SNK ATK – onward with global ambition
Psalm Alfafara and Dwight Santos started SNK ATK with a simple conviction: Filipino brands can play in the global technical garment/streetwear space. Seven years, multiple sold-out drops, international collaborations, and a growing US customer base later, their story is less about hype cycles and more about what happens when heritage, technical function, and honest design meet, without losing sight of where you came from.
SNK ATK started the way many great fashion brands do – with obsession. Psalm and Dwight were deep into ACRONYM’s early catalog, watching videos of gravity pockets, modular jackets, and that iconic karate jacket flip from over a decade ago. “That really inspired the whole thing,” Psalm recalls in our candid interview with the founders at Eastwood City.
But rather than replicate a formula, they built their own visual language: technical streetwear that doesn’t have to shout about being technical. The early philosophy was simple. “We didn’t really plan on selling like we would sell to anyone. We would sell to anyone. Whoever vibes with what we put out.”
What emerged is a brand whose audience turned out to be heavily international from the very beginning. “Starting last year, on Q1, the US is 60 percent of our market,” the founders share matter-of-factly. It’s a quiet confirmation of what they believed from day one: they were never designing just for the Philippines. On-ground events like cons in the US complement their e-commerce presence, and the demand keeps building with each drop.
Roots: The Noragi That Tells a Story
At the heart of SNK ATK’s current output is the ROOTS Noragi, a piece that represents the brand’s most personal work to date. The Noragi uses handwoven indigenous fabric sourced directly from weavers in Mindanao. The fabric is called balod (“waves”) — and each bolt arrives unique. Because the weaving is done by hand on traditional looms, the fabric width limits what can be made from a single piece. “Sometimes the fabrics come like this,” Psalm explains, gesturing to a narrow width.
This constraint becomes a feature. “Each piece is taken from a different part of the map,” they explain. “So nothing is similar. If two guys got the same model, the Kingdom for example, there’s not the same pattern — different patterns.” Every Noragi in the collection is effectively one-of-a-kind because the handwoven fabric varies from weaver to weaver, region to region — a living index of Filipino textile traditions.
The collection also includes pieces that use patterns rooted in Muslim Mindanao traditions, culturally distinct from those in other parts of the Philippines. “There is a lot to learn from how the culture,” Psalm notes. “Muslim patterns are very, very different.” The founders work directly with fabric market vendors to source these materials, ensuring the weavers are compensated fairly for their craft rather than going through intermediaries who take the margin.
But the ROOTS collection is personal beyond material sourcing. “When I was younger, we would go to the fabric market,” Psalm reflects, sharing a story about his mother. “This one is the table runner (pointing one of the fabric samples). My mom would have this.” The fabric becomes a tangible link to family memory. Psalm, who grew up in Davao in the late 80s, describes a childhood surrounded by cross-cultural textile influences: “A lot of things in Davao were actually from Indonesia, some from the North.” The Noragi is an attempt to reconnect with that heritage — but on contemporary terms. “You sometimes have to bring stuff forward in a way that doesn’t end up looking like a costume,” Psalm and Dwight note. “It’s not disrespectful.” The goal is representation without reenactment: modern silhouettes, traditional soul.
The Collaborations That Further Defined the Brand
SNK ATK’s collaboration story with Machine56 begins, fittingly, with an artist they had followed since their DeviantArt days — a vector artist whose style they had watched evolve for years. “When we finally got to collab with him, and when we finally got to find a sample of his work, he looked at his comic art and was like, you guys make videos, I see what you’re doing,” the founders recount. The connection happened organically through a distribution partner who recognized the mutual creative admiration.
“We were very big fans of his work. And then you know, it turns out we had a lot in common. And then it started to play out from there.”
The collaboration produced a helmet that sold out in four minutes. A second version followed and sold just as fast. “He’s actually a super cool guy. He wanted everything. He came here, we showed him the stuff that we had, the silhouette that we had. And then we clicked. That’s what we were going for.”
The founders describe wearing the helmet for the first time as a turning point: “It was the first time the helmet made me feel comfortable. I like to make pouches and feel really comfortable wearing it — I don’t know why, but it feels right. I do own a few, but I never got to really play with something like that before.”
The accessories category itself was born during the pandemic, sparked by an unlikely source. “I think everyone in the area saw this photo of these special forces coming out of the river. And someone incorporated that into the aesthetic of it. I think I saw some photos of those days. It was the first time we put accessories on.” The demand validated the instinct: “The fact that it sold really well. And I think the demand is still there. Because of the mix of colors and everything — it works for both brands.”
Technical Function Without the Pigeonhole
One theme runs through the conversation: the founders are deliberate about not letting the brand be defined exclusively by technical fabric. “I’ve been trying to not get pigeonholed into that,” Psalm says.
The goal is a brand that can operate across categories: a technical jacket one season, a fashion-forward piece the next. “As a fashion-forward brand, you can go beyond that,” they argue. “We’re very, very known for the Noragi. I don’t think we’re going to move away from it — maybe just do different versions of it. It’s what people have come to know us for.”
This philosophy extends to silhouette – a concept they describe as the single most important thing a fashion brand can develop. “Most people, when they see something, they’re focused on the overt design aspect. I go: I like the fabric, which is very important – that’s the building block of everything. But what you should really strive to do as a fashion brand is find a silhouette. Not high point of logos, anything. If people see that silhouette, it’s associated with that brand.” The silhouette SNK ATK has been developing centers on what they describe as a technical noragi plus white accents; a recognizable form that functions as a visual signature without needing a logo slapped on it.
The Hard Parts: Manufacturing, Importing, and the People Problem
SNK ATK operates with full transparency about the challenges of building a fashion brand from the Philippines. Importing technical fabrics carries significant cost. “We have to import it, that’s why it’s so expensive,” they admit. Local manufacturing capacity for the kind of construction their pieces demand is limited, and the founders are honest about the structural gap. “It’s largely because our industry hasn’t developed. Service supply chain needs to be built. We need to be able to use them, and we don’t have the industry for it.”
But rather than treat this as a complaint, the founders frame it as part of their purpose. “What’s on the sale for us is not because we want to be rich. It’s more: we want to be able to do more of this. And more means not just wanting to be — it’s also affording to bring in more artists, more people.”
Scaling, for them, is about people first. “The more people you get to have a brand, then we just hire more people and say, ‘Here, create.’ It’s more scaling our people. That’s the idea we always bring about. You have people who want to take the challenge of making this. They want to be the future.” The philosophy echoes a line from earlier in the conversation: “If you vote with your wallet, and that wallet allows us to pay people who want to be part of this, then they get to vote too.”
What’s Next
The founders hint at expansion — both in production capacity and in the ROOTS line, which could eventually explore fabrics and patterns from regions beyond Mindanao. They mention a dream collaboration with another brand (that we cannot yet disclose), which they openly admire. So for them to be able to do that, it’s not far-fetched to do something similar. It’d be nice to see something like that.
But for now, the focus remains on what got them here: honest design, fair production, and pieces that earn their place in someone’s wardrobe — whether in Manila, New York, or anywhere in between. “If you create something that I want to wear now, I will vote with my wallet. And that would allow us to pay people who want to be part of this. That’s the cycle.”
SNK ATK is available online at https://snkatk.co/ and ships internationally. Follow them on Instagram at @snk.atk for upcoming drops and collection announcements.
Giancarlo Viterbo
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
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Luie Magbanua
Luie Magbanua is your friendly neighborhood gamer tita. Follow her tech and gaming adventures online at @omgluie!
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