The ALIA
Volume I. Issue I. Aug. 4, 2020.
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the debut issue of The ALIA, a weekly newsletter dedicated to the lives of Asian women. The name “ALIA” is derived from the acronym for “Asian Lives in America.” We’re so excited to get to know you through each issue, where we bring you the latest news and insightful conversations with industry professionals. Subscribe for free here.
Letter from the editor:
Hello! I’m so glad you’re joining us here today, and I’m extremely excited to share this project with you. In recent months, following the death of George Floyd and protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, I have been questioning and grappling with the consequences of racism in modern-day America. To see the racial injustices that have prevailed for centuries permeate into today and witness the lives of BIPOC continue to be silenced and marginalized – it stirred up something inside me.
Often, inspiration can emerge from places of pain and suffering, and it has been incredibly encouraging to see communities bond together in the face of challenges. As I continue to support, petition and donate to causes that uplift Black lives, I wondered at the same time what I could do for my own community and connect deeper with my Asian roots. That was when The ALIA was born – a newsletter dedicated to serving the Asian community in America, and beyond, focusing on Asian women.
Coming from a background in journalism and media, I always wondered why there was such a gap in the media sphere that does not recognize Asian American women. I couldn’t find a platform that I could see myself being represented in. That is why The ALIA is a platform for you, the fellow Asian women, and our allies. In Volume I, we will be featuring Asian women in fashion, media and arts. This issue, we spoke with Vanessa Hong, known for her blog The Haute Pursuit, about Asian identity, diversity, inclusivity and more. So, without further ado – I hope you enjoy!
Sincerely,
Annie Lin
Founder of The ALIA
If you could like to learn more about this project, please contact us at contact@alia.news
Asian Creatives
Left to right: @kristywho, @dawn.tan, @amee.kim, @vanessahong
Community News
Squad goals • One of our favorite collectives gathered, pre-quarantine, for what is now an iconic vision of Asian-American fashion designers. From household names like Phillip Lim, Jason Wu and Derek Lam, to newcomers Rui Zhou, Sandy Liang and the trio at Commission, Dylan Cao, Jin Kay and Huy Luong – these faces represent culture, class and a coterie of fashion connoisseurs. Read: T: The New York Times Style Magazine.
Allyship • We love seeing our Asian members of Congress step up to speak up for the injustices experienced by Black Americans. Don’t let “this moment pass without real change,” said Rep. Judy Chu. They are making waves by addressing institutional racism and supporting legislations, like the Justice in Policing Act, to reform the police system. Read: NBC News
Labels gotta go • Beauty giants L’Oréal, Unilever and Johnson & Johnson announced that they will be taking measures to remove or rebrand skin-whitening and lightening products. A step in the right direction, but will it be enough to cease the everlasting pursuit for fairer skin in Asian cultures? Read: Vogue Business
#IAmNotAVirus • As Anti-Asian sentiment rages on during COVID-19, with more than 2,300 reported bias incidents, social media campaigns have risen to the challenge of combatting racism. A powerful video by the Ad Council, a spoken-word piece by Asiancy and countless hashtags have bonded the Asian community together during a time when our race is under attack. Read: The New York Times.
In Conversation with Vanessa Hong
Our first guest is fashion blogger and model Vanessa Hong, most well-known for the widely popular blog The Haute Pursuit. Sitting leisurely in her Williamsburg apartment in New York, Hong, 36, born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, talks about her career path as an Asian woman in fashion, how being underestimated became a driving force, and her thoughts on diversity, inclusion and tokenism.
This interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Before going into fashion, you were a pre-med student at The University of British Columbia with a degree in biochemistry and molecular genetics, how did you make the switch to blogging?
Fashion has always been the nucleus of everything I've wanted to do in my life. My mom is also an incredibly fashionable woman. She went to fashion school, and always wanted to be a designer herself. I was raised in that environment.
I fell into sciences because I was a jack of all trades. Before biochem, I thought of becoming a mathematician. But one of my counselors was like, I can’t imagine you doing this for the rest of your life. That’s when I pivoted to biochem. I'm an Aries, so I always want to do the most intense thing – that was biochem. I ended up working at a biotech company, and that was where I started my blog.
It always went back to fashion. I was always going thrifting, styling myself at home in outfits I could never wear out. In my yearbook, I was voted the most fashionable person and most likely to leave Vancouver and become famous, which was so crazy. So, right after work, I would change in the bathroom and go down the stairs so no one would see me, go and shoot a full outfit, go home, edit the images on a janky laptop with zero Photoshop skills, wrote a story, published it and I would repeat that five days a week. That was really how it all started.
