Opening Ceremony Designers Honor Asian Pioneers In Fashion Week Lookbook

“The message we are saying is that community is everything, love yourself, and assimilation is passé." -- Humberto Leon
Greta Lee (actress)
Greta Lee (actress)

These designers are paying homage to inspiring Asians and Asian-Americans while making a fashion statement along the way.

Fashion brand Opening Ceremony, helmed by creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, released their look book, coinciding with February’s New York Fashion Week.

While the pieces in the catalogue are vibrantly stunning on their own, they’re even more striking because of those modeling them ― a cast of Asian and Asian-American pioneers, including the likes of renowned playwright David Henry Hwang, designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia, and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before author Jenny Han.

Jenny Han (author)
Jenny Han (author)
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Leon told HuffPost that he and Lim have been undergoing a period of introspection. In many ways, this look book is a product of just that.

“I think it’s time to really time to reflect on where you are from,” Leon, the son of a Peruvian father and Chinese mother, told HuffPost. “My family worked really hard for me to be in America, but I am interested in where they grew up to better understand my place here. Carol and I are going through a time of self-love and appreciating that.”

David Henry Hwang (playwright)
David Henry Hwang (playwright)

The look book features Asian-American heavy hitters across several industries, including the music and culinary worlds. Leon explained that all those modeling the pieces have illustrated “how to break through in a world that doesn’t feel like we are represented.”

Waris Ahluwalia (fashion designer, actor)
Waris Ahluwalia (fashion designer, actor)
Sebastian Kim

For instance, Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto not only mastered his own craft, Leon said. Sakamoto has also collaborated with the likes of David Byrne and Madonna. And with a number of film roles under his belt, Sakamoto has “broken the boundaries of not needing to only work in your field,” Leon says.

Others, like chef Angela Dimayuga, a force in the restaurant industry and queer *slaysian* dance party Bubble_T are “throwing really relevant parties in New York that are creating a narrative that is interesting when people are saying nightlife is dead in New York.” And of course, the designer paid homage to his roots, literally, with the inclusion of his mother Wendy.

Ryuichi Sakamoto (musician, composer)
Ryuichi Sakamoto (musician, composer)

But the models aren’t just those from other industries. While the fashion world is often stereotyped as unrelenting and competitively cutthroat, Lim and Leon have highlighted fellow designers, including Anna Sui. The decision to include others in the industry was “natural,” Leon says.

“There’s a ton of room at the top,” he explained. “There’s a place for everyone as long as your voice is authentic to you.”

Anna Sui (fashion designer)
Anna Sui (fashion designer)

As fashionistas flip through the pieces in the lookbook, Leon stressed that there’s one lesson he hopes everyone can take away.

“The message we are saying is that community is everything, love yourself, and assimilation is passé; celebrate individuality and love your heritage,” Leon concluded.

Angela Dimayuga (chef, Creative Director of Food and Culture at The Standard)
Angela Dimayuga (chef, Creative Director of Food and Culture at The Standard)
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Wendy Leon (mother, grandmother, chef, entrepreneur).
Wendy Leon (mother, grandmother, chef, entrepreneur).
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Chella Man (visual artist)
Chella Man (visual artist)
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Maia Ruth Lee (visual artist).
Maia Ruth Lee (visual artist).
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Nicholas Andersen, Karlo Bueno Bello, Stevie Huynh, Paul Tran, Pedro Vidallon (clockwise) (BUBBLE_T).
Nicholas Andersen, Karlo Bueno Bello, Stevie Huynh, Paul Tran, Pedro Vidallon (clockwise) (BUBBLE_T).
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Cynthia Leung, Publicist.
Cynthia Leung, Publicist.
Jing Liu (architect, founder of design firm SO-IL), with her daughters Amalia and Francis
Jing Liu (architect, founder of design firm SO-IL), with her daughters Amalia and Francis
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Vivianne Yi (trans model, actress)
Vivianne Yi (trans model, actress)
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Kyunghee Jwa (Kyo) (visual artist, designer)
Kyunghee Jwa (Kyo) (visual artist, designer)
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Shireen Ahmed (writer, public speaker, activist).
Shireen Ahmed (writer, public speaker, activist).
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Kyle Luu, Fiffany Luu, DeSe Escobar (the Glam Collective)
Kyle Luu, Fiffany Luu, DeSe Escobar (the Glam Collective)
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Third (fashion designer)
Third (fashion designer)
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Tao Okamoto (model, actress) and Tenzin Wild (publisher, editor in chief of The Last Magazine)
Tao Okamoto (model, actress) and Tenzin Wild (publisher, editor in chief of The Last Magazine)
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Christine McCharen-Tran (co-founder of Discwoman).
Christine McCharen-Tran (co-founder of Discwoman).
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Miho Hatori (vocalist and songwriter for Cibo Matto, member of Gorillaz).
Miho Hatori (vocalist and songwriter for Cibo Matto, member of Gorillaz).
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Erica Zhang (art director)
Erica Zhang (art director)
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Priya Krishna (writer)
Priya Krishna (writer)
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Bibingka Mama (drag queen performer).
Bibingka Mama (drag queen performer).
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Adrian Manuel (stylist).
Adrian Manuel (stylist).
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