REFUGENE

INTRODUCING

REFUGENE

LEARN MORE ➔

"When a person asks me how and why I came to the US, I always say I'm a Vietnamese refugee." -Tien V.

STORY ➔

"At first, my family lived with my aunt and uncle who sponsored us—thirteen people under one roof." -John N.

STORY ➔

"In my life, I think my assignments were guided by the Holy Spirit." -Tinh N.

STORY ➔

"I got involved with the pageant mainly to forgive my younger self for being ashamed of Viet culture growing up." -Paulina T.

STORY ➔

‘REFUGENE’ is the extraordinary resilience in refugees—the trait we hope to pass from generation to generation. It is in our DNA, either dominant or recessive, and therein lies our mission: Find it in yourself, look for it in others, and live by it for life.

The REFUGENE project is a two-part project that shares stories told by the refugee diaspora and a clothing brand designed to spark conversations about refugee backgrounds. We hope to inspire people to share their stories, because our stories are our heritage.

New Arrivals

Standard Issue T-Shirt [Black] — $25

VNN T-Shirt [Heather Gray] — $25

ARVN T-Shirt [Military Green] — $25

VNAF T-Shirt [Military Green] — $25

Tael of Tales T-Shirt [Black] — $25

There's A Way T-Shirt [White] — $25

Crane and Tortoise T-Shirt [Black] — $25

Women's Eggshell Token T-Shirt [Black] — $25

VNN T-Shirt [Military Green] — $25

Eggshell Token T-Shirt [Black] — $25

Women's Eggshell Token T-Shirt [White] — $25

Insignia T-Shirt [Crew] — $25

Tael of Tales T-Shirt [White] — $25

There's A Way T-Shirt [Black] — $25

Insignia T-Shirt [V-neck] — $25

Standard Issue T-Shirt [Heather Gray] — $25

ARVN T-Shirt [Heather Gray] — $25

VNAF T-Shirt [Heather Gray] — $25

Welcome to REFUGENE

Xin chào, Hello there. We are REFUGENE, welcome to our blog.

REFUGENE is a project we started with the goal of celebrating the cultures of refugees. Why? Because our parents were...

My story and why REFUGENE exists

Hi, my name is Jimmy and I am a Vietnamese American who was born and raised in North Carolina. I started printing REFUGENE shirts to connect with my heritage.

As a father and as a minority, I worry our cultural identity will fade with each generation. The REFUGENE project exists to keep our heritage from disappearing. Everything we make and do will...

The REFUGENE Manifesto

The REFUGENE is resilience. It takes people from survival to success — the toughness of refugees combined with an immigrant’s ambition.

This grit is born from struggle. It survives desperation. It knows humility and it values kindness. It dreams big. It observes successes and remembers failures. It learns. It hustles. It stays resourceful and keeps pushing...