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....

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Edward Chin used to be the son of Sun Sing Theatre owner, an engineer, and a lawyer. Now, he enjoys his retirement and travels around the world to play golf with his friends. In this interview, Chin discusses his father’s movie business, family history about the paper son, his schooling experience, careers in law firms, ethnic identity, and thoughts about racism.

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Virginia Moy Burcher talks about her family journey to the US from Toisan. Her family then moves to New York and establishes a large series of businesses in Chinatown. She goes on to talk about growing up in the city and helping out at the various businesses before going to Hunter college to pursue education. She marries a man from Bermuda and talks about raising a biracial child and interracial marriage.