Asian/American Designers Take on Fashion Week 2009

Cheering on the success of these Asian/American Fashion Designers:

Derek Lam (San Francisco, CA)
Fourth generation Chinese American, his grandparents were garment industry workers and owners. Trained at Parsons in NYC, he worked under Michael Kors.

Philip Lim (New York City, NY)
This Chinese American New Yorker has a new "Go Green Line." Just made it big in the design world a couple years ago in his early 30s.

Anna Sui (Michigan to New York)
Spear heads the "save the garment center" campaign in NYC to fight zoning laws.

Vivienne Tam (Hong Kong)
One of the few designers from China that made it big in Europe and the U.S. Lovely floral spring collection.


Jason Wu (Taiwan to New York City)
A first generation Chinese American, this newbie went to Parsons and studied in Paris. We'll be seeing more of this designer who got his big break at the 2009 Presidential Ball.

Laura Ling & Euna Lee

Got a phone call from my friend who is personal friends with Lisa Ling and Paul (Lisa's husband) and I immediately caught on to the heavy weight of concern my friend was carrying. She speaks much about Lisa and Paul and so I feel like I know them--distantly. Perhaps this connection, the fact that the two journalists are Asian American women, my concern for human welfare, and the overall political state of the two nations...has gripped my attention--heart, soul and mind. I'm struck with silence, but offer words of hope and comfort to those concerned via the voices of politicians and media personalities:

Gov Bill Richardson (NM) affirms that North Korea has actually been treating the women with decent humanity, and suggests the need to separate the humanitarian vs geopolitical aspects of the situation:


Grassroots vigils sprung as a result of facebook networks. The women's families speak out and Lisa Ling offers a call for international diplomacy and dialogue:



On the analytical side, it's been interesting to see Asian American media personalities rally together panethnically to use their influence to raise political awareness. Also been interesting to see that the media networks categorizes these two Asian Americans journalists as "Americans." Perhaps having an African American President is changing the ways in which Asian Americans are publicly and politically viewed.

Famous Photographers

I attended just one of Foresberg's $200 photography class at the UH and knew within the hour that I needed to get a refund. It was horrible. Perhaps the instructor was a good artist, but she was not a good teacher of art. Her mind ran in abstract circles that were un-followable. She could not teach, explain, and break down terms, was administratively disorganized, and painfully struggled to facilitate a class discussion. By the break many students were frustrated and I knew that I had to drop the class. What did come out of attending the first class was a list of these famous photographers. I figure at some point I should study them for each of their contributions to the field:

Bruce Davidson | Gary Winogrand| Robert Frank | Minor White
Uta Barth| Alex Webb |Peter Beard
Diane Arbus | Gerd Ludwig| Philip Lorca di Corica
Sally Mann | Hiroki Sugimoto | Chuck Close
Sylvia Plachy| Nikki S Lee

I did use Nikki Lee's work in my Asian American Studies course when I devoted a lecture to the role of Art and Artists in building, sustaining and empowering this panethnic community.

Asian American Film Festival - Austin & Philadelphia

It's so nice to see that there's a growing awareness of an Asian American politic and presence in cities that are often overlooked as traditional Asian American communities.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
October 10, 2008
http://phillyasian.bside.com/2008/schedule

Austin, Texas
October 11, 2008
http://www.aaaff.org/

"Slip of the Tongue" video - Asian American Beauty

I showed this excellent 3.5 minute video in the Asian American Studies course I taught. Using the spoken word, it cleverly speaks to issues of beauty, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity in Asian America.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQZwZVBDAHI

Let me know what you think!


[If anyone knows how to post YouTube clips on blogs, I'd love to learn]

Art - While I'm Away

While my parents are in town I won't be keeping up with my blog

In the mean time, please enjoy these images from artist Lisa Alisa.

Modern Twist on Chinese Chic - "Shanghai Tang"

What sets this line of clothing apart from US and European designers who mimic inspiration from Asian culture, is that the designers of Shanghai Tang are actually from Asia and hence first start with the ethnic pieces in mind followed by the task of giving their clothing a contemporary twist and appeal.

The line seems to celebrate ethnicity and culture in its authenticity, rather than capitalize upon the marketability of them in an imperialist manner. While I would wear the clothes for a lecture on Asian American Studies, celebrities such as Nicolas Cage wear Shanghai Tangs as dressy-casual attire for dinner engagements and public events.

Where to Get It:
Only 3 US locations including a Shanghai Tang store in Honolulu (808.942.9800)
Ala Moana Shopping Center (next to BCBG and across from Oakley)

Other US locations: New York and Miami
Worldwide: Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai and elsewhere

www.shanghaitang.com

Another "thanks" to my brother for introducing me to this store.