The 10 Pioneering Women's Streetwear Brands

Image via Complex Original

Founders: Kim Gordon & Daisy von Furth

When Kim Gordon, former Sonic Youth frontwoman and bassist, created the downtown streetwear brand X-Girl in 1994 alongside Daisy von Furth, she wanted it to be the antithesis of everything: anti-establishment, anti-mainstream, and anti-commercial with a heavy emphasis on DIY, and a clear allegiance to punk, skate, and underground hip-hop. X-Girl was the sister brand to the already established X-Large, which was founded by Eli Bonerz, Adam Silverman, and Mike D of The Beastie Boys. Gordon and von Furth set out to make clothes that eschewed “grunge,” which had become a commercial trope in fashion and instead erred on the side of Euro-pop and preppy. The line consisted of mini skirts, mini A-line dresses, and graphic T-shirts. Gordon had a rule against Lycra, the stretchy material that clings the body, and anything incredibly tight, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t consider the female form. Gordon told Vogue that while the brand’s pants were wide-legged, they were a little snug around the waist area, and X-Girl was known for its slightly cropped and boxy baby T-shirts. X-Girl’s aesthetic came to define a particular time in ’90s street and rave culture. In 1994, X-Girl staged its first runway show that caused a lot of ruckus. Staying true to its “anti-everything” philosophy, they decided to storm the Marc Jacobs show that was going on in New York City as a way to get free press. In 1998 it was acquired by B’s International, a Japanese company, and reintroduced itself in the states years later. Under B’s International’s ownership, X-Girl has collaborated with Reebok, Dr. Martens, Dover Street Market London, and MadeMe, but its legacy as a female founded brand is still felt today.

Founder: Camella Ehlke

Back in 1989 when Camella Ehlke started 555 Soul, which was named after a New York City party telephone line she saw on a flyer, the term streetwear, let alone women’s streetwear, didn’t exist. But she launched her line thinking of both men and women at the outset. The concept behind the collection, which merged influences from underground hip-hop, skate, California surf, the ’60s, and downtown New York club scene, was new and innovative. Ehlke was a seamstress who opened a store on the Lower East Side that sold pieces she made with the 555 Soul label, along with items from other young artists. Her men’s line was more popular and worn by her friends who happened to be artists, like Posdnuos of De La Soul, Mos Def, and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest. In 1992 Ehlke partnered with stylist friend Stella Laura Barker to open a women’s shop, aptly named Strictly for the Ladies, next to her men’s 555 Soul shop on Ludlow Street. It sold an assortment of brands along with wrap dresses and skirts that Ehlke would sew from stock fabrics. Once she partnered with Troy Morehouse, the duo closed Strictly for the Ladies, rolling over traces of its femine and sporty aesthetic into 555 Soul, which became Triple Five Soul, which was sold at shops like Fred Segal, Urban Outfitters, and Laforet Harajuku in Japan. When the space was dominated by mostly baggy men’s clothes, Ehlke was designing fitted zip hoodies with short sleeves and a faux fur hooded parka that had backpack straps inside of it, allowing ladies to skip coat check at the club or comfortably wear it indoors. Ehlke says her customer was the young creative type who wasn’t being spoken to by mainstream brands. Triple Five Soul’s early ads featured women who represented that, like Rashida Jones, who appeared in an ad with her then-boyfriend Mark Ronson, and was worn by TLC, Lauryn Hill and Aaliyah.

