Abstract Melinda Eng is a Hong Kong native who pursued a thriving career in fashion through her initial love for illustration. Her persistence and her dedication landed her opportunities that many young fashion designers would never expect to have so early in their careers. Her strong work ethic drives her to go above and beyond not only in the fashion industry but in life, and she was constantly encouraged to do greater things as she grew. New York has constantly been a theme that seems to be an...

Abstract Peter Som is a San Francisco-born fashion designer who developed an interest in fashion from an early age. As a child, he avidly sketched women and their clothes, beginning with his first subject, his mother. He credits his parents, who were both architects, with inspiring his sense of design. He later came to New York to study fashion at Parsons School of Design and started his own clothing line, fulfilling a childhood dream. In describing how his identity is reflected in his design, he...

Abstract Chinese American fashion designer Phillip Lim grew up in the suburbs of Orange County in Southern California. While he was figuring out what to tell his parents, he majored in home economics, which offered sewing courses that felt natural to him and would change the course of his future. To Lim, what he is doing is simply creating clothes, and how being Chinese influences this is just through the thought, humility, integrity, and tenacity that is in the culture but remains unsaid. The two...

Abstract Thomas Chen, the designer of Emanuel, sits down with MOCA to discuss his background and career in fashion. He recounts how the visual language of fashion helped him assimilate into American culture after immigrating to the U.S. with his family at the age of 11. He then discusses his fashion philosophy, particularly the unconscious duality in his thinking that is reflected in his design. The two pieces he selected for the exhibit represent his signature style. The reversible coat manifests...

Abstract In this interview, New York-born fashion designer Vera Wang sits down with MOCA to discuss her background and career in fashion. She credits her mother, a true fashion icon before the coining of the term, as an early source of her fashion training. From a young age, she also started figure skating, which she describes as one of the most expressive sports there is since it was all about lines, movement and grace. Wang had a long career at Vogue and then moved on to Ralph Lauren, both of which...

Abstract Fashion designer Vivienne Tam was born in Canton and grew up in Hong Kong. Her interest in fashion began in childhood, when out of necessity, she started making her own clothes especially for Chinese New Year because her family could not afford to buy new clothes for the occasion. She was not thinking about having a brand, she just loved to dress up and make beautiful one-of-a-kind clothes. It was not until she was in school and went back to China that she discovered the beauty and richness...

Abstract When Wayne Lee was five, she left Vietnam by boat with her parents and was marooned on an island for a year before being rescued and brought to Orlando, Florida. This formative experience has greatly influenced her designs, which she describes as clothing of quality which could easily travel and be worn for a year on an island without falling apart. She initially thought to pursue a career in medicine but was inspired by the enthusiasm and spirit of her coworkers in her first job to...

Abstract Yeohlee Teng was born in Penang, Malaysia and studied fashion at Parsons School of Design. She grew up with the idea of zero waste, and believes that the most successful and universal designs are all one-size-fits-all, zero waste and unisex. She also thinks that math is the foundation of design and the pieces selected for the exhibition reflect that. She thinks that fashion has become an art form that is more accessible in the sense that anyone can become a designer because of the...

Abstract Zang Toi grew up in a small village in Malaysia as the youngest of seven in his family. He had always loved to draw and sketch but it was his sister who encouraged him to pursue a career in fashion design. Toi came to New York to study at Parsons School of Design when he was 20 years old. Upon graduating in 1984, the chairman of his department wanted to set him up on interviews with the top three brands at the time, howevever, he did not want to be one of twenty assistants of a top designer....

Scope and Contents

The items in this sub-series include books and periodicals with cartoons by Paul Fung or stories about him. In addition, this series includes sheet music from Melody Shop in Seattle, which range in date from 1920 to 1923.