PEOPLE / FAHM
Ten Filipino-American creatives behind the culture. A body of work that keeps growing, with a community growing alongside it.
SIMPLE 10 EDITORIAL · OCTOBER 2026
For Filipino-American History Month, we’re celebrating people whose work extends beyond one brand, one collaboration, or one moment. Ten featured creatives, with an honorable mention for Pat Palacio. Curated, not ranked.
01 / THE SELECTION
Through RHUDE, Rhuigi Villaseñor brings personal storytelling and a Los Angeles perspective to the meeting point of streetwear and luxury. His work connects clothing, cultural memory, and ambition—building a visual language that travels beyond its origins.
02 / THE SELECTION
Aleali May brings her Los Angeles upbringing and Black and Filipina roots to design and styling. Her work spans multiple Jordan Brand collaborations, Clarks Originals—including a 2026 Wallabee release—and a Barbie wardrobe for Mattel. She has styled Kendrick Lamar and Wiz Khalifa, and founded MAYDE WORLDWIDE, extending her perspective into a label of her own.
03 / THE SELECTION
Bam Barcena connects fashion, footwear, music and experiences through design. Credits include Nike Basketball’s Kyrie 5 x ROKIT, Converse, Vans, Jordan Brand, and past collaborations with Stüssy, Colette and Verdy. His designs have drawn support from Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish. Featured in Bobby Hundreds’ This Is Not a T-Shirt, he co-founded Hellz Bellz, ROKIT and Peace By Peace Studios.
04 / THE SELECTION
Lanie Alabanza-Barcena, known as Misslawn, is Global Design Director for Vans OTW collaborations, including SZA. Her career spans Jay-Z’s Rocawear, Savage X Fenty, HUF and Stüssy. Her work has drawn support from Beyoncé, Rihanna and Jay-Z. She co-founded Hellz Bellz, #20 on Bobby Hundreds’ 2011 greatest streetwear brands list for Complex, and was featured in NBC Asian America’s Self-Starters: HLZBLZ.
05 / THE SELECTION
Through Commonwealth, Omar Quiambao connects independent style with creative community. His contribution reaches beyond the products on a shelf, helping make retail a place for discovery, exchange, and cultural connection.
06 / THE SELECTION
RIONISM works across footwear, graphic design, music and art direction. His credits span Sony, Vans, Nike and Apple, alongside work with Zach Bryan, Peso Pluma and Vince Staples. Through Peace By Peace Studios and ROKIT, he connects product design with visual storytelling across creative disciplines.
07 / THE SELECTION
Miles Canares builds connections between food, fashion and music. He co-founded Family Style, acquired by Complex in 2024, and co-created Baryo HiFi. His directing credits include Big Appetite and Feed Yayo. Across festivals, film and global expansion, he turns community into something that lasts—giving food, fashion and music a shared platform.
08 / THE SELECTION
Stephanie Ramos spent nearly a decade as Nike’s Director of Collaborations and Special Projects Marketing, with a career that also includes work with Guess. She co-founded Filipino Forces and Baryo HiFi, bringing that experience to community building and creating space for Filipino-American music, culture and connection. She was featured in the Los Angeles Times’ Image lookbook celebrating Baryo HiFi in 2025.
09 / THE SELECTION
Dennis Calvero helped take Filipino-American streetwear global through Crooks & Castles, earning support from Jay-Z and collaborating with Kanye West. He also helped rebuild Ecko in the 2000s. A streetwear pioneer whose influence spans generations, his work continues through Memory Lane and Jo Koy—extending a legacy of brand building into new chapters of fashion and entertainment.
10 / THE SELECTION
A creative pillar of the Cerritos community, Emil Soriano Jr. was part of LA’s first wave of streetwear in the 1990s. A product specialist with experience at FUBU, MECCA, Vans and Circa, he served as Director of Design for Crooks & Castles. His work also includes Jo Koy and Jordan Brand, extending decades of design and development into new projects.
HONORABLE MENTION
Pat Palacio brings Filipino identity into graphic design and streetwear. The ISLA Project co-founder and Grapika Studios founder draws on the connection between Manila and Los Angeles. Through ISLA, that perspective extends beyond clothing to support community initiatives in the Philippines. For us, the work matters because it gives cultural pride both a visual language and a purpose.
SIMPLE 10 / OUR POV
THE WORK DIDN’T STOP AT THE BREAKTHROUGH.
You probably knew the brands before you knew all the names behind them.
That’s why we made this list.
These ten helped shape what we wear, watch and gather around. They built their own labels, contributed to global brands, then kept creating—through new roles, new ventures and changing tastes.
But the part we value most is what they build for others. Family Style. Baryo HiFi. Filipino Forces. Places to connect, be seen and bring someone else along.
For us, that’s what makes a legacy: a body of work that keeps growing, with a community growing alongside it.
That deserves more than a month of recognition.