Fashion's new dynasty: Asian-American designers

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Fashion's new dynasty: Asian-American designers

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It was the first time in the history of the CFDA that all 3 categories were won by Asian-Americans.

12 September,2012 07:48 am

The New York fashion scene has been abuzz with new talented designers such as Alexander Wang, Jason Wu and Richard Chai who are now household names in many department stores across the United States and in the world.But it was only two years ago, in June 2010 when the three men were called up to the podium at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awards gala, often likened to the Oscars of the fashion industry, to receive awards as best new designer of the year in their respective categories - Wu for womens wear, Chai for mens wear and Wang for accessory design.It was the first time in the history of the CFDA that all three categories were won by Asian-Americans and it visualized a demographic shift that has been going on in the American fashion industry: while the face of American sportswear had been Jewish-American in the 1980s and 1990s now it is more diverse.Mickey Boardman, editorial director of Paper magazine and a front-row fixture at New York Fashion Week summed it up.Those three are the ones that are the big new names that are the new Michael Kors, the new Marc Jacobs, the new Calvin Kleins, Boardman said.Wu shot to fame in 2009 when First Lady Michelle Obama wore his dress to the 2009 inaugural ball.The white chiffon, one-shoulder ball gown went on display at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C., along with gowns worn by Jacky Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Taft.Wu, 29, who is of Taiwanese descent, acknowledged that his heritage is important.I have lived all over the place. But Taiwan has always been home to me, he told Reuters after his spring 2013 runway show in New York.So last collection I really channeled my energy into a collection that referenced my Chinese heritage.For fall 2012 Wu had put together a collection exploring different archetypes of Chinese women.Chai, a Korean-American born in New York and raised in New Jersey, said he felt that the term Asian-American designer is too broad to describe the different cultures.