II. Case Study 2: Bobblehaus: From URL to IRL

Figure 7

Figure 8

YanYan has had several collaborations with other brands and artists, from

spotlighting antique exhibitions in Nan Fung Place to working with Baz bagels on a

special YanYan Bagel. YanYan’s website currently houses a men’s capsule in

collaboration with Tokyo Keyboard Club along with a shop-in-shop for Felix House, a smaller clothing label that repurposes clothing with patchwork and other techniques.170

YanYan’s collaborations have centered around reaching out to those who were of one

mind, creating an organic community. Their collaboration with Japanese hair and makeup

artists Yuya Nara bases itself in a capsule of hair accessories inspired by fan favorite items, creating knit scrunchies and lurex twist headbands.171 Rather than specifically

seeking out general events to participate in, YanYan utilizes a more natural approach.

“Usually we work with our friends, and are thankful they include us,” Chan relays, but

they also rely on their PR team to reach out to like-minded people interested in wearing their designs.172 Wing On Wo & Co, one of the oldest operating stores in Manhattan’s

Chinatown focusing on porcelain and Chinese cultural goods, is one such collaborator

who can be seen sporting YanYan Knits in their wardrobes. With its location in New

York, Wing On Wo & Co share the same goals as YanYan: to share their heritage. These

common goals allow for the community to grow, and these collaborations are not focused

purely on monetary gain, but also the participatory aspect of community and support. By

supporting one another, they mutually benefit from joining each other’s communities and

introducing their respective consumers to another brand that may have similar values–

170 “Felix House.” YanYan Knits. https://yanyanknits.com/pages/felix-house “Felix House.” Felix House. https://www.imfelixhouse.com/ 171 Chan, Phyllis. Interview by Yin Chin Casey Huang. New York (Remote), January 10th, 2022. 172 Ibid.

once again highlighting Anderson’s imagined communities. Importantly, while YanYan’s

collaborations are mostly virtual, they continue to facilitate digital community and

collaborations. Collaborating with those with similar backgrounds or understanding of

their ethos allows YanYan to spread their brand community to the right people–those

who will appreciate what their brand is about, allowing them to naturally share the brand.

As Coelho highlights that a clear brand community helps one find where they belong and

where they feel seen, customers share the brand organically as part of their discovery.

Chan questions whether or not there even is a community surrounding their brand.

It is not something Chan nor Chung planned on, yet they are aware of the way their

designs can be relatable to a large number of people, regardless of their cultural heritage.173 As self-proclaimed “weird teenage girls growing up,” Chan and Chung

always felt like outsiders and now enjoy creating pieces and connecting with people who may have a similar aesthetic.174 With many elements of their designs and brand drawn

from their own personal life experiences, YanYan Knits seems to be a rebirth of Chan

and Chung’s past experiences. Aware of how their designs can be relatable to people due

to their sense of nostalgia, Chan believes this feeling exists regardless of where one is

from or what their ethnicity is–“Sometimes our designs remind them of their

grandmothers, or visiting their relatives in Hong Kong or Asia. Sometimes it’s just a general sense of nostalgia.”175

Their location in Hong Kong is crucial to their design practices and where they

feel the most at home, a sentiment that is embodied in their design. Hoping to connect

173 Ibid. 174 Ibid. 175 Ibid.

with like-minded individuals and create a more sustainable fashion cycle, YanYan Knits

seeks out its community through their authentic and honest portrayal of their production

methods, sourcing, and inspiration. All of these not only translate to their design but are

clear from the ethos of their brand, hoping to create “fun, eclectic pieces that juxtapose modern and traditional elements.”176 With their experiences in both Hong Kong and

America, they draw from their personal experience to create pieces that are emotional and

thoughtful, echoing their inspiration from grandmas and grandpas. Based on their habitus,

they create a community through their own experiences, seeking those who are like-

minded. They emphasize the way their elders affect and influence them, reiterating the

foundational value of filial piety of Chinese society. Their connection to their elders and

to Hong Kong is embodied through the notably Cantonese elements in their design,

allowing their customers to easily identify and distinguish them from other brands. Their

community is further highlighted through their branding on social media, particularly that

of Instagram, and their careful choices in collaborators.

