Streetwear brand Hotwind is aiming to ensure its quality clothing will help end the prejudice in Singapore against Chinese brands.

The Chinese brand opened its first store outside China at 313@Somerset on Orchard Road last November. By the end of this year it hopes to have between three and five stores trading in the city, which it will use as a springboard into other Southeast Asian nations such as Indonesia and Thailand. A store will be opened in Kuala Lumpur next month.

Before the first Hotwind Singapore store opened, VP White Wang says a business associate from Singapore advised him not to include Chinese characters in the signboard for the outlet, which sells clothing, shoes and accessories. However, Wang placed the brand’s English and Chinese names side by side.

“He told me that Singaporeans don’t think highly of Chinese brands,” says Wang, from Shanghai. “But we are a Chinese brand – we can’t run away from this.

“In China we didn’t do much advertising, but we now have more than 900 stores. People find out about us mainly via word-of-mouth, so it’s a testament to our quality,” he says. “I’m confident Hotwind will take off here once we open more shops.”