Happy AAPI Heritage Month! Our Co-founder Camille Jalandoni is co-hosting a pop up in NYC’s Soho to help fundraise for an organization called Make Us Visible, which is on a mission to support more schools in the US to teach about Asian American history, which is such an important cause. We put together a handy list of our favorite AAPI owned businesses you can support year round.

Shopping Event That Supported The Local NYC AAPI Brands

“In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Velvet.Co and Awet will present a pop-up experience at 57 Bond Street, SoHo on May 4th & 5th, aims to showcase the rich diversity and creativity within the AAPI community, offering an immersive journey through art, fashion, beauty, and culture. The pop-up will feature curated products and contributions of AAPI brands like MERGE, VINNPATARARIN, Apede Mod, Cloud Studio, Luna PR and more. Visitors can expect to find a diverse range of offerings including art, fashion, beauty, accessories, and home decor, all reflecting the unique perspectives and talents of the AAPI community. A percentage of the weekend’s proceeds will be donated to Make Us Visible, an AAPI organization carries a mission to bring Asian American history into K-12 classrooms in the U.S.”

LIST OF 15 COOL APPI OWNED COMPANIES WE’RE OBSESSING OVER

CLOUD STUDIO Founded by YouMe Lin

Headquartered in New York City, Cloud Studio was founded in 2019 by creative consultant, producer, and editor YouMe Lin.

With extensive director-level work experiences in creative and social media management roles, YouMe has gained a deep understanding for effective communication. A goal-oriented and creative leader, YouMe holds a proven track record of growing brands from start-ups to household names. Through years of on-the-job training, she has developed a passion and skill for helping forward-thinking brands share their stories.

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VELVET.CO

Founded in 2017, Velvet.Co is an international PR and marketing firm based in New York and Shanghai.

At Velvet.Co, we help your business tell the story that your customers need to hear. We explore and invent new ways for you to reach, connect, and build relationships with your target customers in China and US markets across digital channels and special events.

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MERGE

In 2020, Merge's story began, driven by the mission to overcome the challenges of discovering the perfect-fit jeans. Our journey in the clothing industry began through online channels, being the first Thai brand that offer jeans in 10 different sizes, catering to diverse body types. Our commitment extends beyond fashion; we celebrate the unique differences and strengths of individuals, with a particular focus on supporting and enhancing the diverse shapes of women.

Merge aims to underline your inner beauty, promoting genuine confidence and authenticity. We not only emphasize attention to detail but also prioritize maintaining a balance between quality and affordability.

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APEDE MOD

Apede Mod was founded in 2016 in New York city, by two girl friends in their search for the perfect go-to bag. Apede Mod is founded to support other women in living fun and same time looking elegant.

Each bag is designed with great attention to shape, color and utility. Our goal for each bag is to achieve convenience through design and confidence through art. Each bag is designed with inspiration from nature, vintage pieces, architecture and modern culture. Working with the top small ateliers each fabric, zipper and stitch is done by hand by true masters of their craft.

“APEDE” is derived from ancient Egyptian god named Apedemak, meaning courage and independence. “MOD” stands for modern, symbolizes the spirit of independence and vitality.

Apede Mod was created because we realized there was a need for change. We advocate women to explore their free will; thus we design each of our bags with ingenuity, to make every “Apede Mod Girl” feels confident no matter in what situation. In one word, we want women and girls to be independent, strong, and unique of their own. Our goal is to continue to produce luxury goods with a sense of ease about them.

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VINN PATARARIN

VINN PATARARIN is a multi-disciplinary fashion design based on cutting-edge experimentation on textile and architecture with the questions of material and space. Approaching the art of post-modern craftsmanship by the technic of High-tech meets Low-tech production.

Our philosophy is to see elements differently and using cross-disciplinary and theory to innovate and go beyond tradition. Textile is not only material but also the representation of culture and status from time to time. We consider textile itself as design and art piece, furthermore , we introduce architecture structure to the fabrication process and graphic making. We challenge human body as a moving architecture which space between each layer can create dynamic volume, silhouette, shade and shadow. The ideal of engaging environment to the total presentation of the garment is appeared. The transparent and translucent technic bring the atmosphere of the environment and also the color of background into the garment. We commit to the experimentation of design elements and follow the sake of the significant of material and design principle to introduce the breakthrough design in relation to the post-modern culture.

Vinn Chokkhatiwat is a multidisciplinary architect and designer, who committed to theoretical research and experimentation across various design fields with the concern of sociology and cultural diversity. He finished his Master degree in design and contemporary technology at ENSCI, Les Aterlier,Paris, and he did his Bachelor degree in Architectural design in International program in Design and Architecture, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He did an internship at Iris van Herpen, haute couture house.

Patararin Pongprasit is an artist and a designer. She was graduated from Srinakharinwirot University, a major fashion design school in Thailand and further her education in superior fashion design and couture at Studio Bercot. She has strong ideal about re-engaging traditional costume and modern wear as art of wearing relates to identity, culture and lifestyle. She did an internships with an haute couture house named Azzedine ALAIA and new talented brand named Katharina Gruber.

