Asian America’s Rising Stars in Fashion

Desfiles Alexander Wang, originally uploaded by ladylikeliving.

I just read an interesting article in The Wall Street Journal today by Ray Smith about the rise of Asian American designers in the U.S. fashion world. Names like Alexander Wang, Jason Wu, Philip Lim, Doo-Ri Chung and Derek Lam are rising among the ranks and their rising fast.

What I appreciate the most is that these designers do not rely on their heritage for inspiration. There are no East-meets-West themes where everything looks like a funky kimono or qipao. Instead they are making modern clothes that have universal appeal. Here’s my favorite part of the story:

Today’s Asian-American designers don’t wear their “otherness” on their sleeves as did the wave of Japanese designers like Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto, who took the fashion world by storm in the ’80s with avant-garde designs. Many young Asian-American designers’ clothes, such as Jason Wu’s blend of modernity with the intricacy of couture and Phillip Lim’s modern takes on classic looks, are generally aimed at a broad mainstream audience.

Do you have a favorite Asian American designer?

Filed under: Fashion, Alexander Wang, Asian-American, Derek Lam, Designer, Doo-Ri Chung, Fashion, Fashion Week, Jason Wu, Philip Lim

Jolin Tsai Partners with L.A.M.B. to Launch “Twenty Seven Changes”

Looks like Jolin Tsai is following Gwen Stefani‘s paved path into the fashion world. Taiwan’s reigning queen of pop launched her very own own fashion line, “Seventy Two Changes,” through a partnership with L.A.M.B. Clothing (i.e. Gwen Stefani’s label). Like her American counterpart, Jolin has named her line after her 2003 album, “See My 72 Changes – Magic.” The sportswear collection will feature both street and club wear (as if the market hasn’t had its fill of that) and will be hitting stores in seven cities worldwide including New York, Shanghai and New York. The announcement was made during New York Fashion Week on Monday (2/9) by Jolin and L.A.M.B. president and co-founder, Ken Erman.

Here’s a fuller description of the new line as reported by WWD:

A mix of club-appropriate and streetwise items such as a black T-shirt dress accented with bright blue and silver sequin details, structured tuxedo jackets and vests with beading details at the shoulders, lightweight wool plaid tops, leather leggings with zipper details at the ankles, silk chiffon printed tops and dresses, a taffeta motorcycle jacket and an asymmetrical bomber jacket.

Based on what I’ve read, it sounds like Jolin is not really the designer behind the brand (no surprise there), just the face of L.A.M.B.’s new global push into the Chinese speaking world. This line is based on Jolin’s style and image and will be priced lower than L.A.M.B. – so while it isn’t being positioned as a diffusion line, it certainly sounds like it is one. No doubt, building this brand in a depressed global economy is going to be tough, but it will be interesting to see if her fans will buy regardless or spend their money on a more reasonably priced copycat.

Filed under: Fashion, Asian, Designer, Fashion, Fashion Week, Jolin Tsai, L.A.M.B., New York

NYFW S09: Alexander Wang and United Bamboo

Fashion Week Hullabaloo, originally uploaded by David Cady

Here’s to part two of my NY Fashion Week series, featuring RTW Spring 2009 collections from Alexander Wang and United Bamboo. On another note, I find it rather amusing that the fashion industry has decided to adapt electoral imagery for its theme this year. In my own opinion, it’s just another effort to capitalize on the heated interest in this year’s rather interesting elections.

Alexander Wang

To be honest, I am not sure why I am so fascinated by Alexander Wang. Is it his urban knitwear? Is it the fact that he’s a Chinese-American kid who was born and raised in the SF Bay Area? Or is it the fact that at just he became the rising star of the fashion industry during his Sophomore year in collage? I don’t know…but this 24 year old, this guy has already established a name for himself in a rather cut-throat industry.

