FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – ArtHop is a home for local artists, food vendors, and aspiring entrepreneurs, such as Aleiya Kelly of Fresno who uses her anime-based clothing brand ANJELYK to shine a spotlight on minority and female characters.

Kelly says ANJELYK is important because it showcases the strength and diversity of women in anime who are not hypersexualized; a common theme among female characters in anime.

Kelly also states how the brand allows a greater diversity of people to see themselves in it.

“It’s important because I wanna be able to relate to what I see and I love anime, so, the fact that I never really got to relate to the anime characters – it sucked, you know.”

However, Kelly expresses how happy she is to see more diversity within anime which inspires her to continue to create more.

Kelly started her brand this past September and experienced ArtHop for the first time as a vendor.

If you are an anime lover like her or are just interested in what ANJELYK has to offer, you can check out her Instagram or the official ANJELYK website.