“Anyone can get all dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress in their off days, that are the most intriguing.” It’s during these in-between, wayward days when a person’s true style emerges from their everyday life, forming the basis of Alexander Wang’s collection…where clean, classic, luxurious and refined silhouettes are introduced to an urban street provocative ideal. Like the collection itself, the girls he dresses stand out, but not in the obvious ways…more like the black sheep in a crowd – inspiring, surprising and slightly mysterious. The directive in Alex’s vision is upholding your own individuality, and breaking the conventional idea of a predictable “uniform.” A tee shirt and jeans can be just as sexy and stylish as an evening gown. The ways in which his clothes are unabashedly styled and worn are as imperative to him as the clothes themselves. Alex’s love for contrasts is reflected throughout the collection with juxtaposing notes of street and luxe, sexy versus androgyny, and where vagabond meets a street-smart modernist.

As a Native Californian, Alex was born and raised in San Francisco and has a Chinese-American family heritage. At the age of 18, he moved to New York City where he attended Parsons Design School and partook in a variety of internships. By his sophomore year, Alex was already designing the first collection of his label Alexander Wang, which was predominately knits. He launched his full womens collection in 2007, selling internationally to over 150 boutiques and retail stores. Now at 24, Alex resides in New York City’s Lower Eastside, where there is never a shortage of inspiration in music, life, reality and culture. In 2008, Alexander Wang was recognized by the fashion industry with the Ecco Domani Emerging Designer Award, and most recently, by his peers, with a nomination for the 2008 CFDA Swarovski Womens Wear Designer of the Year Award.

Runway highlights from Alexander Wang at Fashion Week New inYork, Spring 2009.

Runway highlights from Alexander Wang Collection

The label Thuy (pronounced Twee) is a true reflection of the designer and her life experiences. Vietnamese American Thuy Diep was born into a family of tailors. As a child, under the direction of her mother and father, who ran a tailoring school and custom-made clothing shop in her native Vietnam, Thuy began honing her tailoring skills at an early age. She developed a love for well-crafted clothes. Extended family members further surrounded her upbringing with virtually all aspects of the fashion world. One could say that fashion design in in her blood.

Moving to the United States, Thuy was exposed to a whole new world of diverse values and aesthetics—which would shape her stylistic philosophy. Thuy’s education (Brown University) and early professional career (Pricewaterhouse consultant) laid the groundwork for her creative and entrepreneurial passions.

Returning to school—and back to her first love, fashion— Ms. Diep attended Parsons School of Design. Following graduation, she held diverse jobs in the fashion industry, including a position with a New York-based Parisian atelier, providing draping and pattern-making services for high-end designers ( Carolina Herrera, Peter Som, Zac Posen). Her design experience includes work with several New York-based young designers, such as United Bamboo.

At the encouragement of virtually everyone she worked with, she formed the self-named label “Thuy”. Producing designer women’s ready-to-wear clothing, Thuy has come full-circle to her tailoring roots. Mixing casual chic with understated romantic sophistication, Thuy’s designs highlight form, craftsmanship, and subtle -yet dramatic- details. Her creations reflect a woman of beauty and intellect, one with an artistic and eternally-youthful soul.

Thuy lives in New York and works at the Thuy Studio and Showroom – a tranquil and inspiration space dedicated to facilitating Thuy’s designs – located in the SoHo area of Manhattan.

Runway highlights from Thuy Diep at Fashion Week New inYork, Spring 2009

Thuy Diep Collection at New York Fashion Week – Full runway video

This week we profiles several Asian American designers for Fashion Week in New York. Showcasing their latest designs include Vivienne Tam, Richard Chai, Phillip Lim, Anna Sui, Naeem Khan, Vera Wang, Chris Han, Peter Som. Here’s a few more Asian American designers:

Jason Wu

Yeohlee Teng

Derek Lam

Peter Som’s aesthetic of unstudied elegance and refined sexiness has brought a fresh point of view to modern American fashion. Peter grew up in San Francisco, a city known for its easy, relaxed sophistication. His parents–both architects–instilled in him the ideals of purity of form, function and composition. Today, Chinese American Peter continues to draw from these early influences as he designs clothes for tasteful women with that same spirit of effortless elegance, luxury and allure.

Peter excelled in Art History and Art when he attended Connecticut College and chose to continue his studies at Parsons School of Design. While at Parsons, he apprenticed with two of America’s most revered designers – Michael Kors and Calvin Klein. After graduating, Peter honed his skills in the design room of the legendary Bill Blass. In 1997, he was recognized by the CFDA as a rising young talent in it’s first-ever Scholarship Competition. Isaac Mizrahi awarded Peter the Parsons Gold Thimble for his work in the school’s prestigious Designer Critic program while Lord & Taylor reaffirmed his potential in its annual Dress Competition. In 2002, Peter was nominated for the CFDA Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent. In 2004, Peter Som was among the 10 semi finalists in the Vogue/CFDA fashion fund initiative. In 2005, he was nominated for a second time for the CFDA Swarovski Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent and in 2006 Peter was among the 3 finalists nominated for the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Fashion Design.

Peter Som made his stellar debut at Seventh on Sixth in the Bryant Park tents with his Spring 2001 Collection. Since then, his clean, unfettered yet feminine clothes have been winning accolades from buyers and critics alike. Cathy Horyn of the New York Times identified Peter as “one of the best young designers working today.” Peter’s collections have been included in editorial features in major fashion publications, including Vogue, W, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and InStyle. In response to Peter Som’s Spring 2007 collection, Vogue’s Andre Leon Talley writes “it became emphatically clear that he has moved to the head of his generational class. Magna cum laude, in fact.”

In July 2007 Som announced his return to the house of Bill Blass, this time as creative director of the iconic American brand. In this role, he will oversee the company’s entire women’s collection, including all owned and licensed divisions. His first collection for Bill Blass is expected to be for pre-Fall 2008.

Peter’s following includes a new generation of stylish celebrities and starlets, among them Scarlett Johansson, Claire Danes, Camilla Belle, Mandy Moore and Ginnifer Goodwin.

Having emerged as one of the leaders of a new generation of American designers, Peter Som has a foundation on which to establish a modern luxury fashion and lifestyle brand, reinterpreting the tradition of Great American Sportswear for a new generation.

Runway highlights from Peter Som at Fashion Week New inYork, Spring 2009

Peter Som Collection at New York Fashion Week – Full runway video

Runway highlights from Chris Han at Fashion Week in New York, Spring 2009.

Chris Han Collection at New York Fashion Week – Full runway video