Designer: Kianga “Kiki” Miele

Kianga “Kiki” Miele is no stranger to the streetwear game. While studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in the ‘90s, she met FUBU founders J. Alexander Martin, Carlton Brown, Daymond John, and Keith Perrin. She would go on to work out of John’s house designing FUBU’s first proper men’s collections. When FUBU decided to introduce a women’s line, which was produced under a license with Jordache, Miele built the collection from scratch, translating the FUBU aesthetic for young women in a real way. The FUBU Ladies line was less logo driven and focused on fit and construction. Miele, who was in her early 20s at the time, understood what that consumer wanted—in an article in WWD she said it did $40 million at its first MAGIC tradeshow—and with the Ladies line she helped move the brand into a more contemporary market. After the success of FUBU Ladies, she formed K.A. Kitties with Dorothy Antoine, Zareth Edghilland, Jazmin Ruotolo, who would consult labels including Sean John, Mecca, FUBU, and Rocawear on their women’s designs. She would move on to create collections for House of Deréon and Nicki Minaj’s apparel line. While she never had her own women’s streetwear line, Miele has had a hand in creating the look and feel of urban womenswear that’s influenced the fashion industry at large for decades. She currently operates a contemporary dress line called K.Miele and was featured on the Netflix Series “Next in Fashion” alongside designer Farai Simoyi-Agbede. 

Founder: Kimora Lee Simmons

Kimora Lee Simmons, a former high fashion model who signed a contract with Chanel at the age of 13, launched Baby Phat in 1999. Simmons created the brand as the women’s answer to the already established Phat Farm, a men’s streetwear brand created by her former husband, Russell Simmons. At the time, the fashion industry had not embraced streetwear in the way that it has today, and streetwear or “urban wear” didn’t cater much to women. Kimora challenged what the urban category was, making it more aspirational with big-budget runway shows, inclusive casting, and ad campaigns that typically depicted her living a very good life with her family—perched on the staircase of her New Jersey mansion or strolling off of a private jet. With an instantly recognizable feline logo, as well as standout pieces like bedazzled puffer coats, figure-hugging denim silhouettes, faux fur coats, and mini skirts, Baby Phat brought Kimora’s opulent personal style to the masses—making it possible for women everywhere to emulate her own brand of glamour and sexiness (or ghetto fabulousness, a term often used during that period and a look that was routinely co-opted by larger fashion houses without giving the proper credit to Black culture). At its peak, Baby Phat was worn by superstars such as Lil’ Kim, Eve, Trina, Charli Baltimore, Aaliyah, and Cam’ron, who took a picture with Baby Phat’s iconic Motorola flip phone. What started as mainly a fashion label soon expanded into the “lifestyle” category, where it eventually sold fragrances, swimwear, jewelry, accessories, and even bedding. Baby Phat made its mark on the early 2000s aesthetic that’s still heavily referenced today. And Kimora relaunched the brand to a new generation of fashion fans in 2019 via a partnership with Forever 21 with her daughters, and recently introduced costume jewelry and beauty products.

Founder: Leah McSweeney

Leah McSweeney started the infamous, irreverent, women-centric streetwear brand Married to the Mob in 2004. When MTTM was launched, there weren’t a lot of women helming their own streetwear brands, and after an altercation with the NYPD, which led to McSweeney suing the organization and winning a cash settlement, she was able to go full force with the brand—years later, ironically, she turned her mugshot from the incident into an infamous T-shirt. McSweeney has created a following with her signature brash statements and slogans that combat misogyny. She splays sayings like: “Don’t be scared to be a bitch,” “Don’t talk about my mental health or my vagina,” and “Supreme Bitch,” which was embraced by Rihanna, on T-shirts—McSweeney went up against Supreme in 2013 over the use of “Supreme Bitch” in a red box logo and they settled out of court (the T-shirts now read “Bitch”). McSweeney, who created a guide for streetwear and sneaker brands wanting to reach a female audience, embodied female empowerment when other brands were afraid to. Married to the Mob is also known for its myriad collaborations. McSweeney first partnered with KAWS on a limited run of pink bikinis with the KAWS Companion character’s hands. This led to partnerships with MCM, back when luxury brands typically didn’t acknowledge streetwear, Barbie, Reebok, Colette, and others. McSweeney, who still operates the line and has introduced activewear, is currently a member of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City and is selling MTTM shirts that read, “Bitch, I elevate this shit,” a phrase she used off the cuff on the series.

