Asian Americans in New York Fashion: Design, Labor, Innovation

Asian Americans in New York Fashion: Design, Labor, Innovation celebrates the Asian American community's diverse contributions to the fashion industry through a selection of garments, textiles, runway clips, and photographs. The recent rise of racially-motivated attacks against Asian Americans due to the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need for increased support for Asian American communities. Using objects from The Museum at FIT collection, this exhibition raises awareness of the diverse and essential ways that Asian Americans have shaped the New York Fashion industry.

Organized by the graduate students in the Fashion and Textile Studies program in collaboration with The Museum at FIT, Asian Americans in New York Fashion: Design, Labor, Innovation explores fashion production, including issues of labor in manufacturing and the significance of materials in the design process. The exhibition centers on Asian American designers’ divergent creative narratives, exemplifying the variety of Asian American fashion. This exhibition features works by Prabal Gurung, Naeem Khan, Thakoon Panichgul, Vivienne Tam, Yeohlee Teng, and Vera Wang, among others.