Asian Designers Who Have Changed the Fashion Industry

It`s hard to imagine what the industry would be like today if Kenzō Takada had listened to what society said and chose not to design. Growing up in Tokyo, it was taboo for a man to work in the fashion industry; Takada wasn`t even allowed to attend design school. But that did not stop him from moving to Paris and starting his own brand. From there, cultural norms were not the only thing Takada disrupted. He created readytowear collections 45 years before it became widely adopted within the industry. He was also the first designer to popularize his pioneering and exaggerated floral patterns in the European-dominated couture world at the time. He died in October 2020, but his legacy is that he was one of the first "outsiders" to bring Asian design to the forefront of culture. If there was something like a fashion power duo, it would be Humberto Leon and Carol Lim. They are not  traditional power couples, but their friendship and work have changed the industry. In the 2000s, it was rare  to find a brand dedicated  to exploring fashion through opening ceremonies and creating space for emerging artists. And while Leon and Lim`s careers have evolved—they stepped down as the creative directors for LVMH`s brand Kenzo and have shuddered their retail stores to only focus on their own label—there's no denying the impact they've had on the fashion industry. 

No one has quite perfected feminine yet tailored pieces like Joseph Altuzarra. Raised in Paris, with experience working at multiple household names—like Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler—the multicultural designer`s work has come to embody the French aesthetic with a pinch of Americangirl pragmatism. Basically, he's an Asian designer who creates the kind of clothing anyone, of any background, would want to wear, and that in and of itself is what makes him so special. When we think of designers who not only tap their cultural roots to inspire their work but also choose to use their work to uplift communities, we think of Prabal Gurung. The Nepalese-American designer may not be based in New York, but he continues to use his work to raise awareness of what's happening around the world. Prabal is committed to creating beautiful and conscious clothing, as well as laying the groundwork for helping underprivileged children in Nepal, creating sustainable employment and income. Basically, this designer is changing the world little by little.