Growing up Asian with Fashion

Growing up, I have always been interested in fashion, from wanting to model to wanting to be a designer, to now wanting to market and merchandise. There have been several steps on my journey to where I am now.

Growing up, there were many pressures to follow the American Dream. Follow the path to a successful career through good grades, discipline, and a well-paying career (medical, law, engineering, computer science). However, there was rarely room for business or art because, in Asian American culture, there was no guarantee of success in those careers.

In the beginning, truly, I had lied to my parents, to my family, that I wanted to purely study marketing. I had already felt guilty that I no longer wanted to pursue a career in the medical field, and I had even achieved a certification in Biomedical Sciences in high school. My family wanted at least one person to pursue the medical path, and they wanted that person to be me. I worked. I kept myself working towards that goal, but then the pandemic happened. As part of a clique, I went on a journey of self-discovery and realized that medicine was not for me.

I began searching around, first I found marketing and business, then I found fashion merchandising. As a sophomore in high school, I had decided to make a pivot. Even though I was enrolled in the Biomedical program at my high school, I could still choose different electives. First, I went with the principals of Business & Marketing. My Junior year, I had a lot of fun. I thought about other career choices, accounting, finance, and economics; however, fashion merchandising still lingered in my mind. I was evolving my own style and figuring out what I truly wanted.

The Rise of Asian Influences in Fashion

This topic is based on the rise of Asian influences within fashion. From small details with historical significance, such as the tabi shoe, to full influences such as the cheongsam collar, there has been a noticeable rise in these influences within fashion. Which most likely stems from the consumption of Asian media.

While many forms of Asian media have been consumed over the years, there are notable influences from Japan due to anime, manga, and idol culture.

There are also notable influences from Korea, from K-drama and K-pop.

Importance of Traditional Wear

Identity and culture is

Additionally, there was also the era of 2020, where there were many hate crimes going on due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since many people of color