5 Asian Owned Fashion Brands
As we all are aware, there have been many acts of violence against Asian communities in America as of late. The deadly and tragic Atlanta shooting acted as a catalyst for conversation around racism being embedded in American culture at the expense of minority communities to promote white supremacy. Many supporters of the #stopasianhate movement have stated that “you cannot love our culture, but hate us,” which is a notion that is also expressed for the Black Lives Matter Movement. This quote is somewhat problematic given that all people should be loved despite cultural “give back,” however it highlights important implications. Love for Asian and Black culture in the United States runs in opposition to the countless hate crimes against minority communities over centuries. There exists a level of cognitive dissonance between loving the rich and diverse culture of Asia from Korean Beauty and Kpop to Chinese street style and cuisine and the prevalence of hate crimes against Asian communities. United States culture has also been wrought with cultural appropriation where the creations of minority communities are minimized. The “model minority” myth further minimizes Asian struggle. We want to highlight 5 Asian-owned fashion brands in an effort to celebrate the achievements of Asian business owners and bring awareness to activist causes.
Phillip Lim of 3.1 Phillip Lim
Phillip Lim, an American fashion designer born in Thailand from Chinese immigrant parents, founded his eponymous label in 2005. His aesthetic promotes minimalism and he often puts a uniquely tailored twist on classics. Lim has long been an activist, and has brought awareness to social causes before they become widespread as he understands that racism and hate is not something that ebbs and flows for minority communities- it is an ever present current. In 2020, Lim teamed up with Rubu Abu-Nimah, Tiffany and Co’s Creative Director, to create “New York Tougher than Ever,” an apparel company that began by selling apparel and dedicating all proceeds toward benefitting underserved communities in New York. They have now created a Stop Asian Hate keytag and all proceeds fund organizations fighting Asian hate. Lim has also joined forces with several other activists to start conversation and promote action through public webinars.
Where to Buy: https://fave.co/3G9QBye
Prabal Gurung of Prabal Gurung
Prabal Gurung, American fashion designer of Nepalese descent, founded his eponymous label in 2009 after his experience as Design Director for Bill Blass. His pieces are glamorous and modern. Gurung is a true activist, and has brought visibility and demonstrated action for a wide variety of causes from social issues regarding race to sustainability issues in the fashion industry. 80% of manufacturing is done in New York City to support the local community and sustain domestic employment as well as quality standards. His powerful pieces have been worn by equally powerful figures from Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris to the Duchess of Cambridge. He has written on Instagram that “It is my responsibility to use my platform of what I do in fashion to amplify the voices of the unheard,” and “In fashion, I encourage people to really check and dismantle their euro-central patriarchal point of view of beauty.” Gurung absolutely walks the talk as he has created the Shikshya Foundation Nepal to provide education to underprivileged children, donated 2000 masks to NYC hospitals, financially supported the Black Lives Matter Movement through his “Stronger in Colour” collection, and created conversations around social issues on his blog.
Where to Buy: https://fave.co/3qOWkoN
Haoran Li and Siying Qu of Private Policy
Haoran Li and Siying Qu, American fashion designers of Chinese descent, founded Private Policy in 2015 after graduating from Parsons School of Design. The brand is often described as genderless with unique concept collections that often pay homage to a variety of social issues. The brand is also PhotoBook approved given their sustainability initiatives. Recently, Private Policy launched a collection in collaboration with MOCA, the Museum of Chinese Americans, to “Honor the Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers in the 1800s and all the overlooked Asian immigrant stories,” according to their Instagram post. The pair’s activism extends past Asian related social issues as they have recently collaborated with Chella Man, a youth activist in the world of social media, modeling, and film. Chella Man amplifies the voices of several underrepresented communities as he is deaf, transgender, gender queer, Asian, and Jewish. The Private Policy x Chella Man collaboration is called "The Beauty of Being Deaf" and features artistic ear hardware which Chella Man describes via Instagram as a way to accept and amplify his cochlear implants which have been made invisible in the modeling world by stylists and photographers. 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the Deaf QueerResource Center. I had the pleasure of meeting Li and Qu in 2019 for a Parsons x Teen Vogue event and they were knowledgeable, kind, well spoken, and endlessly inspiring.
Where to Buy: https://fave.co/3IdgcZ8
Disaya Sorakraikitikul of Disaya
Disaya Sorakraikitikul is a fashion designer of Thai descent, who trained under John Galliano. Her aesthetic is feminine, colorful, and quirky. Collections are highly influenced by London as she moved to the UK in 1995. The brand created a lunar new year set that encompasses the vibrancy and celebratory features of the Asian holiday as well as the playful DNA of the brand. The brand’s charitable nature dates back to 2011, when Sorakraikitikul created the “Back to Black” campaign where the dress worn by Amy Winehouse on her album cover sold for £43,200 and the proceeds were donated to a foundation dedicated in Winehouse’s honor.
Where to Buy: https://fave.co/3G8XwI5
Minju Kim of Minju Kim and Angel Chen of Angel Chen
Minju Kim is a South Korean fashion designer who gained popularity after winning Next in Fashion, a hit show on Netflix presented by Tan France and Alexa Chung. Her aesthetic follows Korea’s cuteness culture called “aegyo.” Pieces are colorful, voluminous, feminine and fun. I was rooting for her while watching the show and believe everyone should be rooting for her as she is creative, kind, and seems as lovely as her bouncy designs. Her partner on the show, Angel Kim, a fashion designer of Chinese descent, has gained a major foothold in the fashion industry. She has recently created a collaboration with Adidas, that is heavily inspired by Chinese traditional calligraphy and martial arts. Angel Chen’s tagline is “feel the angel power” and we are feeling it! This pair is certainly the next in fashion and we think everyone should keep an eye out for them.
Where to Buy: https://fave.co/3G6E3rn
Article by Tessa Swantek, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Victoria Durant, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
