The End of Asian Menswear

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Transcript

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All right. What's up guys? We're back with another episode. Of the am podcast today, I'm actually going solo. Um, so this isn't any of our regular. Normal formats. It's actually an update about what's going on with the podcast, the Asian men's wear name in the am brand. So I wanted to get you guys up to speed on what's been going on and what to expect. If you guys haven't already noticed the podcast name has changed once again and is no longer called Asian men's wear. I'm actually moving on with the Asian men's wear name. So Asian men's where it will be no more moving forward. I'll explain in a second. But I know this is the right decision and I feel like I'm in a better place with it creatively and also on a personal So I'm happy with that. And I think you guys will be happy with that as well. So I know we've already gone through one name change for those who've been around since the beginning. For those who don't know, the podcast used to be called the, this is for us podcast. And then the Asian men's wear podcasts. And now the AOM podcast, a podcast for Asian men. Or the am podcast, a podcast for Asian American men. So why the name change and what's going on. Um, Actually before I jump into that, I want to give a huge shout out to everyone who stayed around since the beginning and tuned in every week to catch our episodes, or even just listen to our episode in general. for you to be able to take your time out, just to listen about, you know, what I'm talking about on the podcast, some of the guests that we bring on and also, you know, my conversations with Leo, my cohost. I do really appreciate it. I think our community has a lot of room to grow. So it's cool to know that we have that initial core group still here. Um, so whether you found us do our main IgE page from maybe a friend or just searching around on the internet. I just want to say thank you. And I really appreciate it. And hope you stick around. We have a lot more to come. Okay. So now that we got that out Let's go ahead and jump into it. So again, why the second name change? So I think the best way to understand why is to get back to the beginning. I originally created Asia menswear because I felt like there weren't any Asian guys that I could. You know, find outfit inspirations from, you know, I remember going through social media. And just trying to find someone that I could find inspiration As far as style or how to wear certain pants or jeans or coordinate different colors and things like that. And I remember looking up different hashtags, like outfit grade, or. Uh, men's outfits to find inspiration. And I remember. You know, scrolling through the search and only seeing white influencers, um, you know, that I can emulate or find inspiration from it's either white. Influencers or some black, some Latino, but I could never find much on, you know, Asian guys who dressed well. And it just got me thinking, like, why is that? Why. Um, Why do you have a social media platform where everyone has access to it, but there's barely any Asian guys on there. Right? I mean, there's millions of Asian guys out there, but why aren't they visible on this So I figured, you know, why not create account? Futuring only Asians because there weren't any, um, you know, I wanted to create an account where you can find outfit ideas from. guys that looked like you, right? And obviously you can find outfit ideas from guys who are non-Asian, but it just a little different when you're able to see someone that kind of looks like you. And honestly, we just needed more Asian guys in the space. So I created Asian men's wear to solve that. Very problem. And honestly, this is where I first discovered Leo, which is my cohost now. He was probably the original influencer in the men's fashion space, really making ways. I think he was featured in GQ, which was huge at Um, as you know, GQ. Rarely ever had any Asians on the magazine. So I remember, you know, through my journey with Asian men's wear, this is how I met Leo and a couple of other influencer and guys who dressed well that I could. You know, try to spotlight. And you know, that's basically how Asian men's wear grew and. As I started posting more and more, and I really started to get involved in the Asian American space, which I wasn't very involved with. Um, before that, if you've listened to the podcast, you know, that this has sort of been my own journey into learning about my own identity. So, what I discovered was it wasn't just fashion that. Black, Asian American men, or just Asian men in general, it really was everything from entertainment to sports to. Leadership positions, you know? It made me realize something that I've already known about Asian men. How in media we're perceived as the emasculated, the unattractive, not really being the guy that ever gets the girl the support cast in movies, you know, in it started to really make me think like, wow, the image that America has on Asian-American men is literally. King Jong from the hangover. And that was a problem for me because you know, he didn't represent who I was, who my dad, who my uncles were my friends, and that really doesn't help us in general in society. So. Asian men's wear started to become much more than just a fashion thing. Right. To me, it was always about changing the way Asian men were perceived in a positive way. And You know, anything that was positive, the Asian men were doing. I wanted to spotlight because fashion was one. Vehicle to do that, but you can also do that by spotlighting all the amazing things that Asian guys were up to, like whether they're getting government positions. Whether they were becoming NFL champions, whether they're climbing through the ranks in boxing. Or anything like that? And that just led me to really spotlighting more Asian Americans article