Food brands and restaurants have been putting out merchandise lines left and right for the past couple of years and now Panda Express is getting into the game. But they are doing it for a good cause and they aren’t doing it alone. They are putting out a line of apparel with the help of high-end design house, 3.1 Phillip Lim.
The new Panda Express apparel line includes a t-shirt, a crew-neck sweatshirt, and a baseball cap. The t-shirt and the sweatshirt are both black and have the Panda Express logo in orange and then “eat with us” printed over it in white.
According to the press release we received, the design was specifically created to “center around an Asian-style plate as an homage to tradition and cultural appreciation, with the circular shape representing unity during divisive times.”
Panda Express collabs with 3.1 Phillip Lim for new clothes line
The hat is also in black and has “eat with us” printed on the front in white and “Eat More. Share More. Love More” on the back in red font.
Check out the hat below:
The restaurant and fashion design brands are coming out with this apparel line in order to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. When the collection goes on sale on Tuesday, May 10, 100 percent of the net proceeds will go to six different organizations that focus on food security, especially in the AAPI community.
The six charities include Heart of Dinner, More Than a Meal, OCA-Greater Houston, Radical Family Farms, Respect Your Elders, and Welcome to Chinatown.
But even if you don’t want to buy a shirt or a hat, you can donate directly to the GoFundMe page Panda Express has set up. The restaurant is starting off the donations by giving $20,000 to the campaign themselves.
And this isn’t the only way Panda Express has dedicated itself to the community. In 2021, they started the Panda CommUnity Fund, a $10 million investment program that supports “immediate and sustainable solutions” to help bring about unity and belonging. Since 2021, the fund has donated $2.3 million to nonprofits that provide support to the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.
What do you think of this new collab from Panda Express and 3.1 Phillip Lim? Will you be snagging something for yourself? Let us know in the comments below!