The Asian-American streetwear legend who helped Nike change sneaker culture
- Staple Design’s Jeff Staple caused a ‘riot’ on the streets of New York with his sneaker collaboration with Nike back in 2005
- Staple has been at the forefront of streetwear ever since and is credited with sparking the hyped sneaker culture
The first thing you’ll notice about Jeff Staple is his lack of ego. It’s a reminder that the original sneakerhead and streetwear guru has always gone against the grain in his 22-year – and counting – career.
“I’ve consistently been in the minority,” he explains from his expansive, light-filled studio that hides in a nondescript building in Soho, a bustling New York City neighbourhood.
“Growing up Asian in New Jersey I was a minority; going to college and meeting Asians who actually grew up in Asia, I was a minority. Then, when I got into hip hop and started attending open mic nights, I was often the sole Asian in the crowd. Starting my own urban brand, I was in the minority again – it’s just how it’s always been,” he says.
Such isolation could, understandably for many, manifest as anger or bitterness, but for Staple it’s been instrumental in shaping the kind of leader and entrepreneur he wanted to be: “I’ve never been ashamed of my background, but I haven’t wanted it to be the first thing that defines me, either,” he elaborates.
“I don’t want to have a good brand ‘for a Chinese person’, I just want to be good, period. When I first started out there were a few, very pro-Asian streetwear brands who used lots of lanterns and red dragons, but that was never my thing.”