The best thing about the fashion industry is that it’s constantly changing and evolving, in some ways more than others. One thing remains clear: there is no shortage of talented emerging designers. Each year, a new class emerges, and this year for AAPI month, we are spotlighting the new guard of AAPI designers in New York City and beyond that have caught our attention within the past year.
From LVHM finalists like Zane Li to coquette favorite Allina Liu, below are the 5 emerging AAPI designers we have on our radar.
LII
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Chinese-born Zane Li only graduated from FIT in 2023, and three-years later, after promptly launching his ready-to-wear brand LII at NYFW, the New York-based designer is now a finalist for the prestigious 2026 LVMH Prize. Offering both menswear and womenswear collections, Li’s signatures include clean lines, color blocking, and silhouettes that hark back to ‘90s minimalism with a contemporary lean.
Ashlyn
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Formerly having worked under Raf Simons at Calvin Klein 205W39NYC and Alexander Wang, Ashlynn Park is a South Korean-born designer who has racked up plenty of accolades since her beginnings in 2020, becoming 2022’s LVMH Prize finalist, CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Winner in 2025, and the CFDA Emerging Designer of the Year award in the same year. Park’s silhouettes fit into the category of refined, elevated and understated pieces. Think: Proenza Schouler, The Row, and Alaïa.
Tae Park
Instagram.com/tae___park
Parson’s graduate Taehee Park was born in South Korea and raised between China, Indonesia and Vietnam, and founded her eponymous brand in late 2020. Debuting as a range of wardrobe basics and loungewear, Park has since evolved her design vocabulary to include eveningwear, tailoring, corsetry, and denim.
Lu’u Dan
Instagram.com/luudan_official
A first-gen US-born son of Vietnamese parents, Lu’u Dan (meaning bad boy) designer Hung La explores Asian male sexuality through his avant garde menswear silhouettes. Working heavily with leather, dark colours, and graphic prints, La uses tropes from Hollywood “Asian Villains” and offers a counterpoint through relaxed cuts and joyful interpretations of these stereotypes.
Allina Liu
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New York based Allina Liu has had her eponymous brand for just over a decade, but it hasn’t stopped her from reaching new heights with her coquettish, horror-inspired brand in recent years. With training at The Row and a CFDA award for Genesis House Designer in 2025, Liu’s work meets at the intersection of romanticism and gothic themes.