A new sneaker brand born in West Roxbury is standing on four centuries of Asian American culture.
The 1-year-old company, called 1587, is named for the year Asians first arrived in the United States.
“For us, it's so important to be not just Asian American, but unapologetically Asian American,” said the company’s co-founder Adam King, 42, who was born in Wellesley.
After working in the sneaker industry for many years, King grew frustrated with what he calls the “crazy” way shoe marketers connect with Asian American consumers.
“They always force a narrative that Asian Americans are uncool, that our culture is less than,” he said. “But I look at my friends and my family like, we’re dope as (expletive). I think we're awesome. Like, what are you talking about?”
With vibrant images and brash language, there’s an intentionality about defying the stereotypes often associated with Asian Americans. King, an Emory Business School graduate, believes it’s working. He told NBC10 Boston an average revenue of $50,000 per month is within their reach in year two of operation. They launched in May 2023.
“Asian Americans are amazing sneaker consumers. They're 8% of the population, but they're like 14% of sales."
“I really think when you launch you really believe this to be true. You have data. But you don't know until you launch. So, we are so happy that the message is getting through and resonating.”
The average price for a pair of leather 1587 sneakers is $288.
