These 60 Asian American creatives are designing a better L.A.
With the recent rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles-based stained glass artist Janel Foo wanted to do something to help.
“I can tell you that I’ve never been more self-conscious about being Asian,” said Foo, who is Chinese American and has worried about the safety of her parents.
So Foo decided to auction off one of her stained-glass suncatchers on Instagram and donate the funds to Stop AAPI Hate, a San Francisco-based coalition that addresses anti-Asian hate and harassment.
Her idea escalated from there. “I thought it would be cool to get my Asian American and Pacific Islander friends involved,” she said. “Part of it was raising awareness about rising Asian hate, but I also wanted to amplify AAPI voices in our community.”
Enough is enough, says a growing number of creatives from the fashion industry, including designer Kimora Lee Simmons, stylist Jeanne Yang and designer Prabal Gurung.
Since creating the Create to Stop Hate Instagram account, Foo has auctioned off more than 70 items from Asian American artists including jewelry, ceramics, yarn-wrapped horseshoes, illustrations and fiber wall hangings. The auction has collected more than $12,000 so far, and Foo will continue this week with donations from clothing label Black Crane, San Francisco-based photographer Michael Jang and Los Angeles celebrity photographer Peter Yang.
“It has been so rewarding and fulfilling,” Foo said. “Yes, it’s time consuming and I’ve been ignoring my stained glass orders, but I feel like it is important.”
Inspired by Foo, we’ve compiled a list of Los Angeles-based Asian American and Pacific Islander creatives. As with our lists of Black, Latino and female-owned businesses, this is not meant to be definitive but a way to highlight some of the AAPI community in Los Angeles.
Aimee Thieu
Three-dimensional hand-cut paper art and sculpture. aimeethieu.com
Alyson Iwamoto
Whimsical ceramics and jewelry. alysoniwamoto.com
Baked Goods
Handmade kiln-formed glass home decor and accessories by Jennifer Namkoong. bakedgoodsla.com
Bash + Sass
Gender neutral clothing for children, created by founder Irene Lee and inspired by her own two kids. bashandsass.com
Black Crane
Comfortable, size-inclusive clothing from designers Alexander Yamaguchi and Momo Suzuki. blackcrane.net
Botanica Workshop
Organic underwear and loungewear from founder Misa Miyagawa. botanicaworkshop.com
Building Block
Minimal leather goods and accessories by Nancy and Kimberly Wu. building--block.com
Caroline Suzuki
Greeting cards and giftware featuring hand-painted illustrations. carolynsuzukigoods.com
Cheery Human Studios
Bright and encouraging stationery, stickers and other paper goods by Kristina Yu. cheeryhumanstudios.com
Cindy Zell
Handmade sculptures using mindfully sourced natural materials. cindyzell.com
Clau
Leather goods and accessories by industrial designer Christine Lau. claudesignla.com
The Corgi Collective
Corgi butt accessories by Jason and Janel Foo. thecorgicollective.com
Cyan Ceramics
Minimalist ceramics handmade in Los Angeles by Catherine Yan. cyanceramics.com
Decue Wue
Illustrations by Diyou Wu (known as DQ), named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Art & Style, class of 2020. decuewu.com
Dez Einswell
Prints, planters, sculptures and housewares. dezeinswell.com
Dirty Eraser
Ink and watercolor works by Jo Situ Allen. dirtyeraser.com
Dwinisa Perkel
Leather, metal and artworks by Perkel, who is originally from Indonesia. dwinisa.com
Felicia Liang
The artist and illustrator, who specializes in colored pencil and digital illustrations, published “#100DAYSIANS,” an illustrated 100 Day Project about growing up Asian American. felicia-liang.com
Gjenmi
Fine jewelry by Korean designer Jennifer Pak, meant to be worn every day. gjenmi.com
Gliss Prints
Music-inspired wall art by Carrin Tanaka. glissprints.com
Hahn Jewelry
Sterling silver and gold-plated handmade artisan jewelry by Dhamee Hahn, inspired by Midcentury Modern design. hahnjewelry.com
Han Cao
Hand embroidery on found paper. hanwriting.com
Heo Ceramics
Graphic, hand-painted ceramics by Karen Tong. heo-ceramics.myshopify.com
Hey Moon Designs
Scarlet Penaloza hand-marbles, forms and assembles her jewelry and wall pieces at home in Los Angeles. heymoondesigns.com
Irro Irro
Minimalist clothing and accessories, ethically made in L.A. by Japanese designer Marie Miao. irroirro.com
Janel Foo
Working alone in her detached one-car garage-turned studio, Foo assembles stained-glass suncatchers for custom orders. janelfoo.com
Jen E Ceramics
Using her background in graphic design, Jen Kuroki crafts bold and colorful ceramics that will make you smile. jenkuroki.com
Jessica Chou
Photography. jessicachouphotography.com
JuJu Made
Hats and bags, jewelry and ceramic accessories by Juliana Hung. jujumade.com
Juniper + Fir
Textiles, macrame and fiber art by Echo Park artist Maya Slininger. juniperandfir.com
Kat & Roger
Artists Kat Hutter and Roger Lee, the son of Koreatown founder Hi Duk Lee, blend their talents in painting (Hutter) and ceramics (Lee) to create graphic handmade functional artworks. katandroger.com
Knotwork LA
Ceramics by Linda Hsiao, inspired by the natural world: rocks, trees, mountains and sand (think bird pitchers). knotworkla.com
Kristen Liu-Wong
Paintings, illustrations, zines and prints. kristenliuart.com
Leaf and Spine
This tiny store specializes in plants that are hard to find. “We wanted to form a specialty in plants that are really unique,” says owner Dustin Bulaon, who is a collector. instagram.com/leafandspine
Lupa Bags
Handcrafted leather goods by Ojai-based Katrina Espiritu. www.lupabags.com
Marley&Alfie
Handcrafted fiber art, yarn-wrapped horseshoes and colorful pom-pom jewelry by Cindy Tung. marleyandalfie.com
Merci Milo
Ethically made goods for children from around the world. shopmercimilo.com
Mien
Designer Lisa Hsieh started the small-batch clothing business in 2015 when she was pregnant with her son and couldn’t find flattering clothing for pregnancy and beyond. mienstudios.com
Mirena Kim
Handmade modern ceramics, including vessels, platters, bowls and cups. mirenakim.com
MyNameIsNotDarren
Screen prints by Darrin Pattanumotana. etsy.com/shop/MyNameIsNotDarren
Object-Matter O-M
Graphic, curvilinear ceramics, blankets and tote bags by Highland Park-based artist Carrie Lau. omceramic.com
Oh Joy!