Founder: Erin Magee

MadeMe’s brand ethos is very simple: “by girls, for girls.” When Toronto-born founder Erin Magee launched MadeMe in 2007, she was wanting to bridge a gap in the male-dominated streetwear market. While holding a full-time position as head of development, special projects and production at Supreme, Magee’s MadeMe was a side hustle that represented the antithesis of her menswear work world. She’s heavily inspired by the alternative ’90s scene and cites Kathleen Hanna’s feminist punk riot grrrl movement and fellow streetwear cohort X-Girl as influences. MadeMe is an ode to the club kids and the collection features trousers, puffer coats, crop tops, handbags, bucket hats and more coming in bright, standout colors. Magee opts for young, up-and-coming talent that reflect MadeMe’s independent and creative spirit. She’s fostered a new creative class by tapping models including artist Princess Nokia, Lourdes Leon (Madonna’s daughter), and actress Amandla Stenberg. As a brand, MadeMe has created a space for women to move the way they see fit in the streetwear world. Along the way, MadeMe’s collaborated with Schott, Converse, (Magee reimagined the Converse One Star as a platform sneaker), and artist Aya Brown on a collection that benefited the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which defends the rights of Black trans people. In a full-circle moment, she partnered with fellow streetwear brand X-Girl on a Vans collection.

Founder: Lanie Alabanza-Barcena

Often touted as the “OG Queen of Women’s Streetwear,” Lanie Alabanza-Barcena aka “Miss Lawn,” the founder, creative director, and designer of HLZBLZ (pronounced “Hells Bells”), named after a popular AC/DC track, had worked for some notable streetwear brands before starting her own in 2006. She interned at West Coast streetwear OG Alphanumeric from 1999 to 2000 before moving to New York a few years later. In 2004, she would become the ladies graphic designer at Triple 5 Soul before ultimately landing a role as the juniors art director at Rocawear. Many of the designs that didn’t end up at Rocawear were some of the first to be used in her own line. Despite her team at Rocawear not feeling that her graphics fit the brand, they did catch the eye of Jay-Z in a meeting. She tells NBC News that she ended up sending him a package for Beyoncé, who provided a major boost for HLZBLZ’s exposure in its early years. HLZBLZ was the antithesis of the tired “shrink and pink” formula that so many brands use to cater to women in the marketplace, providing women with more gender-fluid options with edgier graphics before it was commonplace. Items were often black with white detailing to maintain the grungier aesthetic. 

The California-based brand is influenced by “all things subversive” and has strong ties to many subcultures like underground hip-hop, rock ‘n’ roll, punk and metal alike. Throughout the LA-based line you’ll find T-shirts with provocative slogans, denim, and accessories, with a design approach that straddles the line of high and low. A flip on the Seal of the President of the United States that reads “Bad Bitches Only” and has the eagle holding a marijuana leaf and a baseball bat, or a football jersey with gothic lettering act as examples. HLZBLZ’s reputation also allowed for it to rack up plenty of big-name collaborations over the years, such as Vans, Nylon Magazine, Hello Kitty, G-Shock, Stüssy, and many more.

Founders: Laura Fama and Ashley Jones​​​​​​​

Even if you’re not familiar with Dimepiece LA, chances are you’ve seen their items (like the “Ain’t No Wifey” T-shirt, which they in fact had trademarked) on a long list of women entertainers that includes names like Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Willow Smith, and others. Dimepiece LA was one of the brands emerging out of LA when women’s streetwear was starting to see a boom over a decade ago. Laura Fama and Ashley Jones launched Dimepiece in 2007 out of an 80-square-foot spare bedroom in Rancho Cucamonga, California, with a small selection of graphic T-shirts. It grew fast. By 2009, they were flying to New York City to shoot campaigns with Cassie and getting congratulatory messages from Diddy. By 2014, the line could be purchased in over 200 retailers worldwide and Jones and Fama were operating a design space in downtown LA. The brand’s ethos is “Know your worth, then add tax,” a testament to their self-proclamation of being the “go-to” brand for girl power. As any good streetwear brand does, Dimepiece made sure to always send a message with its clothing. In its case, women’s empowerment was a common theme, with phrases like “Shatter Ceilings,” “Control the guns, not women’s bodies,” and “She was focused on personal growth, business growth & booty growth” printed across a variety of T-shirts and hoodies. 

