Welcome to the Launch of NO1 Apparels! — Subtle Anime Streetwear
22/1/2025
Hey everyone!
After a loooooong wait (3 months in the making!), I'm thrilled to finally open the store to all of you—welcome in!! ✨
What We've Achieved So Far With NO1 Apparels
For some of you, it’s been quite the wait, especially those who subscribed to our newsletter the moment I shared this on Reddit:
In these 3 months, we've gotten a lot accomplished. We've turned our concepts from a simple conversation:
Into what you all see in front of your screens today.
Here’s one of our initial drafts of the "Nothing Happened" T-shirt:
Overcoming Challenges: The Bumps Along the Way
Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing! We hit a few bumps along the way, like when the first designer we worked with kept missing deadlines and sent us designs that didn’t quite match our vision. We also went through at least 15 different T-shirt samples before settling on the one we use now. Some were too rough, some too thin, some uncomfortable, and some just didn’t feel right. But that’s all part of the process! As many of you may know, we’ve sent some of our T-shirts to some amazing people in the anime community, and hearing them say that the material is incredibly comfortable and possibly the best T-shirt they’ve ever owned makes it all worth it!
Here's one of me in the factory making sure the dimensions were perfect (they weren't):
More Behind The Scenes of NO1's Creations
Picture of me in one of the many samples we received:
Growing Our NO1 Community
The past few days have been absolutely crazy! With all the sharing from our friends in the anime community, we’ve been seeing our newsletter subscribers grow at an unbelievable pace—and it doesn’t seem like you guys are slowing down anytime soon! I’ll always be grateful for your support. 🙏
When I started NO1, it was because I felt the same way as you all. I was tired of seeing the same generic anime characters slapped onto T-shirts with no real thought or meaning behind them. At first, I thought maybe it was just me—maybe I was just a weirdo who was way too passionate about anime. But deep down, I knew something was missing in the anime T-shirt scene.
Why NO1 Exists: Bridging the Gap in Anime Streetwear
Anime is so much more than that. It’s about those powerful, unforgettable moments. It’s about the characters who inspire us, challenge us, and make us feel alive. We deserve clothes that let us hold onto those moments, that let us carry those emotions and memories with us. That’s what I’ve always wanted NO1 to be about — streetwear seamlessly blended with subtle anime tones.
Shoutout to Our First 202 Subscribers!
I’m beyond grateful to have you all here — especially the 202 of you who subscribed to our newsletter!
What's Next?
Now that we’ve built this amazing little community, let’s set out together to get anime fans into T-shirts that remind them of all those unforgettable moments.
We’ve only printed 250 pieces of our T-shirts for this initial drop. That’s why we’re rewarding all of you amazing subscribers with a full day of early access—so that you guys, our biggest supporters, will have the first chance to grab these exclusive tees!
Think of it as our way of saying thank you for patiently waiting while we worked hard to perfect these tees just for you!
NO1: Exciting New Designs and Upcoming Features
We’re actually halfway through finalizing the concepts for our next drop! Spoiler alert: it’ll feature bombs, trees, and possibly a pigeon (or is there also a crow?!). We’re aiming for a Late February release, and we might even open up preorders for it! Let us know in the comments what you think these designs could be, and we might just send some store credit your way 😉
We’re also thinking about creating a Discord channel to make it easier for us to connect with all of you. Same deal—drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know if you’d be into it!
How You Can Support Us
To wrap up this post, I’d like to share two things I hope you all can continue to support us with:
- After you’re done reading this, take a tour of the site! You’ll notice we have a Contact Us page. While it’s there for administrative matters and general questions, we’ve made it even more meaningful—we want you to share your ideas for subtle designs inspired by your favorite anime! If there’s a design or concept you’ve been dreaming of, let us know, and we’d love to help bring your vision to life.
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Some of you who’ve already checked out might notice that the international shipping fee is a bit steep (we are shipping from Singapore, after all). I totally get it—most of us aren’t fans of paying for shipping! That’s why we’re covering the delivery charges for orders over $120 USD / $150 SGD to make it easier for you.
While the cost may be higher, we’ve made sure to prioritize reliability and speed. We know how frustrating it is to wait forever after making a purchase, so we’ve partnered with DHL to ensure your orders arrive quickly and safely. Plus, every order comes with a tracking code sent directly to your email. You can easily keep tabs on your delivery by clicking the Track Your Order button on our website, which links to DHL’s tracking page.
Rest assured, we’re actively working on securing better rates for shipping, but it might take some time as we get established. In the meantime, if you have any contacts in logistics or are in e-commerce and know of ways to reduce shipping fees, we’d love for you to share them with us. Your support means everything—thank you! 🙌
27/01/2025: Great news! After several discussions with our delivery partner, we've successfully reduced shipping costs by $5. We're committed to lowering it even further and will actively work on this, we promise!
Closing Thoughts
It's been a challenging yet fulfilling journey, and I truly hope you’ll love the designs we’re offering in our first drop! If your favorite anime isn’t featured this time, don’t worry—we’re already hard at work on the next drop, which will include even more anime titles! That’s all I’ve got for you guys! Now, go wild and grab your T-shirts! 😎🎉
With so much love,
JJ