Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month: Part 1
Like the Asian American Pacific Islander community, this Jacket is Made of Many Parts.
Community /
May 2021
May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the many contributions these communities make to American history and culture. This year, in the face of a pandemic that’s disproportionately impacted the Asian community, it’s more important than ever that we listen to—and amplify—their voices and support the AAPI community at large.
As a part of our longstanding efforts to support marginalized groups, Levi Strauss & Co. and the Levi Strauss Foundation will be donating over $500,000 in 2021 to organizations on the frontlines of the battle for fair and equitable treatment of the AAPI community, including: Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, Chinatown YMCA, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Filipino Community Center and May 19 AAPI Solidarity Campaign.
We also partnered with our Asian Employee Resource Group to invite staffers and community members to share their stories—through words and denim. For the first installment of this three-part series, nine AAPI members from our Design team collaborated to customize a Trucker Jacket, one of the most American garments out there. Dreamed up in collaboration and brought to life through a medley of individually designed squares, this jacket is a labor of love and a testament to the mosaic composition of this country’s AAPI community.
This custom creation will be housed at the Levi’s® Archives, where it’ll act as a reminder of the past, reflection of the present and celebration of the future we hope to build.
Photographs by Justin Chung.
A NOTE FROM THE TEAM
With this Trucker Jacket, we're increasing visibilty of AAPI members of the Design team. We wanted to highlight the very talented AAPI employees that design the product vision and set direction here at Levi's.
The Asian American Pacific Islander community is not monolithic, and we have a great representation of different AAPI identities within the Design organization. The approach we took with this jacket reflects the diversity that exists within the AAPI community.
We have to take control of our narrative, show the diversity within our community and push for accurate representation in the media. We have to shine some bright lights on AAPI history and call attention to our contributions, not only to our country, but the entire world.
We’ve invited the nine designers behind this striking piece to share the inspiration behind their individual designs.
JENNIFER LY
Designer – Women’s Woven Tops
I drew inspiration for my patch from my Cambodian American heritage and Buddhist upbringing. The background of the patch is the nod to my Cambodian roots. I used denim and the thread color to represent the flag of Cambodia. The chain stitch symbol in the center represents one of the Sak Yant symbols for kindness. It is surrounded by a chain stitch border, which in Buddhist culture represents a moat or cosmic sea. A moat usually surrounds temples of worship, because it represents the source of energy and life at the starting point of enlightenment. With my design, I wanted to share my story and aspirations for positivity. Being “K I N D” is powerful!
CAROLINE CHUN
Designer – Women’s Bottoms
I recently realized that in Korean, onomatopoeia is often used in place of adjectives and adverbs. I find it very effective in communicating because of how visceral the language can be. If I only spoke Korean my whole life, I probably wouldn’t have found this fact so interesting, because it would have been so normal to me. And if I was only an English speaker, I probably wouldn’t have known this fact at all. I have multiple cultures and languages to compare to one another, which gives me the advantage in having different perspectives. I guess this doesn’t just apply to my AAPI experience, but applies to anyone with multifaceted cultural identities.
My square features embroidery of “ㅈㅈAN!” The Korean characters make a “J” sound, so phonetically, it’s JJAN, which is the onomatopoeia for the clicking of glasses when you cheers. I mixed English and Korean characters together to represent my Korean American identity. The bottle of soju represents comradery. Play the bottle cap game with me at a Korean bar and we’ll be tight.
MEGAN KONDRASKY
Assistant Designer – Women’s Woven Tops
Growing up, my grandparents would take my sister and me on camping trips all around California, so being connected to nature is super important to me. Although I’ve never been to China myself, my grandparents would share photo albums of their travels, and I’ve always admired the beautiful trees and wildlife. You can see this depicted through my square.
PAI NITIBHON
Senior Designer – Women’s Woven Tops
My square depicts the number 9 in Thai, which is the luckiest of all numbers. Thais are very superstitious and find significance in the number because when pronounced in Thai, 9 (gao) sounds like the word for progress and moving forward (kao-nah), which I thought was a nice sentiment towards AAPI diversity and standing against anti-Asian discrimination. Additionally, it sounds similar to the word for rice (khao)… which I love!
NICOLE CAYETANO
Project Coordinator, Design & Innovation
Shaka – noun. The hand gesture in which the thumb and little finger are extended outward from a closed fist, used when greeting or parting from someone or to express approval and solidarity. To local Hawaiians, this is the sign to express “Hang loose” or “Right on!”
Ever since I was a little girl growing up as a Fil-Am in the East Bay, I never quite felt like I fit in. I didn’t live in a predominantly Filipino neighborhood, so I always felt like I stood out. Fast forward to the first of many times I vacationed in Hawaii: No matter what island I visited, I’d look around and observe a sea of AAPI. Hawaii is where I feel most at home.
SALLYANN TRENCHARD
Design Director – Global Accessories
My square features the Kek Lok Si temple in Penang, Malaysia, where my mother was born and raised. Whilst visiting, I was struck by the serenity and overwhelming beauty. I tried to capture that.
TAKU MAEMURA
Senior Designer – Men’s Woven Tops
My square features a traditional Japanese pattern called Ichimatsu Moyo, which I made with a mix of traditional American bandana fabrics. I like upcycling and simple aesthetics, and wanted to use a motif related to my background.
We couldn’t limit our celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month to just a single post—so we made three. Check out our interviews with AAPI leaders and staffers for more.
Feeling inspired to document your family’s story on a denim canvas? Head over to a Levi’s® Tailor Shop.