“Nothing that we do is intentionally girl power focused, it’s just about coming from a strong female background, like our design ‘Love Don’t Pay The Bills’ is actually from a slogan my mum gave me,” Fama told HuffPost in 2013. “There’s a whole new generation of girls now learning to be strong and have their own voice and identity and fashion reflects that.”

One of its more notable pieces was a dashiki jersey dress worn by Rihanna that was even featured in Vogue. Over the years, they also shifted their production methods to offer cruelty-free products and lessen their carbon footprint. Perhaps their site says it best. Dimepiece is, “a women’s clothing company not in the business of making clothing. We stand for the empowerment and advancement of equality for all.”

Founder: Melody Ehsani​​​​​​​

Melody Ehsani didn’t originally have her sights set on the fashion industry when she was entering the professional workforce. She started out pursuing law, but eventually followed her creative intuition that manifested into the Melody Ehsani brand as we know it today. While she wasn’t a lawyer, she brought that passion for justice and advocacy to her brand. She incorporates messages of empowerment and community into her pieces. For example, she produces statement jewelry that displays messages like “stay woke,” “fuck the patriarchy,” and “resist.” Much of the brand nods to ’90s nostalgia. Ehsani’s signature is bold costume jewelry that ranges from custom bamboo earrings to tennis racket earrings accentuated with a faux pearl as a tennis ball. Her apparel includes her signature sweatsuits, coming in bold colors like saffron, hibiscus, and Persian blue, along with graphic T-shirts covered with inspiring messages like “Fortune Favors The Bold,” workwear pants and matching jackets, and velour polos. Ehsani’s created a safe space for her consumers with her store on Fairfax Avenue, the storied, boys-clubby streetwear strip that’s also a venue for her speaker series that’s featured women ranging from Kelis to Serena Williams and Lauryn Hill, who Ehsani collaborated with on a capsule collection in 2018 for the 20-year anniversary of “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” While larger brands have struggled to market around women, streetwear, and sneakers, Ehsani has excelled at it independently—after almost 15 years in business she just took on an investor in 2020—and created a blueprint for it. Like when she tapped Allen Iverson’s daughters Tiaura, Messiah, and Dream Iverson, and their mother, Tawanna Turner, to be featured in a campaign for the release of the ME Question sneaker. It’s no wonder Jordan brand tapped her to design an AJ1, which featured a meaningful message on the sole (“If you knew what you had was rare, you would NEVER waste it”) and a Women’s Air Jordan OG SP, which featured cherries, a symbol of abundance that’s connected with the goddess of fertility. And Foot Locker recently tapped her to be the creative director of its women’s business.

Founder: Claudia Gold (Claw Money)

Within the world of New York City graffiti, Claw Money is a name that needs little to no introduction. Originally a member of gilded graffiti crews like TC5 and FC—which also include writers like KAWS—Claw Money rose to prominence in the ’90s and early 2000s with a unique tag that resembled a three-nailed Claw. Within a male-dominated subculture, Claw is widely recognized as one of the New York’s hardest graffiti bombers. She eventually launched her own crew “PMS” and infamously partnered with prolific women graffiti bombers like Miss 17. But while Claw Money—whose real name is Claudia Gold—was painting the streets at night, she was involved with fashion during the day. Gold studied fashion illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology and even worked as a design assistant at Anne Klein outerwear when it was under Narciso Rodriguez. In 2002, she turned her iconic Claw graffiti symbol into a logo for a clothing brand dubbed “Claw & Co.” While graffiti artists like Futura and West launched their own streetwear brands, Claw was one of the only women within the culture to do the same. Her clothing, particularly a pair of sunglasses, was heavily co-signed by celebrities such as Rihanna, Kanye West, and M.I.A. during the aughts. During this time, she also became one of the first women artists to collaborate with major clothing brands such as Calvin Klein and Vans. In 2007, she became the first woman to design the very first Nike Tier 0 pack targeted toward women by creating a set of three Nike Blazers and Vandals. Today, Claw Money is still releasing clothing with her iconic symbol and has collaborated with brands like FILA in recent years.