United Bamboo

Not sure if many people are aware of this, but United Bamboo shares its name with Taiwan’s largest triad society (i.e. gangsters, organized crime or what have you). Though it is doubtful that the two founders did this intentionally. Miho Aoki, a native of Japan, and Thuy Pham, a native of Vietnam, launched the label and lifestyle brand is a collaborative cultural project with downtown artists, curators and musicians.

Filed under: Fashion, Alexander Wang, Asian-American, Designer, Fashion, Fashion Week, Japan, Miho Aoki, Ready-to-Wear, Thuy Pham, United Bamboo, Vietnam

NYFW S09: Nuj Novakhett and Jason Wu

Vote for fashion., originally uploaded by urzzz.

In honor of New York Fashion Week, which concluded on September 12th, I will be highlighting my top picks from the show’s Asian and Asian American designers all this week.  As you may or may not know, Fall Fashion Week is a showcase of ready-to-wear (RTW) collections for Spring 2009. First up, introducing Nuj Novakhett and Jason Wu. All the photos are courteous of WWD.com and Polyvore.

Nuj Novakhett

Nuj Novakhett (pronounced Newzj Nova-ket) is an up and coming designer hailing from Thailand. From what I have read, she got her start by secretly enrolling at Parson’s School of Design during her study abroad in the U.S., instead of completing the family-approved political science degree. You’ve got to admit, the girl’s got guts!

Nuj’s line first debuted in Spring 2006. This season, she created a rather unique presentation by displaying her collection on 4×4 girls on a white platform in a studio setting.

Jason Wu

Jason Wu is 25 year old Taiwanese-Canadian designer with a global perspective. Born in Taipei, he grew up in Vancouver where he learned to sew and make patterns. At the age of 14, he went to Tokyo where he studied sculpture and spent his senior year of high school in Paris, during which he decided to be a fashion designer.

Jason’s collection “celebrates” a women’s hourglass figure with a vintage style that’s classic and timeless. Looking through his RTW Spring 2009 collection, I can’t decide if he is pulling his inspiration from the 40s, 50s or 60s, but either way, I just love the look that he’s created this season.

Filed under: Fashion, Asian-American, Designer, Fashion, Fashion Week, Jason Wu, Nuj Novakhett, Ready-to-Wear, Thailand

China’s OmniaLuo Eyes U.S. Fashion Market

OmniaLuo, a ShenZhen-based women’s fashion brand, last week announced their plans to enter the U.S. market. With another Asian luxury brand making its move on American consumers while the rest of the word tries desperately to capture the lucrative Chinese market, I am starting to see a reverse trend….aren’t you?

To provide you with a little bit of background, OmniaLuo features feminine designs with lots of intricate embellishments and details (to ward off would-be copy cats and pirates). The brand is built on the high-profile of chief designer, Cindy Luo who has dressed Zhang Ziyi and Fan BingBing for various paparazzi events. The line is targeted at China’s “Golden Collar” professionals, working women between the ages of 25 and 35 with an annual income of US$2,500 to US$22,500. Just note, China’s national per capita income is per capita income is between US$1,676 and US$3,465, so clearly they are selling to wealthy urban women.

According to WWD.com, Cindy Luo is in the process of apply for a runway show in one of the tents at NY’s fashion week in September. With currently over 202 retail stores throughout China, OminaLuo plans to open up shop in the U.S. once they have expanded to 300 locations. No word yet as to where they will be planting those shops, though I hope they look West.

In a rather interesting PR push, the company was quick to utilize their Women’s Wear Daily placement with a press release announcement distributed via BusinessWire on Jun 19th. It’s not a particular great use of wire distribution budget, but I suppose it will help spread the word to all the non-WDD.com subscribers. However, if they really want to make an impact on American consumers, they better fix the English-language version of their Web site – It’s pretty horrendez right now!

Filed under: Fashion, Christine Luo, Cindy Luo, Designer, Fan BingBing, Fashion, Fashion Week, LiPing Zhang, Michelle Liu, OmniaLuo, Zhang Ziyi