New FIT Museum Exhibit to Celebrate Asian Americans’ Contribution to New York’s Fashion Industry
The hard work and ingenuity of Asian Americans in New York’s fashion industry is the focus of a new exhibition at the Museum at FIT.
Opening to the public Wednesday, “Asian Americans in New York Fashion: Design, Labor, Innovation” has been orchestrated by graduate students in FIT’s fashion and textiles studies program. Meant to be a celebration of the Asian American community’s significant contribution to the fashion industry in New York — as well as beyond the city’s borders — the show features ensembles, photographs, video footage and textiles.
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Running through March 27, the show’s aim is also to acknowledge the need for greater support for Asian Americans and their continued significance in the industry, especially following an upswing in racially motivated attacks.
Hundreds gathered in New York’s Chinatown in January to demonstrate against the rise in hate crimes. And New York City officials have been investigating whether last month’s fatal stabbing of Christina Yuna Lee, a 35-year-old Korean-American woman, in Chinatown was a racially motivated attack.
One of the show’s student curators, Zoe Taylor, said, “With everything going on recently, we really didn’t want this exhibition to be a space where people were thinking about the negatives. We wanted this to be a space for celebration, a space where people from the Asian American fashion community can come and see the actual faces of people who have been influential in the fashion industry. People who look like them and who have made a large impact.”
The team of graduate students working on the exhibit wanted to focus on areas of the industry that aren’t typically explored in fashion exhibitions.
“The whole reason why we wanted to do this exhibition was as a celebration of the Asian American community and the impact that they have made on New York City’s fashion industry,” Taylor said. “Although in the past maybe these designers haven’t been recognized as much for their contributions, it’s really exciting to know that we can display their accomplishments and achievements now, and show that these Asian American designers are not a monolith or one identity. They don’t create the same thing. They have so much diversity and are multifaceted in the way they are looking at design, the reason they are creating and the inspiration that they come to use.”
On-the-rise designers Peter Do and Sandy Liang are also featured in video footage in the show. Do, an FIT alumni, is adept at using Space Age fabrics in tailored designs for women and men. Taylor noted Liang’s “really strong connection to New York City’s Chinatown” and how she fuses styles from the neighborhood into her collections. “We find her collection so interesting because she melds this really cutesy, feminine, girly style with the clothes that the elderly women of Chinatown wear,” Taylor said.
Gallery goers will learn about how the Asian community has worked largely behind-the-scenes in the industry’s less glamorous side — labor.
“They are really contributing to the industry in New York City and the clothes we wear on our backs every day,” Taylor said. “This [exhibit] showcases the hard work that they’ve done that is often underrepresented and they are underpaid for.”
Courtesy of MFIT
The roster of talent featured in the exhibit will represent cultures across Asia to show the diversity of Asian American designers and designs, but visitors won’t see any info on the featured designers’ backgrounds. As Taylor explained, “We don’t really want that to be a focus of the exhibition. We want people to really appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into their work.”
The show is divided into two sections — one that explores fashion production, labor and the use of materials in the design process from the 1980s to the 2010s, and another that examines a variety of design narratives from the 1950s to the present. Upon entering the show, visitors will find a 1997 illustration by Ruben Toledo titled, “The Tug of War Continues…” featuring drawings of Anna Sui, Vivienne Tam and Zang Toi physically supporting each other. While all three designers have been recognized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, lesser known talents in the industry are also featured in the show.
To highlight those in the labor force that often go unrecognized, there is a Harvey Wang-shot photograph of garment workers in a New York City factory. Another recognition of workers is a Yeohlee Teng-designed silk jacket with sequin and sable accents that features the designer’s label, and a label for “Sue,” the seamstress, who sewed the garment.
Noting how Teng is “a huge supporter of New York City’s garment industry,” who produces locally, Taylor said, “It was nice to see that as an Asian American designer, she recognizes the efforts that the Asian American community is also crafting these objects.”
Courtesy of MFIT
One of the unsung designers highlighted in the show is Linda Kinoshita, who first worked with Charles James and later had her own couture house in the 1950s. One of her designs, an evening gown with boning throughout the interior, reflects James’ influence on her work, according to the co-curator. Many may not associate Asian American designers with that period and there is little research about her, according to Taylor. “Scholars in the future would definitely want to explore her influence on the New York City fashion industry more,” she said.
The exhibition will also highlight the importance of materials in the design process through the work of Asian American designers. An early ’90s Naeem Khan evening dress with an embroidered bodice, a spring 2005 Jean Yu silk chiffon lingerie set with grosgrain ribbon, and a fall 2002 Mary Ping unbleached cotton canvas, highlight sustainability and minimalism.
Courtesy of MFIT
To further the conversation around the theme of show, a virtual panel with Ping and the scholar Christina Moon is scheduled for March 10. Both creatives will share their own experiences as they discuss the impact of Asian Americans on the New York fashion industry.
Admission is free for the exhibition, which will be open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon until 8 p.m. and on the weekend from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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