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The first Monday in May, otherwise known as the Met Gala serves as a special time for everyone. Whether you're a stylist assistant running up and down the elevator of the Mark Hotel, tweeting critiques from the comfort of your own home, or you're an atendee, like Evan Mock, a skater turned actor from Hawaii — this day represents a look into America's fine appreciation over art and fashion.

In it's second installment of In America: An Anthology of Fashion, the Met's Costume Institute exhibition returns with a cherished theme: Gilded Glamour. In an age where structured sillouttes, detailed craftsmanship, and a stifling excesss of commodity illustrated the style of it's time, Evan Mock, who tuned to the red carpet with his signature pink do' observed the theme and showcased timeless yet subtle glamour in an unorthdox way. In a sea full of signature black suits seen in meanswear, Evan's disruption came donned in a Head Of State custom cream yellow corset and pantsuit paired with a pearl muslin neck ruffle. 

When it came to sourcing Evan's custom look, Head of State designer Taofeek Abijako says "Evan, a kid from Hawaii — You can't really find any reference of someone like that during the 18th Century that fitted the theme of the Gilded Glamour." Through this, the reimagination of what this time would look like for a kid of color who often prefers street-skating over custom jewels came together to create a world where he could enjoy both. From there, the incorporation of his youthful and genderless aura became the main muse for his look. As he was encased in a structured corset, the pieces pierced to his torso focused on adhering to the true shape of his form, while the borders and fringes of his look curved outward, creating a divergence in shape and silloutte.

Taofeek, who was recently nominated for a CFDA award, is known for his larger than life sillouettes and feminine form comes together with Evan's stylist, Taylor Okata to reimagine gilded glamour through lens of Evan's eye.

In an exclusive interview below, office was able to sit down with Head Of State designer and Evan Mock's lead stylist, Taylor Okata to dissect the science behind his look.  

Head of State was started at such a young age, at 17. Do you remember where your head was at that time, and what you were really into?

Taofeek Abijako — It's a good story, I was trying to raise funding for a specific project. So I started off pretty much making t-shirts and hoodies and basic wardrobe essentials. Although I had a much bigger plan to make way more complicated pieces, I had to pretty much take the mini baby steps at that age, because that was my senior year in high school. I didn't have enough money to be able to properly construct a garment. But eventually the brand, just season by season, evolved to what it is today, which is way more sophisticated pieces, but also wearable.

Lagos is home to you. How do we see different components of Lagos in your current pieces?

TA — In terms of Lagos, I was born there and I moved in 2010, and last collection, which was called "Homecoming,"was actually dedicated to this major festival that took place in Lagos in 1977. I've heard so many stories about that festival and  in a way, it's me lingering on this nostalgia of growing up in Lagos also made it easier for me to be able to reference what happened back home. I saw what I referenced and what people were wearing. But I pretty much didn't want to reference the literal traditional African wear, so what I decided to do was actually take the silhouette in West African wear and marry it with more Western European wear. And that's much how I came about referencing Lagos specifically. But my latest collection was actually me paying homage to FESTAC 77.

Taylor, how did you learn about Taofeek's work, and how did you come together to create this world for Evan's Met Gala look?

Taylor Okata — I first got introduced to the brand, I actually believe it was probably Lindsey [Okubo], who had told me to keep an eye out for the brand and for Taofeek's last show, which was beautiful and stunning. And so I had already known of his work just purely off of his last collection, and so when it came time for the Met Gala, thankfully, Evan's manager had said, "What about Taofeek?" I had just talked to him at Evan's birthday party, and I was like, "That's a brilliant idea. Can you connect me immediately?" And that's how we started working together.

Taofeek, I feel like a lot of your looks in the past have been quite feminine in structure, but with very bold colors. How are you envisioning Evan for this Met Gala? Will he be tapping to a more feminine look or are you envisioning something completely new?

