The fusion of Asian and Pacific Island culture with the resourcefulness associated with living in the American melting pot often yields some of the most inventive works of art out there. To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May, I’ve put together a list of some fabulous AAPI designers who have created incredible products from their cultural experiences.
Abacaxi
To start off, Indian-American designer Sheena Sood’s clothing brand Abacaxi is perfect for consumers who appreciate rich, saturated colors and breathtaking attention to textural details. With collection titles including “Plants as People,” “Color is a Cure” and “Wise Words,” Sood is intentional, aligning her designs with a vision “led by color and a fascination with the ancient, spiritual and psychedelic realms.”
Inspired by childhood trips to see family in India, her garments show global artistry, using traditional textile techniques from around the world. With a page dedicated to these techniques, Abacaxi utilizes Oaxacan basket weaving, Schiffli eyelet embroidery, mirror-work, Peruvian knitting, crocheting and more. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Sood demonstrates how small businesses can place an emphasis on sustainability, return to their roots and collaborate with other cultures.
SYRO
This next brand, SYRO, is dedicated to edgier fashion fanatics. Created in 2016, SYRO “is on a mission to inspire queer expression as political action one outfit at a time,” displaying how intersectionality can be headlined in fashion. Co-founders Henry Bae and Shaobo Han had opposite childhoods. Bae grew up in a conservative, Korean-American suburban family while Han moved from China to New York City at 11 years old, relishing in the expressive, urban atmosphere. They’ve translated this range of the Asian-American upbringings into their work through textual variations and deviations from classic footwear silhouettes.
While SYRO is most known for their sharp, eccentric shoes, their concise product list also features their first ever signature Stiletto Bag — a favorite of mine that is simply a stiletto with a bag strap (genius!). Their smashing photography (literally and figuratively, considering their use of mirror-smashing imagery) is simply impressive to look at, drawing people in with their thrilling artistry.
Peter Do
It seems like both ends of the fashion spectrum have been explored with the previous two brands, from psychedelic-tropical-pixie to rebellious-urban-razorblade. Thus, Peter Do’s corporate-baddie aesthetic is a fitting yet refreshing addition to this jumbled list. (P.S., apologies if these aesthetic names are particularly cringe, or even triggering – I’m listening to ’90s club music as I draft this).
Do immigrated from Vietnam to the suburbs of Philadelphia at 14 years old, working at multiple brands before establishing his eponymous label in 2018. His elegant collections have focused on subjects like construction, form and function, past and present and resilience. His Spring Summer 2022 collection effectively captured the complex experiences of home and immigration. On his website, Do states, “As immigrants and children of immigrants, New York City is where we’ve built our House and home.” His chic aesthetic and powerful refinement are built upon the themes he has curated.
Kim Shui
Kim Shui, a Chinese-American designer who launched a brand under her name in 2016, is exceptional at using elements of her Chinese heritage with a twist. She draws inspiration from her cultural influences and femininity, and flips them into “sources of joy and celebration through her designs.”
Her lacy sheer qipaos are a prime example of the juxtaposition between traditional forms and newfangled trends. The sensual acknowledgment of the feminine silhouette is unmistakable throughout each of her sensational pieces, ensuring that whatever Shui creates demands attention.
Nake’u Awai
When people hear “Asia,” they often only think of East Asia, particularly China. The lack of diversity within certain East Asian circles is alarming as other Asian countries deserve recognition for AAPI-themed affairs such as representation within the fashion industry. Likewise, Pacific Island nations face the brunt of this omission. AAPI-themed events and organizations typically center themselves around Asian culture alone, ignoring the latter half of the acronym.
While I scoured the internet for lists of AAPI fashion brands, some problems emerged. Most of these lists only included Asian designers, completely excluding Pacific Islanders. When I tried to find Pacific Islander designers, especially those were raised in the United States, results dwindled.
Additionally, most lists include Asian brands with founders born and raised in Asia. While it is important to highlight Asian brands, there is a major distinction between Asians who grew up in Asia and Asian-Americans. From language barriers to microaggressions, the experiences of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islander-Americans are all uniquely challenging, and how they express themselves through their creative vision is equally unique. Thus, I tried to go out of my way to find brands that emphasize the diversity of experiences within American culture.
With all of this in mind, I thought it would be beneficial to highlight Nake’u Awai, the first Hawaiian designer to locally create prints using native and indigenous flora as inspiration. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Awai explained that his main goal for entering the fashion business “was to design clothes for local people.” Hawaiians had been adopting Western dress styles since the onset of colonization, so when Awai decided to showcase cultural clothing in the 1970s, he became a trailblazer in promoting a native Hawaiian perspective to the fashion industry.
Nake’u Awai Designs features bold prints characterized by symbols of nature. 100% of their process, from designing to producing, is still performed in Hawaiʻi, a noteworthy feat considering the trending temptations of abandoning domestic manufacturing. Even though the woman who often models their clothes unsettles me with her flashy smile (clearly, I am too used to brooding models who look like they pluck their leg hair for fun), these garments are bright, lively and pay homage to Hawaiian culture.
None of these designers’ collections are similar, but that is precisely what makes them emblematic of AAPI Heritage Month. There are dozens of awe-inspiring designers waiting to be discovered so that their individual insight can be soaked in by audiences.
Daily Arts Writer Tara Wasik can be reached at tarawas@umich.edu.