When YanYan Knits first started in 2019, Chan and Chung were quite worried

about being too ethnic–“In the current political climate, do people really want to wear their ethnicity on their sleeve?”177 This fear, like much of their predecessors and likely their successors, continues to plague emerging Chinese designers.178 While Chan and

Chung believe there is no right or wrong answer to this question, they did not want their

brand to be a gimmick or a trend, but maintain that creators should feel the freedom to create and that Western aesthetic does not always have to be the norm.179 By doing so,

176 “About YanYan.” YanYan Knits. https://yanyanknits.com/pages/about 177 Chan, Phyllis. Interview by Yin Chin Casey Huang. New York (Remote), January 10th, 2022. 178 Ibid. 179 Ibid.

they broadened the space for Chinese designers to experiment and express themselves in

the way that they see fit to their personal lives and upbringing, regardless of whether or

not that is immediately recognizable as Chinese. Through their design practice, YanYan

extends the practice and expands the ability of Chinese designers to be diverse and

multifaceted, destabilizing the Western dominated sphere of fashion. Though YanYan

highlights their heritage in several of their pieces and prints, that is not the only thing that

draws people into their designs and community–they rather want to create clothing that is

“fun, cute, quirky, and emotional” as reflective of their own experiences and personal stories.180 Chan and Chung emphasize the fact that it is not up to someone else, no matter

who in the fashion sphere, to decide whether or not their Chinese heritage and culture is “cool” or not.181 Despite not intentionally setting out to build a community around their

brand, YanYan naturally creates their brand community by staying transparent and honest

throughout their production and creation processes, drawing customers and creators who

see themselves reflected within the brand’s ethos and designs. By doing so, they actualize

Coelho’s pillars of brand community by highlighting a shared consciousness of kind and committing to their morals and obligations to society.182

Case Study 2: Bobblehaus: From URL to IRL

Though YanYan Knits did not intentionally set out to build a community,

Bobblehaus was created with a community in mind. When Ophelia Chen, Bobblehaus’

co-founder and CEO, first began to conceptualize the brand, she knew that she wanted it

180 Ibid. 181 Ibid. 182 Coelho, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

to serve the Asian American and Asian diasporic community. Chen found her partner in

Abi Lierheimer, who studied fashion design at the Savannah College of Art and Design

before working as an associate designer at streetwear brands like Kith. After being

introduced through mutual friends, they quickly became a team with Chen as CEO (Chief

Executive Officer) and Lierheimer as CCO (Chief Creative Officer). Both believed in

community-based and community-led spaces for the new generation, and hoped to focus on “collaborations from multicultural and multidisciplinary creatives.”183

Bobblehaus, derived from the combination of the words “Bobblehead” and “Bauhaus,” references Bauhaus design movement and the fun object of a Bobblehead.184

Hoping to imbue the sense of entertainment and joy with that of practical design,

Bobblehaus not only hopes to create clothing that could be integral and embodied in

everyday lives, but also a safe space for future generations to share their voices. The

word “haus” too is intentional–phonetically similar to the word “house,” from which

Chan and Lieheimer hoped to “build the community the founder’s craved for at a younger age, and still crave now.”185

Bobblehaus debuted with BobbleBogs–a digital journal aimed at sharing personal

stories and experiences from multicultural individuals in art, music, fashion,

entertainment, lifestyle and people. BobbleBlogs formed the initial foundation of

Bobblehaus, uplifting “global youth perspectives on issues and cultural moments important to them.”186 As Anderson notes, a community begins its foundations with the

