Tag: Mark Launiu

Streetwear-infused runway show hits 10 year-mark, building fashion family along the way

By Tommy Felts / May 20, 2025

High fashion met heartfelt passion on the runway Sunday with the return of the The Kritiq Fashion Show — a celebration of creativity, entrepreneurship and community spirit that not even a global pandemic (or family pressures) could undress. “This is our 10th year,” said Mark Launiu, co-founder of The Kritiq, as well as the Kansas…

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This (still) ain’t luck: How a decade of grit proved these urban heroes are ‘more than just clothes’

By Tommy Felts / April 18, 2025

MADE MOBB’s ‘collaboration is community’ mindset takes the stage as streetwear brand named an Urban Hero Earning the title “Urban Hero” allows the owners of MADE MOBB an opportunity to publicly give themselves flowers, they said, sharing a twist on the slogan from one of their most popular tees. MADE MOBB — a Crossroads-based streetwear…

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Start small, build demand, then scale: Founders offer blueprint to creating streetwear brands that outlast today’s trend

By Tommy Felts / February 4, 2025

With Kansas City’s often-crowded apparel scene mobbed by designers hoping to cash in on the Chiefs’ Super Bowl success, building a lasting brand is about much more than just having a good idea that meets the moment, said Vu Radley. “You have to know your ‘why’, who you are and why you’re doing it,” the…

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MADE MOBB co-founder wins top award from his community, aims to inspire Island kids (and leave a legacy for his own)

By Tommy Felts / October 3, 2023

Mark Launiu always felt a bit like an outsider, he said. While the serial entrepreneur now leads KC’s iconic streetwear brand MADE MOBB, Launiu grew up humbly as an immigrant within a small community in South Kansas City. So his recent honor as Samoan Business/Entrepreneur Award of the Year was a pleasant surprise, he said.…

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Fashion show designs space for KC streetwear to walk alongside Western fringe, crochet couture

By Tommy Felts / September 20, 2023

The Kritiq fashion show is a runway of representation, said Mark Launiu, describing the origins and evolution of one of Kansas City’s premiere creative showcases. “I just wanted to see people that looked like me, designers who don’t have the opportunity to showcase their skills and their talents,” The Kritiq founder and co-founder of MADE…

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