BEHIND THE DESIGN

Growing up, I struggled to understand my identity as a Chinese-Indonesian American. Early 2000's mainstream media was still primarily dominated by white interpretations of what being 'Asian' meant. However, at the start of the Youtube craze, I found Asian-American creators that were proud to be Asian-American. As a result, I found comfort in what was the Asian-American identity on Youtube: a collection of Asian cultures that uplifted youth affected by the 'perpetual foreigner' feeling.

THE COLLECTION

The Grant Avenue collection is based on Asian-American iconography prevalent within Los Angeles and San Francisco. The name of the collection takes after the historic Grant Avenue street that runs through San Francisco Chinatown, representing the different crossroads of Asian and American cultures found unique to California. The collection is about the complexities of intersecting cultures, identities, and what it means to be Asian-American now.

PROMOTION AT COMMUNITY EVENTS

I went to different events in San Francisco Japantown to promote the collection and the brand as a whole. Having a physical location for a few days allowed me to connect with customers through dialogue about their identities, cultures, and views that tied back into the collection's statement. Whether or not somebody bought anything at the booth, I'd always give them a free sticker as a way to thank them for a great conversation. By the last pop-up, we had sold our remaining inventory.