Explore the Alien Nation Collection

In a world too quick to label us “alien,” the Alien Nation™ collection stands as a bold reclamation of identity, history, and ancestral pride. Rooted in diaspora streetwear and pulsing with surreal satire, this limited drop celebrates those deemed “misplaced” or “misunderstood”—while honoring their enduring strength and resilience.

Each piece in this collection was created by us, an all-women team based in Istanbul, working together to transform immigrant memory curated from family photographs and Ellis Island archives into modern contemporary art.

We pulled from real family archives, original portraits of immigrants who once stood at the threshold of the “New World." Then, we adapted them — adding color, artistic layering, and context — before printing them on our favorite wearable and collectible pieces.

Alien Nation™ is about rejecting the label of “outsider” and honoring the truth: our ancestors were not aliens. They were builders, dreamers, and the people of the land.

The Process

Step 1: Archival Dig — Unearthing photographs from family archives and Ellis Island records.

Step 2: Artistic Re-imagining — Reworking the imagery with contemporary tones, symbolism, and design.

Step 3: Print & Wear — Turning these tributes into jerseys, tees, tapestries, and postcards that carry the legacy forward.

The Pieces & Their Stories

The Algerian Immigrant

This portrait was taken in the early 1900s at Ellis Island. Dressed in traditional North African attire, the Algerian immigrant carried with him the weight of empire, displacement, and the search for new opportunity. His presence reminds us that North Africa’s history is deeply intertwined with global migration — long before borders hardened, people crossed seas to find dignity and survival.

What they've built: Algerian and North African communities have brought vibrant culture to American life — from music and cuisine (couscous, mint tea, and Mediterranean spices) to arts and scholarship. In recent decades, Algerian Americans have played roles in education, medicine, and the arts, enriching America’s diverse cultural fabric while maintaining deep connections to North Africa.

This design stems from a portrait of a Middle Eastern immigrant at Ellis Island. We redefined the image into a declaration: our ancestors were not aliens, they were visionaries.

The Guadeloupean Immigrant

 

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Photographed at Ellis Island, this woman’s image radiates resilience. From the French Caribbean colony of Guadeloupe, she represents the overlooked history of Afro-Caribbean migrants who endured colonial displacement, yet brought music, language, and cultural richness to the Americas. Her gaze is not of an outsider, but of someone determined to belong and to build.

Guadeloupean and broader Afro-Caribbean communities have shaped U.S. culture through music (calypso, zouk, and jazz), literature, activism, and religious traditions. Many Afro-Caribbean immigrants worked in shipping, trade, and service industries, while their descendants have been central to Black American art, civil rights, and intellectual movements.

The Syrian Immigrant

 

Captured in the first wave of Levantine migration to the U.S., this Syrian immigrant embodies the long history of Arab arrival at Ellis Island. This portrait connects us to that legacy of survival and entrepreneurship.

Syrians came with crafts, commerce, and community — and contributed to building what we now recognize as early Arab-American neighborhoods in Brooklyn, New Jersey, and across the U.S. They’ve contributed to business (especially grocery, textile trade), medicine, engineering, and politics. Culturally, Syrians also brought foods like hummus, falafel, and baklava into American diets, while also building churches, mosques, and cultural institutions that anchor Arab American identity today.

 

The Yemeni Family (From Our Founder’s Archives)

 

Among the collection are photographs from our founder’s own Yemeni family archives. Migrating from the mountains of Ibb to Brooklyn, their story is one of courage, persistence, and legacy. Like many Yemeni immigrants, they labored in corner stores, factories, and kitchens, shaping the fabric of American cities while holding onto cultural identity. This is a personal reminder that Alien Nation is not abstract — it is our family story.

Ultimately, our collection also honors Clutch Migrants

Though unnamed "clutch migrants” symbolize millions of immigrants who fueled America’s growth by working in factories, construction, agriculture, and small businesses. Their sacrifice built the American economy and continues to sustain it — reminding us that immigrants are not marginal, but foundational to the nation’s prosperity.

Why These Stories Matter

This old photograph of a Yemeni family in Brooklyn shows a cluster of migrants holding tightly to one another.

Our Goal for this Collection and Campaign: Connects decedents, us, to them, through memory, adaptation, celebration, and art. 

Each of these images was taken out of dusty archives and family albums, and reimagined by our all-women Istanbul team into bold, modern art.

By adapting them into wearable pieces — tees, jerseys, tapestries, tote bags, greeting cards, and postcards — we honor the humanity behind the word “immigrant.”

 Explore the Alien Nation Collection