The ALIA
Volume I. Issue IV. Aug. 25, 2020.
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the fourth issue of The ALIA, a weekly newsletter dedicated to the lives of Asian women in America, and beyond, where we bring you the latest news and insightful conversations with industry professionals. Subscribe for free here.
Letter from the editor:
Hello! It’s so good to see you again, and a warm welcome to our new subscribers. In this volume, we feature women in fashion, media and arts. I’m excited to talk to you this week about sustainable fashion.
Slow, ethical and sustainable fashion has been something I’ve become passionate about in recent years as I began thinking about my carbon footprint and environmental impact. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, only 15.2% of textiles were recycled in 2017. That leaves nearly 85% in landfills or incinerated, and fast fashion is a major contributor to that figure.
When I came across Rendezvous The Label, an Asian-owned, female-run business that works with local artisans and sources sustainable fabrics, I knew I had to interview its founder, Janice Guo. In this issue, she offers her insights on the subject.
I recognize that being able to shop sustainably is a privilege as it inevitably means higher prices. I encourage you to support sustainable fashion in the capacity you can. Additional ways include upcycling, thrifting and donating preloved clothing.
P.S. Today is Chinese Valentine’s Day, aka Qixi Festival. For those celebrating, tell your loved ones you love them!
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
Clockwise from top left: @thaonhile, @miss_gunner, @chrisellelim, @jessie_khoo
Community News
Big screens • Korean American power duo Daniel Dae Kim and Randall Park are working with Amazon Studios to produce an Asian American led heist movie written by Young Il Kim. “We can’t wait to join with Young to tell this special story of friendship, pride and community," Kim and Park said in a joint statement. Read: Deadline
Street style • You might’ve seen it. You might’ve heard about it. It’s Chinese street fashion. Viral montages of fashionable style spots on the streets of China have been flooding the Tik Tok feeds, inspiring many to create their own versions. Hop on the trend. Read: Vogue
Snail mail • Mail-in ballots can be complicated. As more opt-in to vote by absentee ballot due to COVID-19, it’s even more complicated for Asian American immigrants who aren’t fluent in English. Groups like Asian Americans Advancing Justice are producing materials in other languages to help voters understand their rights and exercise them. Read: NBC News
Cracking down • New York Police Department announced the formation of a task force focused on investigating and prosecuting crimes against Asians. Between late March and mid-July, there were 316 racist reported incidents against Asians in New York City, according to NBC New York. Read: NBC News
In Conversation with Janice Guo
This week, we’re joined by Janice Guo, 25, founder and fashion designer at Rendezvous The Label, a sustainable Californian slow fashion brand. While quarantining at home in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Guo launched her collection online in late May of this year. We talk about her entrepreneurial endeavors, the importance of sustainable fashion and diversity in the fashion industry.
This interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
How did you come up with the idea for Rendezvous?
It started as a passion project a little over a year ago in January 2019. I was always infatuated with the design and fashion industry, but I didn’t have any professional design experience. I studied business economics at The University of California, Davis. When I graduated, I knew I wanted to work in the fashion and retail industry.
In my previous role, I worked for a fast fashion retailer as a merchandise planner. It’s essentially a financial planner who works with the buyer to determine how many units of each style we should buy. The amount of waste that came from fast fashion was shocking. After not even a couple of weeks on the racks, clothes go into the clearance bin. It’s all about the business and reaching those sales numbers.
My takeaway from that experience led me to want to start a slow fashion line of my own. I wanted to give back to our local community and reward the creatives involved in the design process. I like to work with people who believe in my craft, as much as I believe in their craft. I think it’s essential to source sustainably, that’s what I really care about.
Could you tell us more about how you started the business?
I work on the brand with my friend Gabriella, and I still have my nine to five job in digital marketing at Williams Sonoma, which is my main source of income. We launched the label earlier this year on May 22. I’ve dreamt of owning my business since junior year of college. I wanted to own a small online fashion boutique. Brick and mortars are very costly, and it wasn’t something I could financially invest in. With the rise and boom of e-commerce, an online store became a goal of mine.
I just started sketching and visiting stores to get inspiration. I would never copy another designer’s work, but many served as inspiration for me. My style is flowy, floral and vintage pieces. I was inspired by Parisian architecture from my Paris trip, which played a part in designing this collection. There was a huge learning curve for me because I didn’t have any experience in design. I knew how I wanted it to look like in the end, but it was about finding the right pattern maker. I found my current pattern maker, Paula, last summer. She’s incredibly talented, and she helps me understand the design model to bring everything to life.