TA— Pretty much, when Taylor and I started talking, I was like, "Hey, I have an idea of where my head is at for Evan." Because in a way, when I knew I was making a piece for Evan, I think about Evan as a character and where he fits within this theme of Gilded Glamour, which is 18th Century fashion. And in all these images I could find of men during that time period, they were all dressed like butlers. They were all dressed in the traditional black suit and a white shirt. And in a way Evan doesn't fit that, just him being Evan, a kid from Hawaii — You can't really find any reference of someone like that during the 18th Century that fitted the theme of the Gilded Glamour.

So, in a way, we started talking about how can we incorporate his youthful energy. The way you think about youth, you think about counterculture, you think about someone who wasn't doing whatever it is that's traditional to what's happening during that time period. So in a way, Taylor and I started talking and he sent me a bunch of references and stuff with the corsets and a lot of beautiful images that spark my imagination, and we're able to put a little twist and make it suit what the 18th Century Gilded Glamour theme was and make something way more counterculture, I would say. And something that doesn't fit within what you would expect a man to wear during that time period. That's how we give birth to Evan's look. Taylor can touch on that, but that's pretty much how we came about Evan's look.

TO— Taofeek's work is already amazing, and to his point of me just wanting to make sure that it's very true to Evan being young, a skater, coming from the beach, and we're both from O'ahu, every time I dress him I always approach it from context. I want to fulfill the assignment, but I also want to fulfill the assignment for my client, and so it needs to make sense for him, and that's why him and I do such a good job together. It's because we always find that balance of fulfilling what the context is, but also staying true to who he is, because he already has an innate sense of style. He already has this effortless cool about him that nobody needs to touch or mess with.

And so when I started to think about the Gilded Age and the theme of Gilded Glamour, and because Taofeek already does such beautiful feminine pieces and garments, why don't we take a twist on it? And Evan's the type of person that can really carry that genderless definition of what somebody has to wear, even in today's society. And so that's really where I started to pull references from and wanted to push Evan into that realm of taking a risk. It's probably the biggest red carpet in the world, really, and so it's like, why not do it for the Met?

How many revisions were there until you got to the final look? And how much directorial say did Evan have? I know you said you wanted to meet him in the middle, but I wanted to know what he was specifically looking for when crafting the look.

TO— I mean, when I talked to him about it— When it comes to big things like, for instance, the Met, he really trusts me, which I'm really grateful for. He knows that I know him really well. And I just told him, I said, "This is what I was thinking." And then Taofeek had sent over a number of sketches, not a ton, but sent it to me also so quickly it was insane. Say, six variations of looks, six looks that Evan could do. And the one that I really liked out of those sketches was what I presented to Evan. And I was like, "This is where I think we should go, but here's the other options that Taofeek also sketched and can also do." And Evan agreed and was like, "Let's go there."

TA—It was actually so effortless. I found it right away. I literally just sketched it and I was bombarding Taylor with a bunch of texts going, "Hey, this is it." But right away. It was actually so easy right away. We all agreed on one favorite look. There was no back and forth whatsoever, it was like, "We like this over this." It was so neutral and Taylor made my life so much easier, to be honest. And then Evan also having that cool factor, made it so much easier for us to arrive at one conclusive decision.

TO— Even the fittings went really well, because also Evan just has a very easy body type to dress when it comes to existing garments and samples and patterns. And he just wears everything so effortlessly that the couple of fittings that we had also went really, really smooth. So this has been one of the most smooth experiences in my styling career as well, which is so rare, definitely.

That's so interesting that it's for such a big event like the Met Gala.

TO — Right. Taofeek and I are definitely stressed, and of course there's anxiety and pressure, but I think from just doing this before and from past red carpets that I've done and past events that I've done. I also think it's important to highlight that Taofeek is also a young designer, let alone a young, Black designer. Evan and I are both from Hawaii. The Gilded age was really a time that made sure that brown kids like us and black kids like Taofeek didn't progress during this time, so for us to really come through and rep like this is so sick and so full circle.

