In this issue of ASIAN VOICE, we feature Owners Worldwide. A popular streetwear brand from Bandung, Indonesia, Owners Worldwide heavily embraces the culture of Bandung while taking in new ideas and cultures from places beyond. This issue will take a glimpse into the brand’s identity and where the brand plans to go to next.
Nana : Can you give our readers an introduction to the brand, Owners Worldwide?
Owners Worldwide : Owners Worldwide is a streetwear clothing brand from Bandung Indonesia, since 2012. With value product in material quality, signature design, and affordable price for young people (Millennials & Z Generation)
Nana : Why did you decide to name it “Owners Worldwide”?
Owners Worldwide : The name of Owners Worldwide was from the founder’s dream, Andi Pangeran, he wanted to have his own brand that was known around the world.
Nana : What has influenced the creation of the brand and the pieces designed for your brand?
Owners Worldwide : Inspired by Indonesian young people’s passion, especially the passion of being productive and creative. In Indonesia, Bandung is a place where creative people meet. Not only for the fashion industry, but also music industry, visual artist, film maker, and extreme sport community like skateboarder. Currently, the industry has grown again, there is a gaming industry, which is often favored by some owners’ audience. The existence of cross-industry is an inspiration in making a product. We did a cross-industry (collaboration) with Indonesian street food, called Pecel Ayam. Not creating products, but we decorate their street food with Owners style, and we styling the stewardess with Owners product.
Nana : What are some of the challenges you have faced during the course of building your brand?
Owners Worldwide : In the beginning, Owners run from 1 clothing event to another clothing event, until finally we had our own official store. From the beginning we were only able to leave goods to other people’s stores. Everything went smoothly until the pandemic arrived, all events did not run, shops closed, and we had to survive to support the team, craftsmen, couriers, and other personnel involved in every brand development process. From there, we tried to switch to digital, tried to open an online shop, studied algorithms, learned digital marketing, until we realized that managing a brand is actually much bigger than we previously imagined. We also learned many things from it. Until finally we managed to survive and support all of our personnel. The spirit and belief of our team is the key to the success of this brand in surviving in the midst of a pandemic. Until finally all that hard work brought us to be perched on New York Times Square in 2021.
Nana : How do you come up with the themes for each season?
Owners Worldwide : Like a brand, we always do A-B testing in making products, such as making products based on our brand roots, and making products according to market interests. Of course not out of the signature and brand guidelines. We have also created collections that were inspired by the unrest of
teenagers in Indonesia, such as the “System Has Failed Us” collection which is concerned with the destruction of the system in this world, “Deep Feelings” which tells about the anxiety of teenagers about things around them, and other collections such as “Apocalypse” & “Day Dreaming” which are like “two side of coin”, tell the good and bad side of life.
Nana : Is it possible to let readers know a little about your next collection?
Owners Worldwide : Our Knitwear, inspired by Japanese culture, geisha.
Nana : Is there a particular artist, movie, place, book that you would recommend our
readers to check for inspiration?
Owners Worldwide : The first one is “Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon, “Unbranding” by
Scott Stratton & Alison Stratten, & also magazines like Vice, Kerrang, Icon, & Go.
Nana : Do you have any advice for our readers who are seeking to find a way to build a brand like “Owners Worldwide”?
Owners Worldwide: Be adaptive. Don’t let your idealism ruin your dream.
Bandung is a place where creative people meet.
owners worldwide