To be completely transparent, we’re not profitable by any means. We’re a small business, and a lot of times, we don’t have the budget to have large campaigns. It’s about finding the people that believe in us and collaborating with creatives that want to take a leap of faith with us. We want to make sure we have a good relationship with everyone we work with.
How has being Asian American influenced your creative path?
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where there is a large population of Asian Americans, played a part in my upbringing. I’m proud to be Asian American. There are so many talented people that come from our background and our heritage. My fellow Asian creatives have always inspired me – it’s amazing to see them prosper and grow in the creative field.
I’m lucky that my parents have allowed me to be creatively free. Both my parents are immigrants. My mom is from Beijing, and she works in finance. My dad grew up on a farm in Sichuan, and now he’s a software engineer. Both my parents work traditional jobs that are familiar to the Asian community. I chose business, which allows me to be creative and realistic. My parents have been incredibly supportive of my creative endeavor with Rendezvous. It’s great to have their support. Now that I’m a bit older and wiser, I think they trust in me that I know what I’m doing.
If it weren’t for your parents, would you have gone down a more creative route?
I ask myself that sometimes too. It’s hard to say because they did do some persuading. At the time, I remember having conversations with my parents about what to major in. I was infatuated with acting and theatre, but they shot it down. I held firm and told them I wasn’t going to study software engineering or finance. They probably would not have been entirely supportive if I went in the art direction, but I couldn’t have lived with myself if I went in the traditional science direction. So, I found a middle ground.
What does sustainable fashion mean to you?
There are many different aspects of sustainability. First, it means sourcing sustainable fabrics that are not contributing to negative environmental impacts. Second, it means treating our workers, seamstresses and creatives in the best way we possibly can. We pay our local artisans five times of California’s minimum wage for developing a pattern, and three to four times for the sewing. We pay by the hour, and I don’t think that’ll ever change.
I would go to local warehouses to source for dead stock. It allows me to look at the fabric and see if it’s a good fit. It’s a good step toward being environmentally conscious. When we aren’t using dead stock, for a silk piece, for example, we’re collaborating with artisans overseas. We’ve been discussing with farmers in Thailand who make the fabrics by hand and use natural dyes. I want to be as close to the supply chain as possible. It’s very easy to go with the vendor that offers the lowest price, but for me, it’s about taking a step back and realizing that every decision our team makes contributes to the larger picture.
How important is diversity and inclusivity in fashion for you?
Diversity and representation are important to me as a woman of color. In the fashion industry, it was predominantly Caucasian where I worked. It’s always in the back of my mind to break that barrier at Rendezvous. Right now, our two models are Caucasian women, but we would love to diversify. In the next shoot, we are planning to have a woman of color representing the brand.
We recently developed a curve version of our Alyson dress. Hopefully, it’ll cater to more curvy women. Because our brand is smaller and self-funded, sometimes it’s not the most cost-effective thing to develop curve versions of each style because it’s double the cost to do so. We are aware of that, and we want to make those changes as soon as possible to the extent that we can.
I think the fashion industry is slowly changing and making good amendments. We can already see changes in the inclusivity of shapes, sizes and skin tones. It’s our responsibility to acknowledge that it doesn’t change overnight, but we do the work that we can to improve it in the meantime.
What advice do you have for people who want to start their own brand or fashion label?
There’s going to be so many people who tell you that you can’t do it. They might not believe in your story and what you have to say, but that’s OK because people don’t usually believe it until they see it. As long as you work hard, there will be people who want to support you. Put in the time to talk to them and learn about their experiences. I think they’ll offer you a lot of great resources.
Your biggest critic is going to be yourself. Have a clear picture of what you want to establish, and what you hope to achieve. Network with people, talk with people who understand the design, manufacturing and production process. Eventually, you’ll get closer and closer to your goal. If you want to start a slow fashion label, think about the purpose it can serve in the long run. When I first started, I thought about where I saw Rendezvous in five to 10 years.
Sustainable Asian-owned Brands
Weekly Thoughts
Last week: Who is an Asian person that inspires you and why?
Your responses:
“My grandmother. She’s 86 years old this year, and she’s very healthy. She cooks for herself, and exercises every day. She’s lived alone for almost 20 years now, but she continues to stay strong for her children and her grandchildren. I really admire that.” – Tiffany Miao, Boston, Massachusetts
“Fashion blogger Chriselle Lim is by far my favorite person. I’ve known her since 2012 but didn’t catch up on her life until I stumbled upon her on Instagram a few years ago, I was hooked since! She’s a digital creator, boss, fashion queen, mother of two and wife – that’s who I aspire to be. Her genuine and humble stride toward success is something I will continue to look up to.” – Meredith Koh, Singapore
This week: What is something that reminds you of your childhood?
#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
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