And so it's like for me to also have that play of, let's stay to the theme, but what can we also do to be like, this is how we do it. This is how we rep. And so I think that's also why it's been such a smooth experience. Taofeek's been one of the easiest designers I've ever gotten to work with, and I'm super, super grateful. I think also why it's been so seamless, is because we respect each other, we give each other our creative freedom, and we meet in the middle. There's no ego. There's none of that. And same with Evan. We're chill guys from Hawaii, so we come in, we're not being divas. I think that's also why this whole experience has also gone as smooth as possible, given the short timeframe.

TA— But yeah, in a way we spoke the same language. In a nutshell, we spoke the same language and that's why it was that seamless. In a nutshell.

Is there anything that's hidden that may not be visible to the public eye that it's a little secret between you three that will be found in the piece that Evan's wearing?

TA— Well, the public would see it, but it's the crack pants.

It's the what? The crack pants?

TO— There's a little reveal. There's a little cutout above the butt that reveals a little butt cleavage, if you will.

TA— I love how Taylor just mentioned in Hawaii, just being a kid, always being in the water and whatnot. I don't want to touch on that, but Taylor can touch on that, but it just draw a parallel to that little cheeky moment, we just added it in the pants. But I would say that, for me, stands out. But obviously, just the look as a look in general, I would just say every little detail was so collaborative that everyone gets to see it. We're not hiding anything. We're not hiding anything from anyone. Everyone gets to see it. But we know this story behind each and every little part of the garden.

TO— There are some hidden, thoughtful, things just to keep the look really clean. Taofeek had a brilliant idea because of that cut out in the back to have almost a built-in underwear, if you will, and same with the jacket to hold the shirt in place, there's going to be these interior little secrets, that's how we are keeping the garments in place versus just using double stick tape or something like that that we would typically use on an editorial shoot. There are some really nice little details on the inside as well that are keeping this look really structured and complete, really.

TA— Shout out to Liz'. We were like, "Hey, we need Evan to wear underwear, but we can't have the underwear showing." There's a secret underwear in the pants, it's a two-in-one piece, and the little hidden buttons on the inside. We know that. No one else gets to see that.

How do you want Evan to feel when steps onto the Met Gala carpet wearing your piece?

TA— to be honest, I want him to feel like Evan. I feel he has such a strong sense of character that we just wanted the clothes to also portray that, and in a way it's you see the clothes and you see Evan, you go, okay, this was meant for his closet. This is Evan at a red carpet event. So I don't want Evan to feel anything else besides him feeling empowered in himself and his narrative and his story and just going, like Taylor said, 'I might not fit within this theme as a person of color, but this is how I shine through." This is what makes me unique as a person. So I just want him to feel himself and be as comfortable as possible.

TO— Exactly. That's perfect. I mean, that's always the goal whenever I dress anyone, I want them to feel good first, because then they will wear the clothes and the clothes won't wear them. I think also more so with Evan, obviously there's a bit of a deeper connection because of him and I having history from both being from Oahu, and me being close with his sister , and we met him before he became this celebrity. And so for me, I looked at him as my family, my little brother. I want him to feel that. I want him to have his moment. I want him to feel really good as soon as he goes out there. I want him to feel like he's on top of the world because everybody deserves that moment. And so as long as he feels good and confident, then my job is done.

Donté McGuine is a maverick. The stylist, fashion editor, and creative director, who has become a staple in the New York fashion industry in the last ten years, never bets on one horse. From the ilk of major designer labels and landmark editorial powerhouses like Vogue Italia to the boldest vanguards of the New York indie-design scene, there’s no holds barred; because why choose one when you can have it all?

This versatility is precisely what McGuine’s loyal and diverse clientele have come to rely on. Whether you’re a fashion trailblazer like Evan Mock or a discreet Upper East Side heiress, everyone is sure to benefit from McGuine’s signature touch. 

