Indie fashion feature: Super Orange

Anime love with minimal tentacles

By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor

The geek community has been steadily growing since “nerd” became the new “in” thing a few years ago—but even now, anime lovers have a pretty bad rep. In the sub-culture, our passion is seen as a little too niche. But with Hollywood suddenly interested in some of our favourite storylines such as Ghost in the Shell and Akira, change is in the air—so you better brace for impact, and declare yourself loud and proud now. But how?

If you haven’t heard of it, Super Orange is a fashion label dedicated to bringing you quality casual wear that will scream your anime love to the world—with some of the best anime in-jokes that the community has to offer. Think your “waifu” (favourite female anime character) is better than everyone else’s? Declare it in garment form with an adorable “Your waifu is garbage” crop top.

Headed by self-proclaimed “weeb trash can” Zee, Super Orange designs are a staple to see at conventions as well as all over the Internet. It’s sort of hard to deny the fan love this brand receives over social media—every time I log into Twitter it seems that someone new is posting a picture of them in their favourite shirt, hat, sweater, or leggings from the website. And with the majority of the designs hitting under $70, it isn’t hard to see why.

Quality wise, from what I’ve seen, most of the garments are on par with or better than similar online shops. The leggings, for example, are actually better than ones I’ve received from Romwe. Sure, they might be a little more expensive, but they’ll bag out less which means they’ll last longer and probably be cheaper for you in the long term.

As I watched the brand grow and become more popular I have seen the products and designs become more diverse, which excites me. Even now the options available speak to a fun, humorous, and approachable aesthetic that prioritizes comfort. In turn, Super Orange has been embraced by the anime community for catering to our needs as fans, but also our need to be adorable.

You can find Super Orange’s products at their website www.superorange.net, or at various conventions in the United States. For information on new designs, or to follow availability of certain items, you can check their Twitter and/or their Instagram at @superorangepdx