183 “About.” Bobblehaus. https://bobblehaus.com/about/ 184 Chen, Ophelia. Interview by Yin Chin Casey Huang. New York, October 17th, 2021. 185 Press Club. “Genderless Brand BOBBLEHAUS Debuts with Elevated, Sustainable Streetwear Line.” Fashion United. May 13th, 2020. https://fashionunited.com/press/fashion/genderless-brand-bobblehausdebuts-with-elevated-sustainable-streetwear-line/2020051333528 186 “Spring Stories: Meet Bobblehaus.” Spring Place NY. https://springplaceny.spaces.nexudus.com/en/blog/read/1333988693/spring-stories--meet-bobblehaus

written word, uniting them under common language and therefore common culture, making the first communal imaginings possible.187 With contributors from London to

Jakarta to San Francisco, the journal invites “experiences and feelings that might have been hidden from the public to be in the spotlight for the world to read.”188 This

foundation also allows them to form a shared consciousness, in which they would be able

reach their community of like-minded individuals. The stories that resonated are of those

who lived in between cultures and apces–those who were multicultural, diasporic, and

struggling to juggle their multiple identities: Bobblehaus’ target audience. While each

contributor provides something unique and unreplicable, they formulate the basis of a

diasporic group of voices, creating their own community in which all are and can be

accepted. Bobbleblogs gave a foundation for people to participate in the community even

before clothing was introduced. As a building block to the community, the written blogs

allowed Bobblehaus to formulate the voices and identities that they wanted to showcase

while highlighting their community-based approach.

Bobblehaus officially launched its clothing line in 2020, which was designed in

New York and produced in Shanghai. A genderless brand “dedicated to expressing our

inner absurdities through elevated, sustainable streetwear,” Bobblehaus wishes to build a

space that encouraged the “world to see the beauty in its opposites, creating a space for unity.”189 Chen only found a manufacturer and fabric sourcing agent in Shanghai in

September of 2019, making a connection with a small production studio over

187 Anderson, Imagined Communities, 197. 188 Spring Place NY. 189 Press Club, Fashion United.

Instagram.190 The production room focuses on emerging designers with no minimum fee

and works under ethical production standards. Finding the right producers for Bobblehaus

was crucial to their ethos as, much like YanYan, sustainability is a core part of their

brand, highlighting the importance of caring for their producers and sourcing the right

fabrics. Sustainability is a non-negotiable for Bobblehaus, as Chen and Lieheimer both

value sustainability as a personal value. Translating their personal values to their brand

ethos, Bobblehaus too cares for both people and the environment in their production to

consumption process as well as their material. This too forms their obligations and duties

to society that they want to imbue in their community.

The first Bobblehaus collection dropped in mid-March in 2020, just as New York

went into lockdown due to the COVID pandemic. Bobblehaus stems from a desire for

change: for “more inclusivity, more empowerment, more positivity, more sustainability, as well as an ec-conscious mindset into the industry.”191 With care for the environment

and sustainability as key pillars of their brand identity, the majority of Bobblehaus’

designs utilize deadstock fabric, recycled cotton, or Tencel, their signature fabric made from recycled wood chips.192 While Bobblehaus initially planned to create a physical

pop-up in Soho for their launch, this was quickly switched to a digital-only launch that debuted on their website.193 The ability to switch quickly to the digital realm is one that is

possible due to the digital landscape of both the world and the fashion sphere, which

allows for flexibility in location for current emerging brands. Compared to their

190 Prant, Dara. “Bobblehaus Makes the Colorful Comfy Clothes that Our Quarantine Closets Crave.” Fashionista. August 11th, 2020. https://fashionista.com/2020/08/bobblehaus-genderless-label 191 Ibid. 192 “Bobblehaus is a regenerative clothing brand that sources from excess fabric around the world.” In the Know by Yahoo. October 19, 2021. https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/bobblehaus-regenerative-clothingbrand-sources-164503385.html 193 Prant, Fashionista.

predecessors like Opening Ceremony, the necessity to maintain a brick and mortar store

is not necessarily needed for a store that has a strong e-commerce base. YanYan Knits

too opted for this strategy for its launch, and despite having had pop-ups in Japan and

stock at Nordstorm, their website remains a main feature for customers to purchase from.

