★ M.A.R.A.★

Vivienne Tam

is a Chinese American fashion designer known for her East-meets-West polish, clean lines, Asian prints, rich color sense, and facility with beading … and has PRIZES & GOODIES for you at her Lace & Sequins Holiday Cocktail party!  Everything is up to 60% OFF! (per an email from the marketing coordinator).  All you have to do is RSVP by NOON 12pm, Tuesday, December 22nd.

***See invite below***

[via]


Vivienne Tam SOHO store with pieces from her Fall 2009 collection [1, 2]







Some of her gorgeous and delicious pieces, Spring 2010 RTW collection [via]
Will be available Jan/Feb 2010.  Will update when Marketing informs me of trunk show info. 

Other Quick facts about Vivienne Tam:

• Born November 28, 1957 in Guangzhou, China
• Launched eponymous line in 1994
• Designed East Wind Code for 9 years prior to her own line
• Saks, Neiman, Bloomies (among many others) carry her clothing in the U.S.
• Clothing also carried in stores worlwide
• The Met, Andy Warhol, and FIT museums display her pieces
• CFDA Nominated for Perry Ellis Award for womenswear in 1998
• Co-authored China Chic with Martha Huang
• Launched Red and Jade lines in 2007
• Designed Gramercy Park Hotel restaurant staff uniforms in 2007
• Design deal with HP in 2008 (see HP product placement in her photo above)

Other Keywords: famous asians, famous asian fashion designers, holiday party, NYC SOHO store, Vivienne Tam ethnicity, HP laptop design, Asiance Magazine invite Vivienne Tam holiday lace and sequins party, meet & greet, goody bags, raffle prize to Vivienne Tam’s Fall 2010 Runway fashion show at Bryant Park, RSVP!
Sources & More Info:  Wiki, NYMag
Profile photo

famousfilipinos: (originally posted August 20, 2009)

Rafe Totengco

is an award-winning, Filipino born (Ilo-Ilo), NYC-based handbag, shoes, and leather goods designer who was the first to sign-up for the current economy-apropos “designer-for-Target” fad [designs and sales of which I am a rabid fan…and by rabid I do mean foaming-at-the-mouth. Rodarte and Anna Sui are in the pipeline (salivating as I write), McQueen, Botkier, Hindmarch, and Siegerson Morrison are among the many who have lent their designs.]

Rafe (pronounced rah-fay signified by a horizontal line above the “e” which you can’t see now because my keyboard isn’t set up for that kind of fanciness) launched his handbag collection in 1995 and has since expanded to shoes and leather goods to enhance his world-wide store and upscale boutique stock.

“Rafe blends uptown sophistication with downtown edge while remaining classic enough to be worn for many seasons to come…” [CFDA]

[other sources: asian journal profile, Philippine Inquirer profile, Rafe’s blog and Twitter]

famousfilipinos:

Tai Reina Babilonia

Born: September 22, 1959

Who: Five-time gold medalist (skating with Randy Gardner) at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and gold medalist at the 1979 World Figure Skating Championships.  (Medal favorites at the 1980 Olympics but were forced to withdraw due to an injury to Gardner.)

Ethnicity: Babilonia was the first figure skater of partial African American descent to win U.S. and World titles.  She is part Filipino and Native American on her father’s side.  In the late 70’s and early 80’s, however, her mixed ethnic ancestry was rarely discussed by the media.

Other notes [Wiki]: While skating as a professional, Babilonia became addicted to amphetamines and alcohol and attempted suicide via an overdose of sleeping pills in the fall of 1988.^[1] After receiving treatment, she returned to the ice.

Babilonia appeared in the 2006 FOX television program “Skating with Celebrities”, partnered with Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner (Decathlon).

In retirement, she is living in Ashland, Oregon^[5]where she coaches part-time and also designs with Bear Hill Sports an activewear line called Tai.

famousfilipinos:

Gorgeous Malia Jones, yo…she part Filipino…model and pro-surfer from Cali…born March 27, 1977.  Hawaiian, Spanish-Filipino, and German descent.

Jones began to surf competitively in her early teens, and at age 15 won the girls division of the United States Amateur Surfing Championship. While competing, Surfing Magazine spotted her and asked her to model for their swimsuit issue, and thus a second career was born.

Since then, she has appeared on the cover of over a dozen magazines, and has been named one of the “50 Most Beautiful People” by People magazine, and one of America’s “10 Sexiest Athletes” by Esquire. She has also been a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Jones has done TV commercials for American Express, Capri Sun, Coca-Cola, Corona Beer, and VO5 shampoo.  Jones was a consultant for the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch.

She is married to the Aussie WCT Pro Surfer Luke Stedman.^[1] Currently she divides her time between Hawaii, France, and Sydney, Australia, and designs a line of swimwear for Mambo Graphics sportswear.

famousfilipinos:

Josie Natori

Josefina Almeda Cruz was born in the Philippines in 1947 and is a fashion designer and the CEO and founder of The Natori Company.


Natori served as a commissioner on the White House Conference on Small Business. In March 2007 she was awarded the Order of Lakandula, one of the highest civilian awards in the Philippines. ^[1] In April, 2007, Natori received the “Peopling of America” Award from the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation.

[photo source]


Natori moved to the United States in 1964 to attend Manhattanville College. After graduating, she worked at Merrill Lynch, where she rose the ranks to become the first female Vice President in Investment Banking. ^[2] On Wall Street, she also met her husband Ken Natori, who served as a Managing Director of Shearson Lehman. The couple married in 1972.

Natori made the move from Wall Street to fashion full-time in 1977, after considering a number of other entrepreuneurial ventures from opening a McDonald’s franchise, to reproducing antique furniture. ^[4] She settled on fashion after a buyer at Bloomingdale’s suggested she lengthen some peasant blouses sent to her from her native Philippines. The reworked garments were sold as nightshirts.

The Natori Company now sells lingerie, sleepwear, loungewear, underwear and other high-end women’s fashion to upscale department stores in the US, and to at least 15 countries internationally. ^[5]. In addition to women’s clothing, the company is also in the home furnishings industry, and in May, 2008 signed a licensing deal to sell Natori perfume. ^[6] The perfume is set to debut in the US in September, 2009, with international distribution to follow.

famousfilipinos:

Diane Monique Lhuillier

(born 1971 in Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines) is a Filipino fashion designer based in the United States.