How did your family react when you told them you wanted to pursue fashion?
When I started my blog, I know my mom was secretly happy for me. She supported me however she could. My dad has always been cool, like as long as you’re making money, and you’re good at it. The more traditional people in my family were like, “Oh, my gosh, what is Vanessa doing?” They tried to talk my mom to talk me out of it. On the outside, it seemed like I had the perfect life. I was making a ton of money in biotech, I had the perfect boyfriend, the perfect life in Vancouver, but I never wanted to stay in Vancouver. When I was little, I remember saying two things to myself. One, that I wanted to live in New York, and two, I wanted to live in Paris. I’ve accomplished both these things in my life. The people who were aggressively telling my mom to stop me from chasing my dreams of being in fashion are now the same people telling all their friends about me being on the cover of a magazine.
Not all Asian families are supportive careers in creative fields. What advice do you have for people who want to pursue that but may not have their family’s support?
You just have to be honest with people in your life and be like, this is my chosen path right now, and if this is going to cause stress between us, I’m sorry, and I love you, we can come back and meet at a different time. Remind your family that you respect their opinions and their love for you, but that this is something you have to do. Asian families talk big, but at the end of the day, no matter how disgruntled they are, they’ll be there for you. Even if you do have a bit of separation from your family, it’s probably good. I’ve lived away from my family for at least 10 years, and I actually value my family more.
What this moment in history has taught us is that life is extremely short. If you are not living your life doing what you really want and what inspires you, it’s just going to chip away at your soul day by day. People think, “I’ll do it later,” or “I’ll do it after making a bunch of money.” Maybe that worked for previous generations, but when you have so much access to information, that whole idea of “I’ll do it later” seems like a very fragile idea.
Growing up as an Asian Canadian, did you ever feel like you didn’t fit in?
When I grew up, I was darker than everybody else in my immediate family. My mom was fair, my dad was fair, my sister was like super fair as well. Here I was, jet black hair, thick eyebrows, super dark brown skin, I never really fit in anywhere. I always felt like a novelty.
When I moved to China, I thought, I’m going to reconnect with my source. But when I got there, I realized I didn’t belong there either. People made that very clear to me. I feel like education and global exposure is so important. I always urge people to have friends who not only don’t look like you but who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
As an Asian woman working in fashion, did you ever feel underestimated by people?
Oh, my gosh, 100% in every aspect. When you’re constantly underestimated or unseen, it becomes a driving force in your life. If I wasn’t picked for a job because they thought I couldn’t do it, I was like, you’re going to be so sorry you didn’t pick me, that you didn’t see my talent. That doesn’t come from a place of being salty. That came from wanting to show up for myself and re-educate people on what an Asian person can do.
What are your thoughts on diversity, inclusivity and tokenism of BIPOC members of the community?
The difference between diversity and inclusivity is that diversity is putting a black girl on the cover of a magazine, whereas inclusivity is having a black person in power. The fact that tokenism exists means that there is an imbalanced distribution of power. Tokenism is a horrible thing, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. But if you want to cast me in a campaign only because I’m Asian, and number one, I’m getting paid, number two, it’s going to gain traction, and someone Asian is going to see me and be like, I respect that, then cast me. I always tell other POCs, however you get your foot in the door, as long as you don’t feel abused or used, do it.
One of the tragic results of tokenism is when one of us makes it to the table, and you start believing that you have to keep the gate closed or else someone else from your community is going to take your seat. That, for me, is so heartbreaking. It’s another way of how white supremacy has kept minorities in their place.
I’m so grateful that I’ve met people like Phillip Lim, Laura Kim from Oscar de la Renta, Tina Leung, Michelle Lee from Allure magazine – all these people have shown me that sharing your resources is how we all get ahead, not just you, but us as a collective. It’s going to be a long road, and inclusion isn’t going to happen in our lifetime. Prabal Gurung once said to me, “Vanessa, you can’t be deflated by the fact that we’re not going to see change. You have to accept that it won’t be in our generation. But we are paving the way for the next generation, just as our ancestors paved the way for us to be here today.” That’s how I always frame it.
If you're operating from a place where everything’s good because you have your seat at the table, you’re not going to change anything. So, definitely share your resources and have a community you can share those feelings with because if you bottle it all inside, it can be toxic for you. Continue having a wide variety of friends, but understand that it’s important to have a community that understands you.
Asian-owned Brands
Wear: GROUND ZERO SS20 ($532) / Accessorize: JW PEI SS20 ($99)
Weekly Thoughts
When and how did you become more connected to your Asian identity?
#ALIAtalks to join the conversation and we will feature the best submissions in next week’s newsletter. For email submissions, please email contact@alia.news