On the Rise: Meet Vancouver-Designed Streetwear Brand Taikan Everything

Let’s get real for a second: the hottest, freshest looks are born long before you see them in the pages of your favourite local city magazine (wink wink). “Trends are coming from the streets, from the clubs, from skate parks, from underground parties,” says Garret Louie, co-founder of a local streetwear brand called Taikan Everything. “It’s like looking into a crystal ball before they hit the mainstream.”

Louie is a co-owner of Fortune Sound Club in Chinatown, and both he and Taikan designer Mada Phiri are established DJs in Vancouver’s nightlife community. “I work a lot with the queer and BIPOC scene here, and I think a lot of culture and creativity is created in these marginalized groups,” says Phiri.

While Taikan’s designs are on the pulse, the brand always starts with function. “We prioritize affordable, well-designed staples,” says Phiri. The clothing’s quality sets the company apart from fast-fashion brands—as does the creative community they’re cultivating. Louie and Phiri work with a team of artists (80 percent of whom are based in Vancouver) on everything from garment design to videography, giving each of Taikan’s collections a story that reaches far beyond the clothes themselves.

Interviews with the brand’s creative collaborators— including models, photographers, tattoo artists and more-—-are posted on their website. And, in classic DJ form, there’s music involved: new designs launch in tandem with their own curated playlist.