Fashioning a Path for Asian Americans

Sunday evening, I attended a panel called Asian Americans in the Fashion Industry panel hosted by Columbia University. The event was part of Asian Pacific American Awareness Month, which I suspect is also why Wong Fu was there the previous weekend. SuChin Pak (MTV News Correspondent) played MC, and she was brilliant - funny, articulate and melodious, deftly facilitating the evening's conversation, making sure all panelists had a chance to voice their opinions, and really allowed the audience to get what they came for.

 

SuChin Pak glowed with her red lipstick and dress! 

[photo credit: Opening Ceremony]

The speakers included Carol Lim and Humberto Leon (founders and owners of NY boutique Opening Ceremony), Phillip Lim (designer), Joe Zee (Creative Director of Elle, I first saw him on Stylista), E.J. Samson (Online Editor of Teen Vogue), Tina Chai and Aya Kanai (both freelance stylists), Ujjwala Raut (first Indian Victoria's Secret model), Patrick Li (Creative Director of Li, Inc.) and Arabelle Sicardi (blogger, fashionpirate).

There are already reports regarding the night's spoken contents (here - by the organizer herself, here and here), but I wanted to share some of my own thoughts.
First, one of the early surprises came when I read the brochure and learned that 4 of the 10 panelists graduated from Berkeley! Suchin, Carol, Humberto and Patrick were all former Bears (and the first three were friends during their undergrad days). Knowing so many people who refused to leave the sunny nest of California (can't blame them), it's always interesting to me to find out that there are more Californians in New York than I thought. However, most cross-country migrants I know move to work in the finance or consulting industry; few are in fashion or other creative arts. It's revealing to know that not only is it doable, but also possible to be incredibly successful here.

Second, after SuChin posed the question of "What did you want to do as an 18-year old" to the panelists, it became clear that nobody had a detailed execution plan for arriving at the posts they are now, but they had the passion, even if they tried to stifle it at first. Joe Zee read all the fashion magazines cover to cover and tested himself on whether he could correctly identify the photographers, stylists, and designers before checking the credits. Tina Chai worked in law offices and tried other prudent career paths before finally admitting to herself that she needed to express herself more ceatively. Carol even went through years of banking, consulting, and merchandising before ultimately opening her own store. None of the speakers went to Parson, FIT, or other fashion-specific schools. Not even Phillip Lim, who actually has a degree from CSU Long Beach. The academic pedigree matters less; the focus is on enthusiasm and making sure you complete every task you're given with competence, diligence, and a great attitude.

 

[photo credit: Columbia Spectator]

Third, there is an amazingly broad spectrum of occupations in fashion. Typically, only the most visible ones come to mind - designer, model, buyer maybe. But there are so many ways to insert yourself into the industry if it is your chosen path. From stylists, merchandisers, editors, creative directors, bloggers and writers, legal counsel even. If fashion is where you want to work, you can find a spot to wedge yourself in.
And finally, Phillip Lim is an enthralling story teller! It could be the multiple interviews he's gone through after rocketing to the forefront of fashion and receiving awards left and right, but he can captivate his audience. After hearing of how he came to start 3.1 Phillip Lim and his well-crafted answers to difficult, philosophical questions about fashion's obligations to third-world countries, I appreciate his person so much more. I also am in love with his designs.

More 3.1 Phillip Lim...

At the end of the night, I was inspired and motivated by all the speakers, and could feel that the rest of the audience felt that way too. The panelists gave off a sense of attainability - "if they can do it, I can too!" - they were down to earth, encouraging, and made working in fashion or other creative industries seem closeby and achievable.