#Stopasianhate – the fashion insiders calling out racism
After anti-asian hate crimes spiked with the arrival of coronavirus, a group of fashion insiders launched a campaign to call out racism against the Asian community
when donald trump first tweeted about the ‘Chinese virus’ on 16 March 2020, Asian Americans were right to be concerned. The non-profit organisation Stop AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Hate has received over 3,795 first-hand reports of anti-asian racism since 19 March 2020 and, last week, six Asian women were killed in Atlanta, Georgia, after a gunman opened fire in three massage parlours. Although he claimed his actions were not racially-motivated, it is, as one of the most violent crimes committed against the AAPI community in recent memory, a reminder that Asian Americans feel like they have a target on their back.
The UK has an anti-asian problem too. According to a report by L1ght, the Ai-based start-up targeting online toxicity, there has been a 900% increase in hate speech directed towards China and the Chinese on Twitter. In January 2020, Jonathan Mok, 23, a student from Singapore, was attacked in London by a group of white males who told him, ‘We don’t want your coronavirus in our country.’
But, last month, some fashion industry insiders came together to try to turn the tide. They created a hashtag that would trumpet three words across social media: #Stopasianhate. Led by influential figures including designer Phillip Lim, Instagram’s Eva Chen, influencer Chriselle Lim and writer Susie Lau, its aim is to get these stories into the mainstream media and stop the spread of misinformation.
The campaign has also generated an outpouring of stories from a community, including my own, that has often stayed silent. My mum is Singaporean and, as a mixed-race woman, I’ve experienced the sting of being ‘othered’; questions like, ‘But where are you from from?’ – so intrinsic to the marginalised experience that it’s mentioned in almost every personal essay on the subject, or comments about ‘yellow skin’ and ‘disgusting’ Chinese food. The Cut’s Kathleen Hou wrote, ‘The burden of swallowing anti-asian racism is making
America and me sick’, while Susie Lau wrote in Grazia about how many direct messages she received from ESEA (East and Southeast Asians) about what she called ‘suppressed anecdotes of racism’.
Perhaps this explains why the movement has gained such traction in fashion. ‘Being vocal is not necessarily valued in Asian culture,’ says WWD’S London/china market editor, Tianwei Zhang. Eva Chen attested to this in a post: ‘There is a tidal wave of HATE against Asians right now... with the elderly as victims. Why? They think Asians won’t speak up, fight back or report crimes. Well, this overly opinionated Asian American will shout from the rooftops that we MUST fight anti-asian hate crimes and speak up every day.’
‘Fashion, and its expressive nature, gives Asian influencers and designers the power to speak up,’ says Tianwei. Yuhan Wang, a London-based designer from Weihai, China, agrees. ‘Normally, Asian people are quiet and tolerant. It stems from our culture.’ And the stories they’re sharing have been heard far and wide, with Burberry, Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino, Nike, Adidas and Converse posting messages of support.
‘I can’t and won’t sit back when I see people facing hate and discrimination,’ Tommy Hilfiger told Grazia. ‘The fashion industry cannot discriminate in its commitment to inclusivity. As a brand, we don’t align with only one group, or view some as more important than others. Fashion is about representing and welcoming everyone.’ Valentino’s creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, echoes these feelings. ‘I lead a brand that in the past was based on the idea of exclusivity. Today…
I am trying to give Valentino a twist, maintaining the DNA of the maison, but making it more inclusive, equal and diverse.’
Diet Prada, the industry’s unofficial watchdog, questioned why more brands hadn’t joined the chorus. ‘With China making up 35% of global luxury sales, it’s curious why nearly all brands have kept mum, even as the attacks have finally begun to trickle into mainstream US media,’ it posted in February. ‘Perhaps... brands feel they don’t need to speak up because the hate happening in the US isn’t directly impacting the core of their Asian consumers in Asia. Is it an easy out?’
When it comes to changing the statistics, Tianwei is cautiously optimistic. ‘It’s going to take generations to see the impact. It’s not going to be like you post this and the next month anti-asian hate crimes go down.’ But there’s no doubt that the campaign has opened eyes. In an unprecedented move, Teen Vogue staffers united in protest against the hiring of new editor-in-chief Alexi Mccammond, after her historical tweets expressing blatant anti-asian bias resurfaced. On 8 March, members of editorial posted, ‘In a moment of historically high antiasian violence… we fully reject those sentiments.’
But a social media post can only do so much. ‘Many companies say they’re inclusive and diverse, but what they do is very different,’ says Tianwei. Goom Heo, the Korean designer who shows as part of Lulu Kennedy’s Fashion East, agrees.
‘If they’re a big established brand, there should be action behind the words.’ Nike’s Melanie Auguste said that its motivation for supporting the movement is twofold. ‘Nike is opposed to discrimination, violence and inequality in all forms, and we have a responsibility to work towards addressing it. In addition to using our brand voice, we also take meaningful action as a company, through partnerships and investment.’
When Burberry posted its message of solidarity with #Stopasianhate on 25 February, the comments showed how far we have to go. ‘All this hate bullshit happens only in America,’ was one example.
Many ESEA designers in the UK describe the fashion industry as a safe haven of sorts. Goom says she felt protected within the community at Central Saint Martins. Outside was different. ‘On the street people shouted, “Coronavirus!” and “Go back to your country!”’ she says.
This is not to say that fashion doesn’t have a chequered past when it comes to understanding Asia. At 2015’s Met Gala, the theme ‘China: Through The Looking Glass’, led pundits to speculate that the red carpet would smack of cultural appropriation. The Met’s accompanying exhibition wasn’t about China, but how Chinese aesthetics influenced Western fashion. But the fact that only two guests – Rihanna and Fan Bingbing – chose looks by Chinese designers, while others simply wore red or worked motifs into their outfits, felt like a missed opportunity.
To Yuhan Wang, the richness of China’s artistic heritage is always an influence. For her latest collection, she found inspiration in Chinese landscape paintings and their symbolism. ‘I feel it’s my responsibility to show the best things from my culture,’ she says. Feng Chen Wang, who grew up in Fujian, similarly sees herself as a bridge between East and West, old and new. Her S/S ’18 Made in China collection aims to counter the stereotypes around that label – ‘Everyone thinks about cheap products, fake things; there’s lots of negative messages,’ she says. Instead, her collection helps preserve the traditions of Chinese artisans by adapting their ancient processes. ‘Everything is made by hand, even the material is dried in the sun. I brought this order to them and supported them by giving them a good price.’
So far, most activism we’ve seen has been around raising awareness. But real change will ultimately lie in how people beyond the ESEA community respond. As Eva says, ‘You don’t have to be Asian to raise awareness. We need every voice to be antiracist and condemn these terrible crimes.’
‘PEOPLE WOULD SHOUT AT ME, “CORONAVIRUS” AND “GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY”’