Word: east
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...Project East turns its sights on another industry stereotype: that Asian designers only make Asian clothing. “This is clearly generalizing and stereotyping, but I feel like when people think of an Asian designer, they assume dragons and kimonos,” says Kristin S. Kim ’09, co-founder. “That’s an inherent quality of Asian cultural fashion, but I think what Project East does is bring forth people who happen to be Asian and who are designers in mainstream America—making clothing not for an Asian audience...
Within an increasingly crowded and competitive field of student groups, these fashion shows find their affiliations with cultural organizations and institutions a great financial asset. Last fall Project East, committed to remaining an entirely Asian-American and Asian enterprise, was sponsored by the Reischauer Institute, which supports research on Japan, and the Korea Institute. Says Harel-Cohen, “there are these very big student organizations associated with minorities. We were linked to different Asian organizations on campus because they can raise the money. It’s much easier to do it from that framework than to just...
...which equips and encourages young adults to enact positive change in their communities in the Boston area. Likewise, this year Identities donated their profits to Artists For Humanity, which seeks to reduce socioeconomic and racial divisions by empowering underprivileged kids with paid employment in the arts in Boston. Project East, however, was the only show of the three to donate directly back to the community which supported them: in 2009, profits went to the China Tomorrow Education Fund to help build a school in rural China...
...Parent, who is still very much involved with Project East from his fashion post in Shanghai, the charity status is important for more personal reasons. “It was also a good way for me to give back to [my community] and to help promote my own ethnic group, their talent and credibility, in an industry that doesn’t really appreciate that—or at least didn’t when I started...
While Eleganza, Project East and Identities define their relationships with minority communities on unique terms, Parent’s sentiment seems to resonate for all three of these fashion shows. As designers borrow inspiration from respective outside communities to create their clothes for market or school, these three shows return the favor—making use of couture to serve the ethnic communities at Harvard and beyond in both social and charitable ways...