Third-culture kids who lived between Taiwan, Tokyo, and the US, The Hsieh brothers understand what it's like to struggle with imposter syndrome and the fear of not fitting in.
Ten years ago, when the brothers started the concept store and platform Ne.Sense, they knew they wanted a brand of their own so they started an in-house brand for the platform that eventually fizzled out. Instead of giving up, they created Namesake, guided by the desire to tell their true story, their father's story. From the start, the brothers have always pursued authenticity and tried to break out of the restrictive box fashion has drawn around itself. From the creative vision for the clothes to the attention given to presentations, Steve, Michael and Richard are unlike anyone else.
For their Paris debut, just before the pandemic hit, they staged a basketball match to celebrate the collection, instead of the usual afterparty that everyone throws — and did the same two seasons ago. It’s these kinds of gatherings that motivate the brothers when thinking about the prize. They don't see it as a competition, they're just happy to be doing this together and to be showcased alongside so many fantastic and forward-thinking creatives.
office sat down with Steve and Michael to learn about their process, what family means to them, and what we should expect from Namesake down the line.
Since starting Ne.Sense and Namesake, you've taken up your rightful space in the corners of the fashion industry, and have even been referred to as putting Taiwan on the global fashion map. What was that journey like? From concept store to fashion brand.
Steve Hsieh— Before we even started Ne.Sense, our goal was to have our own brand. We started Ne.Sense around ten years ago as a platform to bring all the emerging brands we liked to Taiwan — that was the first step for us I guess, to receive that recognition, at least locally, but down the line, with Ne.Sense, we built a strong enough community and felt empowered to create our own voice and that's why we started Namesake — to tell our own story.
What’s it like watching Namesake translate across borders and be loved by people all across the world?
SH— To us, at least to me, it feels very unreal. Even now, passing by a stranger wearing Namesake on the street is so weird, because he doesn’t recognize us, he doesn’t even know we designed it. It’s a touching moment, to live in such anonymity. I’m always inspired by that.
Michael Hsieh— In that sense, I’m proud, but also very humble. When we were starting the brand, I somehow knew we could be here. I was confident in our abilities as brothers together. That’s what our parents taught us — as long we’re bonded together, we could do whatever we want in the world. I believe that. Now that we’re here, the question is how to proceed to the next step. We enjoy improvement, seeing how we can progress, and moving on to the next stage.
How long after Ne.Sense did Namesake come about?
MH— We started Namesake in 2020, so two and a half years ago. We often joke that it’s our COVID baby because we showed our first collection in January of that year right before the pandemic was announced. That was the first time we went to Paris.
Weren't you also in Paris this year for Fall/Winter ‘23?
SH— Yes, in January for our most recent collection.
I read somewhere that you were the only Taiwanese designers to show in Paris in the past year. With that considered, how do you see yourselves, especially now that you've received this nomination?
SH— For us to be recognized by LVMH, it's a huge honor for sure, because we’re not from a fashion background and we've been on a different route from other designers. We went from being buyers to store owners and now, to designers. We just want to show other people that there are alternative routes to the common designer. You don't have to go to a fashion school or anything like that. There are a lot of resources online now. You can learn on your own and that's our way of doing it — together as brothers and as a family. If you have enough passion you truly can do anything.
MH— To add onto that, we don’t want to just encourage other designers, but everyone, all the youth — every kid that has a dream to become something because that was us when we were growing up. Dare to dream, stick to your passion, don’t rest, and keep going. I'm sure that there'll be downtime, same as us, take note of it but keep going. Fashion is a very interesting business, it’s not as glamorous as it seems. It’s very time-consuming, it’s fast-moving, and there are tons of decisions to make on a daily basis.