Public School’s Dao-Yi Chow Talks Russell Athletic X Nicole McLaughlin Collaboration—And Reflects On His Journey As An AAPI Entrepreneur

How do you breathe new life into athleisure overstock and streetwear scraps?

The latest drop from Greenhouse, Foot Locker’s creative incubator and e-commerce app, celebrates the art of the upcycle with a collaboration featuring American brand Russell Athletic as well as designers Dao-Yi Chow and Nicole McLaughlin.

The capsule—which launches exclusively on the Greenhouse app today—consists of repurposed fabrics from Russell Athletic and some salvaged garments from Public School. With this collection, Chow and McLaughlin aim to highlight the beauty of upcycling.

“The opportunity to work with Russell and its dead stock materials, along with Nicole—it all just seemed like the perfect match,” says Chow, cofounder of luxury streetwear brand Public School.

The team-up resulted in hoodies, courtesy of Chow, and a tote bag accessory, designed by McLaughlin and made from Russell Athletic cuts. The collection is topped off with slides that McLaughlin constructed from old Public School snapback hats. Their goal was to not only showcase the environmental benefits of upcycle design, but also to demystify the notion that repurposed garments are less valuable or fashionable.

In fact, the designers say that upcycling requires more skill and artistry.

“When it comes to upcycled pieces, the focus should be less about perfection and more about design,” says McLaughlin. “To utilize all the different components for this collaboration, it’s a ‘start from scratch’ process for each piece, which takes time and consideration.” From bralettes made from camera bags to creating limited-edition Crocs made of survival kit materials, the designer is known for her avant-garde approach to sustainable design.

Says Chow: “This partnership is perfect for this evolution in my career as I look at different ways of approaching design and consumption—the idea of making do with what you have and not having to buy something new to make something new.”

Raised in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, Chow first worked as a music journalist for Vibe magazine, before heading to Sean Combs’ clothing label, Sean John, where he spent more than a decade of his career. “These were both Black-owned companies so I was exposed to diverse workforces, and of course working with Puff inspired me to start something of my own.” In 2005 he opened a boutique in Miami, where he would meet his future business partner, Maxwell Osborne. Together they launched Public School NYC in 2008. The CFDA Fashion Fund/Vogue Beauty Award-winning duo brought streetwear into the same realm as high fashion by incorporating luxury fabrics from Italy, Japan and the United States—and designed and manufactured a majority of their collections in New York City.

In 2018, a decade after launching Public School, Chow set his sights on Foot Locker’s then newly created incubator, Greenhouse, with his vision to marry street wear and sustainability. The two worlds don’t often go hand-in-hand due to the manufacturing process of most performance fabrics. It led to Chow creating O-1 under the Greenhouse app, which releases exclusive sneakers and streetwear products, all produced with sustainability in mind.

Although Public School and Russell Athletics serve two different price points, Chow says bringing his design chops to the more accessible Russell brand “is not a stretch at all.”

“Public School has always been based on the idea of sports, fashion and athleisure, while Russell is an iconic heritage brand that has done great stuff with fabrications,” says Chow.

In addition to more projects with Russell and the Greenhouse app, he’s also gearing up for collaborations with Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape (or BAPE) and Puma, as well as a range of eco-conscious travel accessories with Mont Blanc.