Abstract Roger Brue McHayle’s bold, iconic tags cemented his street reputation as original and fearless in 1990s New York’s blossoming graffiti movement. Brooklyn born and bred, McHayle, upon graduation from The Cooper Union, founded the pioneering, urban clothing line, PNB Nation, with his multicultural street crew. Today, McHayle resides in Portland with his family and is an executive at Nike.McHayle, of mixed Chinese and Jamaican roots, grew up in Brooklyn, New York in a predominantly...

Abstract New York City-born musician Taiyo Na first started writing rhymes at age 13. He started performing, first as a poet and then as a musician, composer, and producer. His critically acclaimed debut album, Love is Growth (2008), showcases his multitudinous talents as an MC, singer, songwriter and producer.Taiyo recalls his interview with poet and activist Fay Chiang at age 17, and reflects on how the music of Asian American artists and activists of the 1970s impacted his life and...

Abstract Tomie Arai and Janice Lau sit down with Wing Lee to discuss his life and his experience growing up in and around New York City’s Chinatown in the ‘60s through the ‘80s. Wing talks about what it was like as a kid being raised in the US with Chinese parents, and growing up on the streets of Chinatown. He talks about the schools he went to in the area, and all the spots the neighborhood kids used to hang out. Later on in his late teenage years, he describes the experience at a popular...

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...

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,...

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,...

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...

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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.

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...

Abstract Mary Ping is the mastermind behind the Front Row exhibit. Born in Queens, NY and raised in Westchester County, she graduated with a bachelor in fine arts from Vassar and credits her experience working with Anna Sui and the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute with providing her with a hands-on fashion education. She discusses the piece selected for the exhibit and how it was inspired by her grandmother, who had a very unique sense of style for a woman in Shanghai during the 1930s. She...