I'm a Fashion Director, and These Are the Asian Designers I Love to Support

It is of utmost importance now and always to support Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. With the rise in hate crimes against AAPI communities during the pandemic, we must continue to

join together and stand against anti-Asian violence. We highlighted just a few resources to know here and also recommend organizations such as the Stop AAPI Hate organization, where you can report hate incidents you witness. Another way to show support is to shop Asian designers. In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, we wanted to highlight a few Asian fashion designers. We actually spoke with Shopbop’s fashion director, Caroline Maguire, to learn about just a few brands she personally supports. Given that it’s her role to lead fashion direction for the retailer, she has also developed strong relationships with some of the inspiring designers in question.

“Over this past year, it hasn’t just been the hate crimes affecting our AAPI communities but also the huge loss and suffering that Asian-owned businesses are dealing with as a result of the pandemic,” Maguire said. “With everything our communities are facing, it is an especially important time to support Asian-owned brands—we have to recognize that we’re all human and need to show our support and stand up for each other.”

Keep scrolling to check out a sampling of brands Maguire loves. If you keep scrolling, there are also more AAPI brands to support and check out.