Even as a stylist, McGuine’s work goes far beyond just clothing. He is, in every sense of the term, an image-maker. “I need to be able to look at my clients as a blank canvas,” he says, “I never want to take someone’s personal style away from them, but I often have to mentally strip them down and prepare them for the image I want to portray through them.” In this way, every image is a story to McGuine, and every story should be rich with meaning. His work ultimately strives to convey the most relevant yet intimate illustration of who each of his clients is. While each canvas (as McGuine refers to his clients in the early stages of their work together) may seem blank, each holds a unique and subtle texture that McGuine can amplify in the most dramatic and beautiful of ways. 

McGuine’s story reveals a unique canvas of his own. The D.C. native moved to New York approximately ten years ago. While he had been working in fashion for years prior, he explains how his initial arrival in New York was a rude awakening of sorts. “As soon as I got here, they were quick to tell me that I really knew nothing about fashion.” Obviously, this did not stop McGuine. In a warmly familiar maneuver to many creatives itching to break into the scene in New York, he turned to nightlife. McGuine shares that he partied for two years straight, and in doing so, “got immersed into the socialite scene in the Upper East Side,” where he was living at the time. It’s important to note that this was around 2012. Gossip Girl (OG) mania was in full swing, and McGuine had landed precisely in the middle of the culture that inspired the show. “Those days were very Gossip Girl for me,” he recalls. All the while, McGuine began personally styling many of his socialite UES friends for their storied party nights. This was, as he explains, his first true gateway into the styling and editorial scene in New York.

Left: top by Raf Simons, jacket by Willy Chavarria, headband by Prada. Right: Full look by Marc Jacobs.

From there, all the right doors seemed to open. In the years since his beloved Gossip Girl days, McGuine has built one of the most enviable client rolodexes in the industry. However, his success is not just a result of being in the right place at the right time. McGuine approaches his craft as any fine artist would, with the utmost thoughtfulness and intention. He doesn’t intend to create images that are here one day and gone the next, and he certainly does not chase trends. “I want people to return to my work ten, twenty years from now. I want to become the reference.” History and references are paramount to McGuine’s work, so it’s no wonder he intends to have his very own page in the history books. 

McGuine shares, however, that he worries about the newest generation of creatives entering the fashion and art world for that exact reason. “This Gen Z, they are trying to rewrite everything,” but in his experience, to make new strides, “you have to respect what came first.” McGuine names the late André Leon Talley and Franca Sozzani as a couple of his role models. While their work may not be considered the most provocative in today’s context, “they had to crawl so that we could walk.” The sense of respect McGuine conveys for the pioneers that came before him is telling in regards to who he is as an artist. In an era teaming with aimlessly iconoclastic creatives, McGuine’s confidence in his influences carefully guides his hand as he traverses through a career in the most distinguished circles of the fashion world. 

Top by Issey Miyake, boots by Rick Owens.

Having conquered the fields of styling and creative direction, McGuine is shifting aim with plans to take over the industry as a designer. His most recent project has been the launch of Wahine, a label he co-owns and directs alongside one of his best friends and long-time client, Evan Mock. McGuine shares that the brand is an “ode to the people, surf, and skate culture of Hawaii,” of which Mock is a native. He explains that Mock had been brainstorming for years about starting a brand that would pay homage to his cultural background and upbringing, and finally, McGuine said, after a night out at the club, no less, “let’s just do it.” That night, they stayed up until dawn, mapping out how they would bring the concept to life, fully embracing the spontaneity of the situation. Fast forward almost a year precisely, and Wahine has officially launched. The duo released their very first capsule collection last weekend, and the response has been striking. 

