This Filipino streetwear brand is a certified favorite among rappers and Fil-Am artists

Photos from Enter Nostalgia/Instagram

Streetwear never goes out of style. As a key component to the cultural and artistic sides of fashion, this creative outlet for casual clothing has been a predominant influence to style trends all over the world. The hype around these laid-back garments has allowed local and international fashion brands to reimagine their minimalist collections with their own variety and flair.

As an extension of everyday fashion essentials, streetwear collections infuse culture with basic designs that tell stories at the same time. Such brands continue to make themselves known by championing originality in every garment. You might even recognize a few statement pieces on your favorite rappers and hip-hop artists, who’ve worn multiple streetwear brands in their music videos, interviews, and underground shows.

If you’ve heard of global rap artists like Blxst, Toossii, and Rucci, then you’ve probably also heard of the Filipino streetwear brand Enter Nostalgia. Many rappers have already worn the Bay Area-based clothing line, which has recently gained notable success on social media.

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Fashion startups often take a lot of courage to pursue, especially for Enter Nostalgia’s owners, 23-year-old Filipino-American Jaden Yo-Eco and his best friend Humbert Lee. But the Philippines’ culturally enriched style staples have motivated them to kickstart their brand full-swing. Yo-Eco and Lee made it their mission to put a modern spin on traditional Filipino wear. Their latest collection even draws inspiration from the Barong Tagalog, the long-sleeved button-up now typically worn at weddings and formal events.

Articles of the past have been Enter Nostalgia’s main design pegs—hence, their name. “I’ve always been into things from before my time,” Yo-Eco shares with KQED. He adds that he’s always admired Filipinos’ talented and creative backgrounds, which depart from traditional career paths and have therefore influenced the brand.

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Before making waves on social media, Yo-Eco and Lee’s barong colorways were featured in a lookbook for Filipino bridal shop Barong & Formal in Oakland. The photoshoot helped the shop gain traction online, which saw hope for Enter Nostalgia as an online store.

“With these shirts, we started telling stories and giving exposure to [Filipino-owned] businesses, like the barong shop. So it’s different,” Yo-Eco says.

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For the two friends-turned-entrepreneurs, nothing is impossible with a little delusion. Their committed mental attitudes and unabashed sense of pride in their own creativity—enough for Yo-Eco to drop out of college for Enter Nostalgia—have brought the brand to new heights that even they didn’t foresee.

Lee attributes their success to their faith in the project as a whole. “I feel like even if we didn’t do Enter Nostalgia, we would’ve at the end been at the same place with anything else because of our mindset.”

Today, Enter Nostalgia continues to thrive on both their website and social media platforms. Besides getting Filipino rapper MBNel as one of their latest models, the brand is gearing up to drop a new collection next year, which is set to launch on Instagram.