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Ming You Wang

“When I started my brand in 2013 I decided to use my Chinese name. It was a way for me to define my work life in New York, where everyone knew me as Jennifer, my Americanized name; and to give a new identity to the characters that my grandparents chose for me when I was born. Incidentally MING YU WANG means King of Jade so maybe my path to making jewelry was already laid out.

After graduating from FIT, I started out working in apparel, where I learned about form and structure. The concepts of draping fabric and how to connect a material's shape and form to the body became the foundation to my designs. I quickly got turned off by fast fashion and started drifting towards pieces that were designed with longevity in mind. Something that could be passed down and cherished, just like a name. I found myself making bold statement jewelry as a way to say something in this industry. It should be fun and as loud as you want it to be.

The idea of wearable art was first introduced to me as a child growing up in Taipei, watching my mom and her friends playing Mahjong, stylishly dressed up, until the early hours. At the table all the attention is on your hands and the subtleties you make over your next moves. I remember just staring quietly at how fabulous everyone looked when they transformed into glittering movie stars on these rare nights. There is a deep connection to my heritage in these memories that I couldn’t place until recently. I feel that the inspiration for my designs came from these moments. Our family, culture, style and our stories were all on display at one table. This is how I envisioned statement jewelry then and for now.

On a parallel path to these designs also came my life as a mom. The reasons for reducing harmful waste and improving the condition of the planet that I’m leaving behind for him became even more so important. My collection is made entirely of recycled sterling silver and recycled brass, with ethically-sourced gems and cultivated freshwater pearls. I’m very grateful to be able to tell my story through my work and I hope it brings you as much happiness as it does for me. Thank you for truly being a part of my journey.“

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MAKE US VISIBLE

Make Us Visible was formed in January 2021 when a small group of parents, students, and teachers came together in search of long-term, bipartisan solutions to anti-Asian American violence. Soon, more neighbors, friends, and community members from across the country joined their mission. Together, they wrote letters, called lawmakers, organized community events, and built friendships. As more states joined, more Asian Americans who never thought they would get involved in political advocacy began sharing their stories.

These efforts led to the passage of MUV CT's 2021 K-8 Model Curriculum which included Asian American and Pacific Islander history. Since then, Make Us Visible chapters in New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Florida led successful bipartisan, community-driven efforts to include Asian American history in K-12 public schools, making their states the country's 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th to establish such a requirement. Connecticut became the 1st state in the country to pass legislation with state-allocated funding. Florida became the first state in the South and the most populated state to pass the law. Today, Make Us Visible includes 24 active chapters and continues to grow with each new conversation.

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BROOKLYN DELHI

It all started in a small kitchen in Brooklyn with an IDEA to expand the conversation around Indian food in America to include achaar, a beloved and staple South Asian condiment and a QUESTION of how to create space for a new culinary perspective, authentic to us.

Our story is one of identity, flavor, connection, and, of course, love...

Meet Chitra and Ben. A cookbook author and an artist doing more than just making sauces: they were bridging cultures by connecting people to real Indian flavors, first at markets across NYC and now at grocery stores nationwide.

APPROACH
Our recipes are rooted in tradition, but not bound by it. Our small batch production results in nuanced, complex flavors that strike a fine balance between traditional and Western palettes.

INGREDIENTS
Our ingredients are thoughtfully and meticulously sourced for each recipe-- down to the type of coconut cream and variety of mango (It makes a difference!)

FLAVORS
Our flavors are big and bold and definitely Indian, but they're also really versatile - perfect for adding to your existing recipes and pantry staples to kick things up a notch.

PHILOSOPHY
Our products will always maintain cultural integrity and pay homage to time-honored Indian culinary traditions as we innovate on better-for-you recipes with wholesome, plant-based ingredients.

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Blueland

“My journey to use less single-use plastic began when I became a new mom. I was horrified to learn that all the plastic I was throwing away was contaminating our water supply and generating hundreds of microplastics in the water and food I was feeding my baby. I wanted to do my part to help, but it was impossible to find household products like window cleaner, lotion, and toothpaste that didn’t come packaged in plastic. From there, Blueland was born.

Our mission is simple: make it easy to be eco with innovative products in reusable packaging that are convenient, effective and affordable.

I hope you’ll join us as we clean up the planet!“

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OMSOM

“We’re Vanessa + Kim Pham, the sisters and co-founders behind Omsom. We’re daughters of Vietnamese refugees, who grew up at our family’s kitchen counter, watching our Mẹ cook Viet dinners from scratch every night. Like so many Asian moms, this was her love language to her children.

In our past lives, we cut our teeth in startups and consulting. We returned to our roots to finally build the company of our dreams — one that proudly reclaims + celebrates the multitudes to be found in Asian flavors, stories, and communities.

This is our fiery love letter to our people (that’s you!), our food, and our Phamily (both ancestors and chosen).

Pull up a stool and grab a bowl – welcome to our house.”

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