In September 2019, after nearly 20 years of studying accumulating knowledge from over 100 brands stumbled throughout my life. I decided to start a brand that fills a void in the fashion industry.
At the time, brands such as YSL, Fear of God and ORO were making waves with their chic punk rock aesthetic. Their pieces would go up towards $200 all the way to $800 for a flannel.
With 0 experience in manufacturing, I went to numerous factories in New York learning about the process of creating a garment. It was truly an ups & downs experience as many who saw me as a newcomer tried to take advantage of the fact. Finally I went with a factory in Brooklyn called MCM Enterprise, spear headed by Mr. Chung Yu - the president and 3rd generation apparel factory owner.
Chung was sweet, charming and had a huge heart. He was willing to teach me every single process from pattern making, cutting, developing a sample and ultimately production. I owe much of my manufacturing knowledge to him. Here is a video of me giving a tour MCM Enterprise's factory in Brooklyn, New York:
After spending weeks learning the process and finalizing the designs, I invested everything I had, borrowing $10000 from my cousin to develop 4 versions of 'The Flannel' through my lens & taste:
1. The Classic Flannel
There's nothing more iconic about a flannel than the Black & Red checkerboard color way. With a traditional collar, scoop hem and beautiful drape yet still holds its boxy shape. It is truly a classic garment to many, and the origin of this style since dawn.
2. Timeless Flannel
With as twist to the traditional flannel. I developed new collar, inspired by the Qing dynasty dress, I named it the mandarin collar. With this piece, I decided to go with a much more subtle, yet elegant color way to appeal to a wider base of customers. This became our best seller and to this day, we would often see some variation of this flannel or if we're lucky, this particular piece on the streets of Hanoi, Saigon, New York, Tokyo & LA.
3. The Indigo Flannel
2019 was the release of Chris Brown's INDIGO Album. The color purple all the sudden re-emerge into the scene so seductively. Inspired, I decided to create a purple flannel, which was extremely unordinary and still rare even to this day. You really don't see a purple flannel that is more fly & seducing than this in everyday life.
4. The Vincent Flannel
The final color way, also the most vibrant color out of all was the Vincent Flannel. This color was truly phenomenal, it is a statement piece, it is a layer piece, it's meant to wear by itself or anywhere you hang it will look absolutely stunning.
This is the DIY - Made in New York collection because truly, everything was done by me, in New York. From designing, tweaking the fit, choosing the buttons, borrowing the initial capital, mocking up the labels, tags, designing the packaging. Even the photos (which I took with the latest iPhone 11 Pro Max) at the time were shot, lighten & edited myself. This was my official start of a journey into the fashion industry as a creator, after more than 2 decades of love, passion, a student and a fan.
