Ascend AAPI Spring Fashion Show
Join Houston Public Library and Rice University on May 20th as we amplify the voices of the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Ascend AAPI Spring Fashion Show will transform the Houston Public Library's Historic Julia Ideson Building into a beautiful and festive runway.
Come to explore the world of fashion and art! The show will feature:
- Designer Chloe Dao, fashion designer and television personality, winner of The Project Runway Season 2
- Designer Tina Zulu, owner and creative chieftess at Zulu Creative and Kimono Zulu
- Visual artist Anthony Pabillano
This immersive experience celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and the exhibit,"Our Vibrant AAPI Community: Selections from the Houston Asian American Archive"on display at the Julia Ideson Building Gallery from January 19, 2023, to June 3, 2023. This event is made possible thanks to the collaborative effort of the Houston Public Library and Rice University's Houston Asian American Archive. We also thank the Miss Chinatown Houston Scholarship Pageant. Several previous contestants will be modeling for this event.
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Register here.
Meet the designers!
Chloe Dao is a Vietnamese-American, born in Laos, fashion designer and style expert based in Houston. She was catapulted to international fame after winning Project Runway Season 2 in 2006 with a collection of women's evening wear. She has been featured on the cover of Forbes, Elle Magazine, as well as CNN, The View and numerous media outlets both national and international.
Chloe’s signature flair, as noted on Project Runway, demonstrates her expert understanding of women’s bodies. Her garments are carefully constructed to flatter every body type and give every woman a wardrobe that’s as one of a kind as she is. Chloe's mission is to make everyone feel beautiful.
Kimono Zulu, a creative exploration led by Tina Zulu, a Filipina-American will present a collection of reimagined vintage Japanese kimonos. Kimono Zulu draws upon the rich history of traditional Japanese attire, mainly the kimono, and its influence on other cultures throughout Asia and the West. Through artist collaborations, Tina Zulu inspires and initiates the visual conversation for artists to incorporate their own design sensibilities into the vision for the brand, bringing new life to vintage kimonos in a thoughtful, beautiful and often playful way.
Anthony Pabillano, a Houston-based Filipino artist and accessories designer, currently explores weaving in the style of the Philippine bayong, a traditional bag made from dried leaves but redefined today through his use of unexpected materials and forms. Grounded on the human form and empowered by reconciliation of present with past experiences, Anthony Pabillano creates pieces that serve as vessels of memories and emotions traversing over distances and time, woven into objects centering around matters of the self and of the collective.
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