REBRAND CHINATOWN MARKET: CHINATOWN IS NOT FOR SALE
The Issue
Update: 6/30/26
Bad news everyone! In a stunning and shameless reversal, Chinatown Market officially came back.
Even worse, owner Mike Cherman never gave up his federal trademark for exclusive use of the word Chinatown on clothing They changed their name to Market after the success of our petition in 2021, but the trademark was never surrendered, and now they have come slithering back.
Mike also launched a Nike hoodie this week coinciding with the relaunch of Chinatown Market. Do you think it's appropriate for Nike to be amplifying the work of a white person whose sole claim to exclusive ownership of the word Chinatown on clothing is as a slur for bootleg?
Does Chinatown mean bootleg to you? If not, we need your help.
Comment on the announcement post. Tag @nike and @nikenyc and ask why it is selling Mike Cherman's work while he brings back this racist brand that was, in his very own words, "not our name to use".
CHINATOWN IS STILL NOT FOR SALE
Original Petition - 2021
The Company
CHINATOWN MARKET, commonly shortened to CHINATOWN, is a white-owned clothing brand created in 2017, that was first based on “bootleg merchandise” (the reason for the name Chinatown Market), but now focuses on licensed collaborations and CHINATOWN apparel. They are sold at Urban Outfitters, Foot Locker, and many other retailers around the world.
The Problem
The concept of Chinatown is not for sale, especially not by a white person who only uses the word Chinatown as a synonym for bootleg. It is an act of cultural theft for a white person to profit off of people like Lebron James, Alicia Keys, and many others wearing CHINATOWN clothing. This is a company that was silent on #stopasianhate until three days after the Atlanta mass shooting, when Pres. Biden had already ordered that flags around the country be lowered to half staff. Does this sound like a company that is in touch with the needs of the Asian American community? Does Chinatown mean bootleg to you?
The Context
Chinatowns around the world are the heart of Asian communities, and were for a long time the only safe place for Asians when they were immigrants unwanted by society. Our elders struggled for generations in the face of adversity to pave the way for a place that people like myself can call home. Gentrification, COVID shutdowns, and most recently an unprecedented increase in Anti-Asian violence and hate crimes have pushed already vulnerable Chinatowns and other Asian American communities to the brink of economic and social collapse.
In the middle of all of this, a white-owned streetwear brand thinks it's acceptable to monetize the identity that these immigrants paved for themselves. Why should a white person of privilege with no ties to the community be allowed to steal that identity from immigrants just to perpetuate the stereotype that Chinatown means bootleg?
Could you imagine a white-owned HARLEM, BOYLE HEIGHTS, or COMPTON brand not only existing for this long, but being actively promoted by POC celebrities and national retailers like Urban Outfitters and Footlocker?
It is time to put a stop to this.
REBRAND CHINATOWN MARKET: CHINATOWN IS NOT FOR SALE
3,356
The Issue
Update: 6/30/26
Bad news everyone! In a stunning and shameless reversal, Chinatown Market officially came back.
Even worse, owner Mike Cherman never gave up his federal trademark for exclusive use of the word Chinatown on clothing They changed their name to Market after the success of our petition in 2021, but the trademark was never surrendered, and now they have come slithering back.
Mike also launched a Nike hoodie this week coinciding with the relaunch of Chinatown Market. Do you think it's appropriate for Nike to be amplifying the work of a white person whose sole claim to exclusive ownership of the word Chinatown on clothing is as a slur for bootleg?
Does Chinatown mean bootleg to you? If not, we need your help.
Comment on the announcement post. Tag @nike and @nikenyc and ask why it is selling Mike Cherman's work while he brings back this racist brand that was, in his very own words, "not our name to use".
CHINATOWN IS STILL NOT FOR SALE
Original Petition - 2021
The Company
CHINATOWN MARKET, commonly shortened to CHINATOWN, is a white-owned clothing brand created in 2017, that was first based on “bootleg merchandise” (the reason for the name Chinatown Market), but now focuses on licensed collaborations and CHINATOWN apparel. They are sold at Urban Outfitters, Foot Locker, and many other retailers around the world.
The Problem
The concept of Chinatown is not for sale, especially not by a white person who only uses the word Chinatown as a synonym for bootleg. It is an act of cultural theft for a white person to profit off of people like Lebron James, Alicia Keys, and many others wearing CHINATOWN clothing. This is a company that was silent on #stopasianhate until three days after the Atlanta mass shooting, when Pres. Biden had already ordered that flags around the country be lowered to half staff. Does this sound like a company that is in touch with the needs of the Asian American community? Does Chinatown mean bootleg to you?
The Context
Chinatowns around the world are the heart of Asian communities, and were for a long time the only safe place for Asians when they were immigrants unwanted by society. Our elders struggled for generations in the face of adversity to pave the way for a place that people like myself can call home. Gentrification, COVID shutdowns, and most recently an unprecedented increase in Anti-Asian violence and hate crimes have pushed already vulnerable Chinatowns and other Asian American communities to the brink of economic and social collapse.
In the middle of all of this, a white-owned streetwear brand thinks it's acceptable to monetize the identity that these immigrants paved for themselves. Why should a white person of privilege with no ties to the community be allowed to steal that identity from immigrants just to perpetuate the stereotype that Chinatown means bootleg?
Could you imagine a white-owned HARLEM, BOYLE HEIGHTS, or COMPTON brand not only existing for this long, but being actively promoted by POC celebrities and national retailers like Urban Outfitters and Footlocker?
It is time to put a stop to this.
REBRAND CHINATOWN MARKET: CHINATOWN IS NOT FOR SALE
The Decision Makers
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on March 4, 2021