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 because there have not been many Asians in the field, he feels that it is as if he is charting his own way and commented that this is a nice challenge. He discusses the piece selected for the exhibit and how it stands for his understanding of the American spirit that goes into fashion. He thinks that there has been a broad interest in fashion because it speaks about the immediate culture and reflects ideas people are thinking about in a consistently produced manner.