Home > Bibliographies > AAST298J (Spring 2004)

Asian American Fashion by Jane Jee

Newspaper or Magazine Articles

• Achen, Paris. "Jersey Village Graduate Creates South Asian Fashion Magazine." The Houston Chronicle 31 Oct. 2002, 2 Star ed.: 9.
• Byun, Chuck Q. "Forever in Trouble?" KoreAm Journal 01 June 2003: 41-47.
• Cano, Jade M. "Young Designer Urges Men to Find Their Own Style." Alameda Times-Star 20 May 2003.

  Sandy Delal, an award winning South Asian American men's designer, feels that men need to choose their own sense of style. Delal states that "fashion is a part of the way you express yourself, like the way you talk or the type of music you choose to listen to." He believes that men hesitate to express themselves through clothing because it contradicts society's image of men as strong. Delal believes that men should break this mold and be expressive.

  Edited by Hanh Nguyen and Tobie Matava

• I-Twang, You M. "'Ooh la la!' for Anna Sui in Seoul." The Korea Herald 26 Apr. 2004.
• "Indian Designer Bags Asian Business Award." The Economic Times 30 Apr. 2004.
• Jackson, Leigh-Ann. "A Feast From the East." Cox News Service 15 May 2002.
• Jones, Lemont. "Books About Looks." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 07 July 2002, Five Star ed.: 12.

  Because of the lack of beauty tips for Asian American women, make-up artist Margaret Kimura wrote a cosmetics book especially for women of Asian descent titled Asian Beauty. Most fashion magazines present the Eurocentric image of beauty as a woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. The beauty advice found in the columns of these magazines was too narrowly targeted and Kimura wanted to change this because she "spent a lot of time and energy battling self-doubt and struggling to become comfortable with who I was, someone who fit neither the American nor the Asian Beauty ideal." Kimura's book is more than just lipstick and foundation advice. It reads like a conversation with a close friend, telling stories and giving advice.

  Edited by Hanh Nguyen and Tobie Matava

• Jones, Lemont. "Hong Kong Fashion Has Arrived." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 16 Feb. 2003, Five Star ed.: G-10.

  The number of Asian American designers seems to be growing among fashion's elite. Cutting edge clothing by veteran Asian American designers Ana Sui, Vivienne Tam, Yeohlee, and Nautica's David Chu are well known to the public. But at the Mercedes-Benz fashion week, there were new designers from Hong Kong: Annie Ling, Blanc de Chine and Bleu de Chine, Dorian Ho, Flora Zhang Tian Ai, Harrison Wong and Hidy Ng. According to Jones, "With the continued globalization of fashion and increased emphasis on design in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, their counterparts in Asia are likely to be seen more in the mix in United States boutiques and department stores."

  Edited by Hanh Nguyen and Tobie Matava

• Kahn, Natasha. "A Commercial Mockery of Religion." The Pitt News 10 Oct. 2002.

  Believing that T-shirts with cartoons and slogans about religion and race could be a great way to make a profit companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch, decided to enter the market by selling T-shirts with slogans such as "Buddha Bash: Get your Buddha on the Floor," "Wong Brothers Laundry Service: Two Wongs Can Make it White," and "Minimum Wage" printed on them. This belittles Asian culture and religion. Kahn states, "These manufacturers are exploiting religions and cultures in the name of profit, making the thin line between capitalism and American ideals even more blurry." The messages on these shirts are racist and it is disturbing to see both culture and religion exploited for commercial profit.

  Edited by Hanh Nguyen and Tobie Matava

• Kang, Connie. "Style & Culture; Marvelous Modesty; Traditional Korean Dress Celebrates Dignity and Ideal Beauty." Los Angeles Times 11 Nov. 2003, Home ed.: 8.
• Kapner, Suzanne. "Karan Pays $500K+ in Sweatshop Settlement." The New York Post 09 Sept. 2003: 32.
• Kobayashi, Atsuko. "Designers Sink Teeth into Big Apple." The Nikkei Weekly 15 Mar. 2004.
• Paley, Rebecca and Tauber, Michelle. "Wayne's World." People 22 Mar. 2004: 107.
• Jones, LaMont. "Fashion Notes." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 15 Feb. 2003, Region ed.: B-12.
• Rice, Faye. "Designer Fashion's New Direction." Fortune 10 July 1995: 21.

