SCHNABBIT by Rakee Chen - SLUG Magazine

SCHNABBIT is Rakee Chen's colorful creative project that combines her love for storytelling and fashion to build a fun, colorful world. Photo: Roberto Valdez

Image: Roberto Valdez

Arts

At the intersection of streetwear, digital fashion and original storytelling lives SCHNABBIT: a whimsical, wearable universe dreamed up by multidisciplinary designer Rakee Chen. With roots in China, a fashion education earned in Atlanta and a current home base of Salt Lake City, Chen’s work is as global as it is imaginative. Her clothing brand SCHNABBIT isn’t just a label, it’s a narrative. And at its core is a rabbit with crocodile DNA.

SCHNABBIT takes both cuteness and fierceness and brings it together to create fun colorful streetwear. Photo: Roberto Valdez — SCHNABBIT takes both cuteness and fierceness and brings it together to create fun, colorful streetwear. Photo: Roberto Valdez

“It started with two characters,” Chen explains. “Rabbit Peach and Crocodile Avocado. They were based on me and my friend Qi, and we created them as toys back in 2019.” As the duo continued to collaborate and evolve their illustrated universe, the characters merged to become SCHNABBIT, a hybrid creature that now serves as the face of Chen’s brand. “It’s kind of like our mascot, and also our story.”

“SCHNABBIT is all about comfort, creativity and storytelling you can wear.”

The story is told through a fusion of comic-style prints, adorable collectibles and streetwear clothing designed to be as unique as the story the brand was born from. Chen first began by putting her drawings on T-shirts. “I wanted to make my art wearable,” she says. And as her design skills evolved, shaped by her background in costume and industrial design, so did the world of SCHNABBIT. Now, Chen brings her characters to life not just on cotton, but in 3D animations, toys and digital fashion runways.

In fact, SCHNABBIT made a splash at a digital fashion show in London last year, with a short animated film that served as both a fashion presentation and narrative introduction. “The clothes help share the story, but the story is always the core,” she says.

“I want people to know the universe and the bunny, not just me.”

Chen’s many projects include the Dune-inspired sculptural collection “Echo Wanderer,” which appears on the cover of this issue. SCHNABBIT, though, is grounded in streetwear culture rather than high fashion. Think cotton basics in fun colors with vintage distressing and, of course, illustrative graphics with her signature characters. “SCHNABBIT is all about comfort, creativity and storytelling you can wear,” Chen says.

SCHNABBIT is growing quickly as a brand and is even headed to New York Fashion Week. Photo: Roberto Valdez

Chen’s storytelling isn’t limited to fashion. She’s also working to bring SCHNABBIT into the world of animation and comics, hoping to let the characters take center stage. “I want people to know the universe and the bunny, not just me,” she says.

That collaborative spirit extends to everything she does. The recent SCHNABBIT runway appearance saw Chen’s work featured alongside drag queens and kings, DJs and rappers — many of whom Chen met through Utah World Fashion Week. “I love working with other creatives,” she says. “If someone does music or anime or anything, we can inspire each other. It becomes more than fashion.” Her dream collaborator? “Willow Smith,” she says, without missing a beat.

“I can tell people what SCHNABBIT is in one sentence: a bunny with crocodile DNA. That’s our story.”

Next up for Chen is a major appearance at New York Fashion Week on Sept. 11, where she’s planning a runway show in collaboration with music tech brand LiberLive alongside her own designs. The show will feature live guitarists and singers as well as models dressed in Chen’s custom work, each holding a guitar while walking down the runway. Chen will also be participating in this year’s FASHIONCLASH Festival in the Netherlands in November, showcasing her designs in an unconventional theatrical setting.

Back in Utah, Chen is also using SCHNABBIT for good. She’s preparing for a charity fashion show to raise funds for children with cancer and hopes to bring joy and storytelling to young audiences through her playful bunny world. Her advice for new designers? Stay curious and stay consistent. “Learn the software,” she says, referring to tools that power her digital fashion work. “And give your brand at least five years. It takes time to build something real.” But most importantly, she says, have a signature. “I can tell people what SCHNABBIT is in one sentence: a bunny with crocodile DNA,” she says with a smile. “That’s our story.”

Follow Rakee Chen on Instagram at @cherrakee_ or shop her brand online at schnabbit.com.