Yay for community event successes! The Asian Professional Exchange (APEX) held their second charity mixer and fashion show to fundraise for the 17th Annual APEX Youth Olympics – a sporting event that brings together at-risk youth from inner cities to promote leadership through team-building exercises.
Over 500 professionals in the greater Los Angeles area came together to witness the work of trail blazing Asian American designers and entrepreneurs, Stella & Jamie, Line and Dot, Ai for Ai and Carol Chen Couture.
Some feel good indie films — and a do-good shopping fest — happening this week.
When Harry Tries to Marry, May 6: A modern Indian American bachelor (Rahul Rai) living in New York City surprises his parents and opts for an arranged marriage. Nayan Padrai directs this award winner.
The First Grader, May 13: Based on a true story, The First Grader chronicles octogenarian Maruge who decides to take advantage of the Kenyan government’s new free public schools and enroll in first grade.
True Legend, May 13: The latest action epic by Yuen Woo Ping (The Matrix trilogy, Kill Bill Volumes I and II, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) features an all-star cast, including Vincent Zhao, Jay Chou, Michelle Yeoh and David Carradine.
Thread, May 15: Indie designers are out in full force at this shopping event, held at the Lab in Orange County, Calif.
When Korean American Grace Lee‘s firstborn, Olivia, turned 1, she left her career in finance to be a stay-at-home mom. But it wasn’t long before the 33-year-old got antsy. One day, Lee, her husband and Olivia went for a drive in the family minivan. Lee turned to her husband and said, “Honey, what do you think about me designing jewelry?” He answered, “Go for it!”
And Oli + Me was born.
We got the scoop about this new fine jewelry line from Lee herself.
Korean American Jennifer Park is a friend to every girl looking for more than the usual fast fashion labels, but who still needs to be budget-friendly. Cue her line Funktional, which offers high-quality clothing at affordable prices. But beware — the line isn’t for wallflowers. Just look at some of Park’s favorite designers: Ann Demeulemeester, who favors deconstruction with intricate detailing, and Japanese designer Junya Watanabe, known for his innovative collections. Or her biggest celebrity client Rihanna, who was spotted wearing Funktional’s black “Cage” dress in 2009.
Rihanna, left, wearing Funktional's cage dress.
That year Park debuted Funktional with (you guessed it) functionality as the key, yet “far from basic,” she assures. Park’s inspirations come from the past, present and future, and her fashion-forward thinking shines through with each collection. Funktional’s selling point isn’t just the thrifty price line; it’s also wearable despite the futuristic elements.
Laundry by Shelli Segal has long been the go-to label for easy cocktail dresses for their stylish and unique designs, while still staying affordable. In their latest national design competition to “Design the Perfect Little Black Dress,” Korean American interior designer Sarah Ahn took home first place with her winning design. The “Sarah” dress, named after the winner, is a knee-length, slip-on design with a V-neck in both front and back and cap sleeves. It’s available now through October at Nordstrom, Dillards, Macy’s, Zappos, Polyvore, 6pm.com and shopstyle.com.
What’s surprising is that Sarah initially worked in the neuroscience field. Her experience shows that people don’t always grow up knowing what they want to do, nor do they enter school or the work force pursuing their interests. People may spend years working on something they aren’t truly passionate about only to discover later that it wasn’t something they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, it took a tragic event, her brother’s motorcycle accident, before she had the courage to go into the arts, something she had always loved growing up. Here, we talk to Sarah about her inspirational story, her winning LBD, and her thoughts on eco-fashion.
Fashion, Food, and Networking! The Asian Professional Exchange (APEX) is hosting a Networking Mixer & Fashion Show TONIGHT, Wednesday, April 27, at J Lounge in downtown Los Angeles, CA. Continue Reading »
The sun is finally touching down in Northern California, and I am excited to pull out my warm weather wardrobe. Goodbye winter clothes, I’m ready to get my tan on! Listening to my Ska play list while sorting out my summer clothing, I can’t help but anticipate for all the fun in the sun. For summer, lots of bright vibrant colors with a mix of classics are on the trend. I’m heading out to a tropical place in the summer, so it’s a must that I start shopping now. With different activities planned every day, I need to shop for a wide variety of eco-friendly outfits. Here are some of the things I’m packing for my green vacation!
Who are the Cole Mohrs (hip and happenin’), Baptiste Giabiconis (pretty boy muses), and even Fabios (I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butterface) of the Asian male modeling industry? I know this perturbing question taps into the taboos of Western media, but trust me, there are quite a few, albeit rarely seen, who fall under each category. Here is a guide to some of the hottest Asian faces in the male modeling industry. You can thank me later.
Model hotness: Godfrey Gao.
Because Audrey Magazine is a small publication, we rely on the kindness of our many artsy friends and interns to contribute their talents to our team. And they’re so cool, they’re off creating other cool stuff when they’re not creating cool stuff for Audrey. Cool, huh? Here are where a few of our contributors are up to in their (limited) spare time.
A Bangladeshi woman creates designs for Bhalo.
Upon anticipation of having my first interview with Australian Jessica Priemus, founder of Bhalo, an Eco-Fashion line that employs Bangladeshi women to manufacture its designs, I eagerly drove back home nervous with butterflies in my stomach. Although it was to be held via Skype, I knew that the she was someone important in the Eco-Fashion industry so who wouldn’t be nervous speaking with her! After logging onto Skype, and receiving the call, I heard a cheery Aussie accent greet me through the speakers. “Hello! How are you!” After the nerve-racking introduction, Jess’s down-to-earth personality quickly showed, and I was no longer nervous.
