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Showing Records: 11 - 20 of 32

Oral History Interview with Tony Wong, 2004-04-01

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Identifier: 2014.036.013
Abstract Tony Wong, General Manager at Sino Television, was born and raised in Hong Kong. He immigrated to the United States to study broadcasting at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Tony recalls his initial struggles as a student coming from a poor economic background and how he eventually moved to New York City, receiving a job offer at NBC right after graduation. During his time at NBC and in Sino TV as a part-timer, Tony would learn a myriad of skills including production, directing,...
Dates: 2004-04-01

Oral History Interview with William Chiu, 2004-03-30

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Identifier: 2014.036.017
Abstract William Chiu, born in 1952, begins this interview recalling his childhood growing up, learning and working in Hong Kong. He talks about his father’s work as a chef and his father’s fateful opportunity to immigrate with his family to the United States. He describes his education and reasoning for desiring to go to the United States. William recounts his first job working as a waiter in training before beginning to work with his father in the restaurant business. He also describes the working...
Dates: 2004-03-30

Oral History Interview with Wing Ma, 2003-11-07

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Identifier: 2014.036.016
Abstract Wing Ma (Ma Wing Guo) was born in China to a poor farming family who moved to Hong Kong as refugees when he was age two. Wing talks about his life growing up in Hong Kong with his mother working in the garment industry and his father working as a chef in Manila. He studied until post-secondary school before moving to the United States to train and work as an engineer. Wing would eventually join the garment industry as a factory owner, and describes the industry’s decline over time due to...
Dates: 2003-11-07

Oral History with Anna Sui, 2013

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Identifier: 2013.021.001
Abstract Renowned fashion designer Anna Sui recounts her formative influences, including being taken to a textile store to purchase Chinese garments during her first trip to visit her grandparents. Having a mother who studied painting and talked about art and a father who was an architect also contributed to influencing her art and style. She also attributes her interest in fashion to natural inclination and personality, and recounts collecting inspiring things which helped her develop her own style...
Dates: 2013

Oral History with Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, 2013

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Identifier: 2013.021.008
Abstract Humberto Leon and Carol Lim were both born in Los Angeles and studied at UC Berkeley. They are the fashion designers behind the brand Opening Ceremony. They discuss learning a lot from their mothers about quality, fit and fabric, and attribute the sense of ease and nurture associated with their store to their mothers as well. They believe in having a story behind their collection, and think that the increasing interest in fashion is due to the internet making information about fashion,...
Dates: 2013

Oral History with David Chu, 2013-01-16

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Identifier: 2013.021.002
Abstract David Chu was born in Taiwan and studied fashion design at F.I.T. Initially, because he loved sketching and drawing, he thought he would study architecture, advertising, or communication, however, a summer course on fashion history at F.I.T. led him to take an interest in fashion. He ended up traveling to Asia and upon his return, landed a job at the apparel company Kayser-Roth. From this, he learned a lot about the industry, and after five years, decided to found his own company, Nautica,...
Dates: 2013-01-16

Oral History with Derek Lam, 2013-02-15

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Identifier: 2013.021.003
Abstract Derek Lam was born in San Francisco and studied fashion at Parsons School of Design. His family being in the garment business partly influenced his decision to enter the fashion industry, but he ultimately chose this path because he wanted to do something creative connected to business. He decided to start his own brand because he wanted to make that a challenge for himself but he was not naturally someone who liked to put himself in the forefront as having one's own brand required. Perhaps...
Dates: 2013-02-15

Oral History with Jade Lai, 2013

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Identifier: 2013.021.004
Abstract

Jade Lai is a Chinese American designer and was born in Hong Kong. She did not have formal training in fashion design but went on to work for Espirit and started her own brand Creatures of Comfort. In this oral history she discusses her design aesthetic, and the joy of being a designer in New York City close to the garment district. At the end of the interview, she discusses the universal impact fashion has and the success of Chinese American designers.

Dates: 2013

Oral History with Jason Wu, 2013-02-27

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Identifier: 2013.021.005
Abstract Jason Wu, a fashion designer born in Taiwan and raised in Canada, recounts his early influences and how he got interested in designing clothes. He attended Parsons School of Design in New York and dove head first into starting his own brand. His drew heavily from his background to succeed in the business. From his father, he learned good business sense, and from his Asian upbringing, he developed a good work ethic, which he thinks is needed to be successful in anything, fashion being no...
Dates: 2013-02-27