Urban clothing brand Japangeles is all about identity and pride. Like the name suggests, it’s part Japan, part Los Angeles and 100% about community.
"I always wanted to create something that expressed my culture and identity and represent the city I'm from," said creator Roy Kuroyanagi. He started the brand 14 years ago. The original symbol was an overlay of the Japanese characters nihon- or Japan, and LA, but it took time for Roy's idea to take off. "We first started as a kiosk in Japanese Village Plaza, cold nights, standing out there, with no sales.
"It hits a core, not just an American, they too are a hybrid of cultures. Never did we think we would build a business this big," said his wife Kristy Kim. Eventually, a single kiosk would become this brick-and-mortar store in the heart of Little Tokyo. Then at a time when everything was e-commerce, they shut down their online business, just to make Japangeles a destination in the community... to bring people out to Little Tokyo to shop, eat and explore.
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