[1][2] It was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic by the Slaysians, a group of five Asian fashion industry insiders in New York, including Prabal Gurung, Laura Kim, Phillip Lim, Tina Leung, and Ezra J.

[9][2][8] Designers Prabal Gurung and Laura Kim first met in 2004, when they worked in the same building at Bill Blass and Oscar de la Renta, respectively.

[6] Phillip Lim had started speaking out against harrassment and scapegoating of Asians, making an appearance on CNN on March 10, 2020, days before a complete lockdown was announced in New York City.

[12] Lim went on to help start the Stop Asian Hate AAPI Community Fund on GoFundMe and launched the #NYTougherThanEver initiative with Ruba Abu-Nimah.

[12] The Slaysians spread #StopAsianHate in a coordinated campaign on social media and also participated in the Black Lives Matter protests together in New York City.

[13][6] Their respective alter egos are granted the following superpowers by a phoenix deity:[6][17] The characters' costumes are non-traditional in the superhero genre, and were designed to reflect their individual personalities and fashion affinities.

[14] In addition to launching the comic book, the House of Slay was involved in several other initiatives to support the Asian American Pacific Islander community, including a voter mobilization program with the AAPI Victory Fund.