McGuine lights up talking about the new venture. He shares that his favorite piece from the first drop is, without a doubt, the “Chee” hoodie. The inspiration for the piece, a zip-up hoodie emblazoned with a broken heart down the center housing the word “cunt,” apparently comes from a doodle Mock had sketched on a recent trip to Japan that they happened upon in the design process. The collaborative spirit of the entire project speaks volumes. McGuine credits their producer, Cassandra Hobbins, as an invaluable member of the team that brought Wahine to life. “She really mothered us through this whole process,” says McGuine, for which he feels a deep sense of gratitude. 

Dress by LÙCHEN New York, boots and sunglasses by Rick Owens. 

In looking back at the road he paved to get to where he is in his career now, McGuine is indeed a nostalgic type. “I think back to when I was flying Frontier back and forth from New York, and they would be airing The Rachel Zoe Project non-stop…even now, I will turn on the TV and watch it again just to bring me back to that time.” While the nostalgia is humbling, as McGuine explains, it also serves as a testament to how far he has come of his own volition, and what he truly is capable of moving forward. Of course, though, these things take time. “Everyone now wants that instant kind of fame, the instant success,” he says, “but even Rachel Zoe was saying how she didn’t develop her career as it would become until she was at least thirty.” Now, as McGuine comes of age, he realizes the full potential of where he can take his story.

Moving forward, he says, “I am trying to think more about what image I am conveying to people. What do they think when they see me and hear my story?” When talking about the photo shoot featured here that he directed alongside photographer Gray Sorrenti, McGuine expresses reserve about stepping in front of the lens. “It’s not something that I’m used to, but I figure this is the next step in my journey.” Regardless, his storytelling mastery extends beyond his clients to himself. Captured brilliantly in his natural form, McGuine is an image-maker--and far more. He is a unique artist, narrator, and future leader of fashion. 

A mother-daughter relationship mimics that of a flower’s evolution — with time, it blossoms into something more beautiful and grand than one could ever imagine, but, of course, there may be growing pains along the way.

Su Paek and Stephanie Callahan, the creative forces and faces behind attainable fashion label Find Me Now, are no strangers to the trials and tribulations of running a brand together. They have mastered their craft, resulting in a symbiotic personal relationship as well as a thriving business.

To grow something successfully, one must always begin with the right ingredients or seeds. Su and Stephanie knew they had to begin with their own personal values — transparency, wearability, sustainability, and visibility for Asian American immigrants and other AAPI creators — to truly cultivate something that reflected the impact they desired to leave on the fashion industry.

Now, just a couple years into Find Me Now, Su and Stephanie reflect upon the growth, both personal and milestone-related, that has occurred in the short amount of time that has passed since the brand’s conception.

The mother-daughter duo sat down with office to discuss their partnership and bond, Find Me Now’s development, and what it means to be able to bring the Asian American experience to the forefront of the industry.

What did you learn from your past in fashion and your previous family brand that you restructured and improved this time around?

Stephanie — We went through a tremendous amount of personal and obviously professional growth from our previous business. I think one of the biggest takeaways was that, firstly, we wanted to design a product that had fundamental wearability. In our previous business, we did not have the luxury of dictating what kind of products to make. We were basically employed by massive retailers and they would dictate the direction of the collections and the direction of the designs. So in that sense, we lost our perspective as designers and that freedom to be able to work in that creative space. So I think when it comes to us creating our own branded identity, we want to make products that have fundamental wearability. If we don't feel like we are wearing the product for more than six to eight months out of the year, then we don't feel it's that necessary. Of course, we do follow seasons throughout the year. However, our product collection doesn't change so much from season to seasons. We are not trying to sell aspirational fashion. We're trying to celebrate the extraordinary in the everyday. At the end of the day, Find Me Now is super attainable. It is also super important to us to provide a transparent and ethical product to our customer.

I really appreciate this idea of avoiding aspirational fashion. It's important to emphasize that we have the resources for these things today, right now, at this moment. Going through the shift of losing your company, especially during the pandemic, must have been devastating. How did you both find the drive to push through and create again?