find, finding those stories that defied those negative stereotypes. And Asia men's wear basically started to evolve and changed from the original Asian men's wear name. And honestly, for me, fashion is something that I enjoy, but it's not something I'm passionate about. In when you're not passionate about something it's hard to continue working in it and feeling good about it. Uh, I remember just getting comments and messages saying, oh, this isn't fashion. Or when I would post something about like football or showing you highlight. Dunks or something like that. Like I wanted to show you. Asian guys can dunk. I wanted to show you all these different things that again, to defy those negative stereotypes, but the name itself was holding that down. It wasn't helping that when you search Asian, men's wear, the first thing to think about is going to be a fashion thing, whatever it may be, but it wasn't, it's more than that. It's beyond fashion. So. If you guys have been following the Instagram page or the podcast, you know, there was a period where I wasn't posting consistently. I sort of just disappeared for a while. And it was because I felt like. What I was creating, didn't align with, with Asian men's wear anymore. And what others expected out of Asia You know, just needed time to basically, figure What I could do to make everything work for me and the name. And I also needed to find out what direction it is that I wanted to take. Asia men's wear. And also to find something that I will be happy with. Long-term. Uh, so it's something that I'll stick with. I think the best way I can explain is, a friend told me I needed to find my north star. I needed to find. That goal that I will always look towards when I'm creating or building, uh, for Asian menswear. And it wasn't honestly, until I had a conversation is about Asian men's wear with just random people. Right. Where I'm kind of talking through. About, What's been going on that I realized, you know, where it was that I wanted to take Asian men's wear. One thing I knew for sure You know, I wanted to change the way Asian men are perceived in America and in all around. Um, but also wanted to become a resource. You know, we never really had growing up as men. and that's sort of where, you know, the am name comes from. You know, luckily for me, Asian men's wear isn't completely gone because am can still stand for Asian. Men's wear. But moving forward am will stand for Asian men because everything the brand has represented. And will continue to represent to me. Is with Asian man And that's never going to change. Um, another thing about am, is it also, pays homage to GQ. In the sense that it will become a resource for Asian men in the same way. You know, GQ has been for men in general. But also, you know, just a side note, uh, no shade to GQ, but let's be The magazine was created for white America and was never really catered to the Asian American demographic. So a M is here to basically fill that gap. You know, you rarely ever saw Asian Americans in the magazines or even the articles written in a way where it would resonate with the Asian-American in terms of like how they grew up or things like Um, so. My goal is, for am, to become the destination for all of you guys to stay up to date on all the cool things us Asian guys are up to as a way to stay inspired and to support and ultimately aim will become the go-to resource covering fashion. You know, styling. Grooming lifestyle fitness. Uh, relationships, and everything in between, you know, with the Asian man in And when we talk about hairstyles, it'll be with Asian hair in mind. When we talk about style, it'll be about what works best for Asian guys and so forth. Um, obviously not everything will be just about Asians, but just know. The am brand will continue to have the Asian man in mind. And that's never going to change. So, um, I'm currently working on revamping the website and it will be, you know, it'll turn more into like a blogging. Website where you'll find articles on different things on how to better yourself. That's another huge thing I want to make sure that we're providing value and I think there's no better way to. Bring value, but bring value in your own life, whether it Be more confident or dressing, better making you feel better. So be on the lookout for new content, you know, with social media and the actual am website as well. So, yes, I know that was a lot, It's kind of crazy how I'm able to have a solo conversation now by myself and talk about. All these things. I remember. The first time doing podcasting, man, it was crazy. Like hated it. Um, but, um, I'm not saying I'm perfect. I still have a lot of work to do, but you know, like, uh, like how Leo and I always preach you just start day one and you keep pushing through whatever it is that you feel uncomfortable with, that gives you a bit of anxiety. You know, those are the things that you can all work towards and get better. If you are on that mission To be the best version of Um, but also. Last thing I wanted to mention is, so I'm going to drop a link in the podcast show notes. Uh, where you can actually sign up to be the first to hear about. The website whenever it's completed. So make sure to go through that link and then put in your email. So you're updated. Whenever something new comes Um, But, but yeah, that's, uh, that's pretty much it. I hope I was able to explain the reason why we're making this change. And I hope it makes sense if you've been around. Definitely stick around. Cause we have a lot more coming. Um, but I'm looking forward to creating more stuff. Looking forward to connecting with you guys. Honestly, hopefully we can do in-person meetups and things like that, which, you know, With something that I've always talked about, but haven't done yet. So. Um, yeah. Thank you guys for listening. Thank you guys for the support. Um, and I'll talk to you guys for the next one. All right guys. Peace.