  Asian American designers seem to be taking over the fashion industry. Apparel retailers are looking for clothing designs not in Europe, but from Asian Americans. The fashion industry has been in a long drought with a lack of new, innovative designs, but Asian American designers such as Gemma Kahng, Vera Wang, Han Feng, Josie Natori, Vivienne Tam, and Anna Sui seem to be digging the industry out of this drought with their modern and spirited designs. Will this Asian American influence in the fashion industry last or is this just a passing "fad?" It would be hard to say in the fashion world, but in New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, more than 25% of students attending are Asian.

  Edited by Tobie Matava

• Rubin, Sylvia. "Indian Summer: Spice Up Your Wardrobe with Wraps, Silks and Bangles at Local Boutiques." The San Francisco Chronicle 29 June 2003. Final ed.: E1.
• "She's a Doctor. She's a Mother. She's a Model. She's Chiufang Hwang: Seeking to Become Role Model for Asian Americans." PR Newswire 31 Mar. 2003.
• Son, Hugh. "'Bollywood' Chic in Jackson Heights." Daily News 09 June 2002, Sports Final ed.: 8.

  Jackson Heights, Queens includes a cultural crossroads lined with South Asian American boutiques and Bollywood video stores. "Call it the new Bollywood," a place where stars like Sarah Jessica Parker and Gwen Stefani can be found enjoying the India influenced styles. Along with clothing, many women can be seen wearing henna tattoos. In this article Son also interviews a wardrobe stylist who states, "I love to see the mix of cultures."

  Edited by Hanh Nguyen and Tobie Matava

Websites

• AArisings: Asian American Links: Fashion/Clothing. Nelson Wong. Date accessed: 08 Apr. 2006 <http://aarising.com/aalink/fashion.php>.
• Alex Woo Jewelry. Alex Woo, Inc. Date accessed: 11 Apr. 2006 <http://www.alexwoo.com/>.
• "Sui Generis." Asiams.net. AsiaMs.net. Date accessed: 11 Apr. 2006 <http://asiams.net/Fashion/SuiAnna/sui.html>.

  Anna Sui owns a successful fashion line, generating millions of dollars a year. Her products are rooted in her life experiences. "Anna Sui draws deeply on her personal cultural memories to create the uniquely real-woman-friendly fashions that are winning converts on both coasts, both uptown and downtown." Sui prefers to display her designs in self-owned boutiques, where she can showcase many of her clothes in unique ways. Here, Sui believes people can understand her work and appreciate it on her own terms. According to the designer, "The secret to success is in trusting your instincts and learning to pick yourself up from a failed season."

  Edited by Tobie Matava

• Anne Namba. Date accessed: 08 Apr. 2006 <http://www.annenamba.com>.
• "Asian and Oriental Fashion Designer Photos." Fashion Syndicate Press. Date accessed: 08 Apr. 2006 <http://www.fashionshowroom.com/orientaldesigners/runway.htm>.
• Jimmy Choo. Skywire. Date accessed: 12 Apr. 2006 <http://www.jimmychoo.com/index_flash.html>.
• Puri. Sunita. "Ethnic Fashion" Obscures Cultural Identity." 02 Feb. 2001. ModelMinority: A Guide to Asian American Empowerment. Date accessed: 12 Apr. 2006 <http://modelminority.com/article241.html>.

  Arguing that culture is being obscured by fashion, Puri points to how many pop-culture icons use cultural items such as bindi (the small colored dot worn by South Asian woman) to make a fashion statement. Puri is appalled by this cultural exploitation. She believes that people are eroding the culture by using bindis and other meaningful items as nothing more than expressions of fashion.

  Edited by Hanh Nguyen and Tobie Matava

• "Vera Wang's Vision." Asiams.net. Date accessed: 12 Apr. 2006 <http://asiams.net/Fashion/WangVera/vwang.html>.
• Vivienne Tam. Date accessed: 12 Apr. 2006 <http://www.viviennetam.com>.
• "Vivienne Tam's Cultural Memories." Asiams.net. Date accessed: 12 Apr. 2006 <http://asiams.net/Fashion/VTam/vtam.html>.
• Yeohlee. Date accessed: 12 Apr. 2006 <http://www.yeohlee.com>