Stephanie — In our previous business, to be completely honest and transparent with you, we did lose everything — financially, personally, emotionally. We kind of just let it all go.

Which I'm sure was tough.

Stephanie — Super tough. But it was an incredible opportunity for us to see the potential and what we could do with nothing.

Yeah. It kind of opens up avenues that you wouldn't have thought of or discovered before.

Stephanie — And I think at the core, one of the fundamental mantras that we follow and something that we experience firsthand is that you really need to lose yourself to find yourself. That's really where the name came from because we truly lost ourselves in our previous business. We lost everything, but that's how we were able to turn it around and start over.

Seeing that as a positive instead of a negative — it takes a certain mindset. So that's really cool that you guys were able to find that because it can also be super discouraging and then you can get stuck in that feeling. I know that you guys prioritize working with a lot of women creators, how do you continue prioritizing that in the brand’s endeavors?

Stephanie — Just from a team perspective, I'd say 90% of our team is made up of women.

Stephanie — And I would say a hundred percent of our partners, whether it's suppliers or sales reps or any kind of third party, they're actually all women as well.

You mentioned suppliers and I wanted to ask about your sourcing. What characteristics do you try to look for in certain materials that you ethically source for your collections? 

Stephanie — In our previous business, because we were working on such a mass scale, we have had experience working with all different kinds of suppliers. We fully have had firsthand experience working with unethical producers so it's a very clear line to us between what those two qualities of work look like. You don't really know one without knowing the other. Unethical production is when you simply don't know where your products are made and who's making them and you don't want to ask the questions. In those cases, no one is asking the questions about exactly what is going on. We used to live in China and we've had experience literally working on the factory floor, from fabric textile creation to fabric inspection. So this is such an important part of our storytelling and part of our content strategy at Find Me Now because a lot of fashion brands don't want to talk about what is really going on.

I love that now we're approaching a space where that's important to people. I feel like you have a really unique position in that way, being able to implement new things now based on your prior experiences. As an AAPI-owned brand, how do you champion for and convey certain messages about your identity through your clothing? 

Stephanie — I think the easiest way, and one of the most important ways for us, is through artist collaborations. We try to work with artists who are true artists in their form and because our specialty is in apparel, it's a harmonious partnership. We love truly collaborating with artists on a product level so that they can tell their story through our apparel.

How did it feel to be able to partner with other amazing AAPI designers and artists like Gica Tam and Jessica Tse of Notte for collaborations which will contribute to beneficial organizations? 

Stephanie — Last November, we decided that we wanted to come up with a small capsule collection to celebrate AAPI month and what it means to be Asian American to us. You know, there are a lot of different ways you can tell a story. But, for us, being Asian Americans, the immigration journey is such a big part of that identity and we wanted to tell that story in a whimsical way. We went about sourcing a lot of different kinds of local AAPI artists here in New York. We came across Gica and, fundamentally, her art is so whimsical.

It looks like a dream.

Stephanie — Yeah, and that's how we wanted to really tell this story of immigration and what it's like to be a first, second, third, or fourth-generation Asian American or any immigrant child, grandchild living in the U.S. Can I tell you a little more about the story behind the print?

Stephanie — We came to Gica with this concept and she came back to us with some visual stories. This one in particular is a bird flying through mountains of rice paddies. And the bird is actually transforming into this girl. It's kind of that story of immigration, where you are literally transformed along the way and so are all of your generations to come. They change and grow and evolve over time.

Su — And the moon is the focal point of the whole print — the inspiration.

It's kind of the guiding light. It's beautiful. Do you feel that your business relationship has strengthened your mother-daughter bond as well? 

Su — I want to take this one. I mean you're a child to a mother, right? As a mother, your child seems like they're always your child. But through our business relationship, I mean, she's my partner. So there, we had to have a learning and growing curve together. I'm not a mother here in this space. But at the same time, your habits don't just adjust right away. Sometimes I'd feel like, 'Okay, why don't you do what I'm asking?' So the role took some time, but I just feel very grateful. Even though, in the beginning, I was against running a business together.