With websites, Instagram and online retail stores, selling platforms not tied to place are

where many designers now start their brands without the pressure of a physical store.

This also enables their customer base to grow in various ways, allowing for a more

diverse and worldly community.

Bobblehaus’ collection features hoodies, cotton shorts, and a large amount of

matching sets. Though Lieheimer’s background is in streetwear, she does not want

Bobblehaus to only be categorized as such–“We’re more thoughtful than that; we use all of the sustainable fabrics and we also have a lot of technical utility details.”194 Streetwear

aesthetics tend to follow a safe formula rather than being the more colorful or inclusive,

and as co-founders of Chinese-American descent, they want the brand to reflect who they are in a sphere where even they are not always welcome.195

194 Ibid. 195 Newsdesk. “This Women Owned Brand is Disrupting Streetwear.” Tittle Press. July 13th, 2021. https://tittlepress.com/fashion/949398/

Figure 9

One of Bobblehaus’s most popular prints is the ramen print: reminiscent of the

ubiquitous Nissin instant cup noodle packaging with “BH” as the key logo (Figure 9).

Designed during quarantine, the print is inspired from eating lots of ramen during lockdown as well as a reference to their Asian American heritage.196 Nissin’s cup noodles

are perhaps one of the most recognizable instant ramens in America, with its roots in

Japan, becoming Americanized as “Cup O’Noodles” and before quickly finding its way within the American pantry as a staple.197 The blend of Asia and America within Nissin’s

cup noodle made it a suitable object to utilize as a print, but also its integration within American lives as an object of nostalgia.198 Blending their personal experience during the

196 In the Know by Yahoo. 197 Freedman, Alisa. “How Cup Noodles became one of the biggest transpacific business success stories of all time.” The Conversation. December 8th, 2021. https://theconversation.com/how-cup-noodles-becameone-of-the-biggest-transpacific-business-success-stories-of-all-time-167691 198 “Ramen Noodles Serve Up a Bowl of Nostalgia.” NPR. November 13th, 2009. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120360464

pandemic with their cultural heritage, Lieheimer and Chen drew from their own lived

experiences and habitus to showcase the symbols that are recognizable to their

community. The cup noodle becomes a symbol much like the June or Laza print from

YanYan–recognizable and embodying a deeper meaning to those who understand it, but

still fun and accessible to those who may not connect with it. Through both the

inspiration and the design of the piece, Bobblehaus markets itself clearly to its

community through the ramen print while representing their own identities.

Figure 10

While the ramen print has a clear and identifiable cultural linkage, not every piece

in Bobblehaus’ collection incorporates such direct design elements immediately

recognizable to its customers. Their capsule collections feature pieces that draw

inspiration from nature’s four elements of earth, fire, air, and water, highlighting their

core value of sustainability. Reiterating the basis of Chinese harmony, sustainability to

Bobblehaus points to balance between human beings and nature, individual and society, and mind and body.199 Their graphics highlight elements that may not be so transparent in

their design, as seen in Figure 10 in the water capsule, in which the model is water

bending. The capsule itself features lime green mesh shirts and turquoise sweat sets,

which may not be immediately associated with water. This provides a contrast to YanYan

Knits, in which their cultural heritage is immediately visible in their designs. However,

the way that Bobblehaus markets their products on social media clearly features its

inspiration, with an Instagram post announcing the capsule with the caption, “Water 水 is

the element of change.”200 Each of the elements are presented in this way on their e-

commerce site and social media: the fire capsule shows the models encased in projection

of flames, the earth capsule features Chen amongst a digitally created island filled with

palm trees and foliage, and the air capsule, created with 3D animation, presents a girl

skydiving in the collection. Much like YanYan, they curate images carefully in order to

connect to their customers. By highlighting their inspirations within the images they

present on social media and e-commerce, they invite their customers into their world and

provide context for their designs, making them more understandable to their audience.