Founder and creative director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning bandages to soft soap, as well as regular editorial content online. ohjoy.com
Ozma of California
Designer Heidi Baker’s clothing line, which is made in L.A., focuses on nature and sustainability. ozmaofcalifornia.com
Pawena Thimaporn
Handcrafted and boldly painted ceramics, thrown in Thimaporn’s Woodland Hills studio. pawenastudio.com
Peter Yang
The Los Angeles photographer is known for his celebrity portraits, from Barack Obama to JJ Watt. peteryang.com
Poketo
Founded in 2003 by husband-and-wife team Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung, the design accessories and housewares brand has grown from a small startup into a mainstay of the Los Angeles creative community. poketo.com
Raina J. Lee
The Mount Washington artist experiments with wheel and slab-built forms in alternative firings, textures and forms. On occasion, she hosts sales in her backyard treehouse art gallery. rainajlee.com
Ren-Vois
Handmade ceramics and dinnerware by Tina Huang made from recycled colored clay. ren-vois.com
Ryan Young
The photographer most recently documented a candlelight vigil honoring the victims of anti-Asian hate crimes for the New York Times. ryaneyoung.com
Sanso
Rare and exotic plants in handcrafted ceramics. sanso.la
Scout Regalia
L.A.-based designers Makoto Mizutani and Benjamin Ludd bring a relaxed yet modern look to their products: stylish picnic tables, sturdy raised-bed garden kits for apartment dwellers and colorful stainless-steel wall hooks for indoors and out. scoutregalia.com
The Sill
Eliza Blank’s popular boutique carries houseplants, planters and gifts. thesill.com
Skinesque
Clean and approachable Korean skincare, paraben-free, founded by Susie Yoon. skinesque.com
Here are the stories of three Asian Americans who have dealt with racism all their lives and are now determined to speak up.
Sonja Rasula
Rasula’s Unique Markets usually sets up shop in L.A. three times a year, drawing upward of 5,000 shoppers. She recently launched Care Package, a quarterly subscription service that introduces customers to items they’d typically find at a Unique event. uniquemarkets.com
String Theory
Handmade, one-of-a-kind subversive cross-stitched pieces, stitched by Barbara Sueko McGuire. barbarasueko.com
Sundae School
The unisex smoke wear label has expanded into branded cannabis. sundae.school
Svolta
Direct to consumer gender-neutral/unisex scooters, hats and masks designed by parents. svoltaride.com
TarokoMoon
Handmade soaps of favorite Asian goods — dumplings, fortune cookies and more — by Monica Chen. etsy.com/shop/tarokomoon
Things Between
Hand-dyed clothing by Jessica Lee. thethingsbetween.com
Tome Ceramics
Stoneware and porcelain vessels by Carla Tome, inspired by the landscape and architecture of Los Angeles. tomeceramics.com
Tower 28
Clean, vegan and cruelty-free beauty products designed for sensitive skin, founded by Amy Huang Liu. tower28beauty.com
UnitedOther
Handcrafted incense, spiritual toolkits and workshops. unitedother.com
Uno+Ichi
Whimsical ceramicware handmade in West Adams by painter and ceramist Hana Ward. uno-ichi.com
Wee Monster
A line of children’s clothing with a “spunky spin,” spearheaded by two sisters. weemonster.net
The Wicked Boheme
Inspired by travel, Anh Nguyen works with artisans to bring sustainable handmade home decor — wicker furnishings, textiles and fragrances — to the home. thewickedboheme.com
Wyldbnch Plants
Pop Annemarie Chan’s shop in the downtown Arts District features indoor plants, planters, gifts and potting services. wyldbnchplants.com
Yuki Buttons
Minimalist clothing, handmade to order in Chino Hills. instagram.com/yuki.buttons
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