Before the world decided what girls should wear
Lakán is a precolonial Filipino title—one of quiet authority, not gender.
This brand reclaims it as a system of clothing built for girls who move outside expectation. No bows. No binaries. Just structure, softness, and fit—designed with presence, not performance. Every piece honors form, freedom, and early power—before the world names it.
I was a tomboy. I grew up with two brothers —climbing trees, riding bikes, always moving. My Mom forced me to wear girly clothes: tight, glittery, uncomfortable. In kindergarten, a boy turned and said, “I can see your underwear.” That was the last day I wore a dress.
This is not boys’ clothes for girls. This time, the clothes belong to her.
Now I have two daughters. One loves rainbows and sparkle. The other is still figuring it out. I just want her to know there’s more than one way to dress like a girl.
Most big brands—Target, Old Navy, Carter’s—sell “gender-neutral” clothes as toned-down basics or graphic tees. What they don’t offer is design. There’s nothing made for girls who don’t want to perform femininity—but also don’t want to disappear into shapeless, borrowed silhouettes.How might we design clothing for girls who reject traditional gendered aesthetics—without erasing femininity—while emphasizing freedom, function, and expression.
Color is functional, not expressive
Designed for bodies, not categories.
Structure is the message
Monolithic. Ungendered. Unornamented
Built for her.
A system, not a style.
Creative Authorship
This original concept explores a gender-neutral children’s clothing brand, designed to showcase storytelling, ideation, and conceptual design. Inspired by my own experience growing up as a tomboy—rejecting dresses and glitter in search of comfort and authenticity—it reimagines apparel that doesn't force kids to choose between identity and ease.