Rather than keeping their inspirations and processes a myth, they publically showcase

their inspirations and values, putting their identities on view and embodying Hall’s

representation. They showcase that their creation is a collaborative effort rather than a

singular designer or creator. This also creates transparency in their work, allowing their

customers to understand both the brand’s identity and perspective, relating nature back to

199 Zhang, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2013. 200 “Bobblehaus.” Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/bobblehaus/

their core pillar of sustainability. At the same time, this emphasizes their ethos:

sustainability is not “a brand’s key selling point” but rather something that should be fundamental within a brand.201 Sustainability, to Bobblehaus as much as YanYan Knits,

is not a gimmick or a selling point but rather a foundational value within their brand

ethos, and they present this clearly to their audience to attract those who share similar

values. While this can be related back to the Chinese communal ideals of caring for the

environment as much as living beings, the drive to sustainability is also felt in the fashion

industry in general as clothing waste has become a huge problem and contention within the 21st century.202 As it becomes increasingly clear that fashion’s effects on the

environment are dire, more and more brands within the currency sphere of fashion are

focused on sustainable clothing and practices. Bobblehaus and YanYan Knits are no

exception, but they embody it as a core value.

Bobblehaus also routinely interacts with the social issues that are happening

within their community, particularly those in America and New York, where they are

partly based. The fire capsule, designed with white mesh shirts and sweat shorts are all colorways of bold orange, yellow, and red.203 These colors reference their inspiration of

fire, and the caption for the release of the fire capsule directly calls out the wildfires

raging through California in August 2021 and points to resources for more understanding

on climate change. Bobblehaus continually interacts with its community and social issues

201 Newsdesk, Tittle Press. Prant, Fashionista. 202 McFall-Johnsen, Morgan. “The fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Here are the biggest ways it impacts the planet.” Business Insider. October 21st, 2019. https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissionswaste-water-2019-10 203 B., Adriano. “Bobblehaus Set to Release Third Summer Capsule.” Fucking Young. August 19th, 2021. https://fuckingyoung.es/bobblehaus-set-to-release-third-summer-capsule-fire-%E7%81%AB/

surrounding it through its designs and social media, highlighting their brand’s social

consciousness and reiterating their obligations to society publicly to unite their

community. From sharing the UN climate report in their socials to creating Stop Asian

Hate t-shirts, Bobblehaus continually thinks of ways to utilize design and clothing to

connect to greater issues within their community. The Stop Asian Hate t-shirts were

released in April of 2021 when anti-Asian hate related to the COVID pandemic in New

York was on a rise, and Bobblehaus donated all proceeds to UA3 in Chinatown to

support the Stop Asian Hate effort (Figure 11). As Chen believes clothing is a part of

your personality and identity, Bobblehaus incorporates both the written word and fashion

to spotlight hidden or unheard voices, and this is also why they continually support and

participate in these social issues. Similar to their core value of sustainability, Bobblehaus’

involvement with social issues does not feel inauthentic or at surface value, but an

embodiment of their personal and community identities and a desire to highlight these

voices.

Figure 11

Figure 12

In addition to supporting social issues, Bobblehaus also frequently collaborates

with creatives in support of their events or clothing launches. One of Bobblehaus’ first

launches was also in collaboration with jewelry designer Mara Peralta, in which they

created chunky earrings, barrettes, and belts that blended both of their aesthetics (Figure

12). Nunahaus, their collaboration with R&B singer and rapper Audrey Nuna, is another

capsule collection that showcases Bobblehaus’ desire to uplift multidisciplinary creatives.