Su — I was, because I had been in fashion my whole life and she was doing something else. And then when she wanted to switch, I'm like, 'Oh, are you sure this is where you want to come?' She insisted that she wanted to and she believed in what she wanted to do. The fact that we can do something together and we are seeing good results is amazing.

Stephanie — Right. We have such a rewarding sense of purpose. I think one of the interesting things is that — I don't know if you feel this dynamic with your parents at all — but you reach this journey where you start parenting your own parents.

Oh yeah, it changes. I've noticed it as I'm getting older and I'm not a kid anymore — you have this different dynamic, and actually being able to feel that shift is interesting. 

Stephanie — A while back, on Friday nights, I'd be in my pajamas getting ready to watch a movie and my mom would be in her room. She'd be like a teenage girl getting ready to go out and there are clothes everywhere. And I'm like, I literally feel like I'm in Freaky Friday.'

I think it's really special. I mean, there aren't many people who get to do something like this with their mom or their dad. I know, Su, you said you were hesitant at first, but really being able to realize the importance of Stephanie's dreams is so special as well. In what ways are you two different and what ways are you alike, especially when it comes to creative decisions? 

Su — It's funny because I am the more technical person — I have that background and I do all the development. But Stephanie has incredible eyes. This is something that I knew since she was a little girl. Yeah. She will notice this teeny tiny thing; she's very detailed. So when it comes to our products, a lot of things come about because I find inspiration from her and the team. They are the ones who wear Find Me Now first. I wear our products a lot now because I think wearing them is so important to feel how they are and how you like them. Stephanie is the brand director, so she has ideas about how she wants to reach out to our community and I'm very inspired by that. I keep my ears and eyes open and just try to be present with what we are doing.

Stephanie — Yeah, I would say I'm always the one that's like, 'I wanna do this and I wanna do that,' and she's always the one that's like, 'Okay, this is what's actually doable.'

I find that with a lot of creative duos like this, it usually falls that way. One person is the one with the crazy ideas and then there's one who's like, 'Okay, so this is how we can actually execute this.' As far as your personal cultural backgrounds, what is something that you guys are most prideful about and something that you wanted to convey through this collection?

Stephanie — For me, growing up, I did not have that many Asian American icons in the fashion space. I think that was a huge lack for me. And even culturally, in pop culture, in fashion, in music — across all industries, I just didn't really have that. It was hard for me to identify with that. So for Find Me Now as a brand, especially for this collection, it's so important for me to be able to tell Asian American women that no matter what age, where they come from, or what language they speak — they can be anything they want.

When you're younger and you see these archetypes and you're constantly wondering where you could fit into that, it's not easy. How do you plan to continue putting a spotlight on immigrant or first, second, third, fourth-generation voices through your future designs? 

Stephanie — I think it's just about continuously partnering and giving that opportunity to artists who represent this community and our voice within this space.

Su — We're going to continue sourcing different artists that we identify with on a personal level. And really also showing the next generation our heritage should be celebrated.

Only a few years into being, the beloved Danish brand Flatlist continues to impress us. Merging music, culture, arts, and fashion— Flatlist is far more than merely eyewear. "Fashionably questionable", a term used by the brand itself, might be the most accurate and intriguing descriptor of what they've done, pushing the boundaries of accessory design into new and exciting realms.

Every style originates from a seed of inspiration, an unlikely reference, a moment, a memory, a character from film or a musical progression. We've been on the edges of our seats with each  drop, but always know Flatlist's designs will be solid, wearable, and unbelievably stylish. And this has been proven once again by their latest collection, which has made its campaign debut and will hit stores online and the shelves of the brand's Copenhagen flagship next week. 

See more of the new, sleek shapes in the brand new campaign, below.

Please confirm that you are at least 18 years old.