamed up together to create The Grown Up, a life coaching program that helps Asian professional women with their personal issues and career struggles. They offer their servicing through group cohorts, along with one-on-one sessions with clients.
The Woobles
Even if you’ve never crocheted in your life, the Woobles offers beginner-friendly patterns and services so you can make your own crochet creations. The brand also offers crochet kits for intermediates.
Tombo
Luxuriously soft Tombo Towels are woven manually on shuttle looms in Osaka, Japan and give your bathroom that spa-like experience.
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