Working closely with Nuna, highlighting her aesthetic within the collection and its

following creative images, the collection features a track jacket and pants set along with a

recycled cotton graphic t-shirt. Bobblehaus developed the exclusive Nunahaus and tooth

print featured on the items (Figure 13), choosing a dentist office for the creative shoot to

complement the tooth print. This type of close collaboration is not new to the fashion

world, but it stands by Bobblehaus’ ethos to collaborate with their community and uplift

Chinese American voices. Bobblehaus too actualizes what Tsui argues by broadening the

landscape of Chinese designers, in which their cultural heritage does not need to take

center stage. Frequent collaborations with artists such as Art of Dillon to draw digitized

versions of their collection for stickers or event invitations are also a key part of their

marketing and branding (Figure 14). It is crucial to note that these collaborations continue

to be active, and these creatives are thus a part of Bobblehaus’ community once they have

worked together. Art of Dillon has drawn for numerous of Bobblehaus’ capsules, Audrey

Nuna continually wears Bobblehaus to her performances, and Mara Peralta is continually

used within Bobblehaus’ photoshoots. Their imagined community continues to extend

invitations, and even those who are tangentially related to Bobblehaus can feel an affinity

towards its members despite not meeting. Even if there was one collaboration,

Bobblehaus invites multidisciplinary creatives to be a part of their community regardless

of purchase.

Figure 13

Figure 14

Since Bobblehaus’ launch, they have held three physical pop-up stores in New

York’s Lower East Side. Running for around three months each, the physical pop-up

stores are both a way to build community and to bridge Bobblehaus’ digital and physical

spaces. Chen has always wanted to create experiences, particularly in physical spaces,

and incorporated various events sprinkled throughout the openings of their pop-up store.204 From holding launch parties to DIY lounges, Bobblehaus creates events that

allow the community to gather. Chen and Lieheimer also act as sales associates within

the store, as young designers running small businesses often do, interacting with their

customers on a daily basis. The pop-ups allow for customers to finally experience and

touch Bobblehaus’ garments in person rather than browsing online, forming a different

relationship to the clothes and brand. The tactile nature of the pop-up shop lets customers

204 Chen, Ophelia. Interview by Yin Chin Casey Huang. New York, October 17th, 2021.

experience the brand in person while meeting its designers and founders, creating a

deeper connection to the brand. Pop-ups also enable customers to meet and connect with

each other, which allows the bridging of digital and physical communities. For young

emerging designers, pop-ups are more financially feasible, hence why many begin with a

digital community before gaining enough visibility and financial grounding to move to a

physical store.

Though Instagram is Bobblehaus’ main form of social media, they also have a

presence on TikTok and hope to expand further within the virtual world. With a “virtual

Bobbleworld” as a goal, Chen hopes to introduce more interactive virtual realities in which participants can have virtual avatars and 3D characters.205 Bobblehaus’ digital

community cannot be separated from its Bobbleblogs, as it also gives voices to those who

were previously unheard. As Bobblehaus’ target audience is a young, multicultural

crowd, it creates images and worlds that appeal to customers that are more based within

the digital realm. The decision to utilize TikTok also falls in line with the current trend

and popularity of the social media app amongst Generation Z users, of whom make up 60% of TikTok’s demographic.206 With a variety of outlets for their audience to find their

preferred voice and alignment, Bobblehaus gives a multitude of ways for their consumers

to further participate within their community. Though clothing is a central pillar of their

brand, they also emphasize many other outlets to outreach to a bigger community. Their

customers are further able to experiment within the world at their own desire, selecting

how they want to interact with the brand naturally without pressure to necessarily

205 Ibid. 206 “TikTok Statistics - Updated March 2022.” Wallaroo. March 8th, 2022. https://wallaroomedia.com/blog/social-media/tiktok-statistics/

purchase a garment. The brand community thus forms organically with its user’s desires,

even forming little pockets of sub-communities within the greater community for those

interacting with their blogs, clothes, community events, or all of its aspects.

Bobblehaus holds the same goals as YanYan–to create an inclusive and positive

brand that accepts all those who wish to come to it. They also seek to be positive and to

create a change within the industry–Lierheimer and Chen are “two people who have a

really deep heritage and deep cultural knowledge of what [they] want to do different[ly],”

and firmly believe that the community is where their ultimate strength it, as “the right people will grow the brand where it belongs.”207 Much like YanYan, they have faith that

their community will come to them naturally and understand their perspective. As Chen

and Lieheimer had a clear focus on community from the inception of Bobblehaus, the

design, social media, blogs, and collaborations of the brand all aid in creating a common

space that centered on inclusion and uplifting diverse voices. Their collaborations with

musicians and artists also continually help them create a community that is more than just

a label. By opening space for their community, they provide a new platform for their

users to share their voices in a myriad of ways.

207 Newsdesk, Tittle Press.

CONCLUSION

This thesis aims to understand how two emerging Chinese brands embody the

value of community within their brand conception, brand identity, design products and

other forms of social media or marketing. YanYan modernizes traditional Chinese

elements and draws from their personal lives to showcase that their culture is an integral

part of their lives and not to be exoticized, decolonizing the Western gaze and

reinterpreting what it means to be a modern Chinese knitwear brand. Bobblehaus opens

up the dialogue both through the written word and clothing to highlight Asian diasporic

and Asian American voices, giving them a space to share and grapple with their thoughts

and identities while seeking their community. With their Chinese heritage as a core to the

brands that they are building, both YanYan Knits and Bobblehaus organically form their

brand community through their designs and identity. Incorporating their own personal

values and lived experiences into their brand identities, both brands display their

production and development process honestly to its customers, allowing their customers

to decide if this is a brand they feel their values and identities reflected. Through this

process, they also showcase the collaborative nature of fashion, of which production,

distribution, and marketing are all part of. With brands becoming increasingly more

ingrained within lifestyle and political views, YanYan and Bobblehaus clearly display

what they stand for whether it is on their designs or on their social media. This

incorporation of the digital sphere within their community parallels the rise of technology

within fashion, as more and more brands integrate not only social media but virtual

worlds and livestream shopping into their fashion experience.

By building their brand ethos and products around what is most authentic to the

founders and designers, both Bobblehaus and YanYan Knits create transparent and

unique brand identities that stem organically from their lived experiences. Whether it is

YanYan’s strong tie to their home of Hong Kong or Bobblehaus’ inspiration and

experience from their own multicultural identity experiences, both brands create based on

what they know and wish to see changed in the industry. They hope that their customers

relate to them and feel the same as they do in some way, and this practice organically

attracts a community of like-minded people. While YanYan’s community is central

through its design elements and collaborations, Bobblehaus’ highlights their community

through its blogs and pop-up stores. For both, collaborations with artists or friends are not

just a part of their cultural background but also the current sphere of fashion, in which all

are looking to connect and reach out to each other especially following the pandemic

period. Both utilize social media as a way to attract and interact with their community,

but their community values are fundamental within the brand. Though the two

approaches vary, this very notion showcases how diverse Chinese designers can be in

terms of showcasing design, heritage, and community.

Increasingly, Chinese designers are decolonizing and reinterpreting what it means

to be a Chinese designer within the Western generated and dominated fashion sphere. By

taking up space and creating their community, they show that they too have a rightful

place within the fashion system that does not need to center Western design. Their

community values are fundamental within their brand, as is their dedication to

sustainability and transparency, which is increasingly necessary in today’s fashion

system. Reflective of the world at large, fashion’s move towards the digital sphere is

directly related to the integral part of technology within our lives. As e-commerce has

become a staple within fashion and cemented into our daily lives, this opens up

opportunities for young emerging designers to form foundations of their brand and reach

a larger customer base, thereby allowing more diverse up and coming designers to

showcase their perspectives. As designers have diverse backgrounds and approaches to design and retail, it is indeed unrealistic to apply a collective identity to them.208 Fashion

can be symbolic of a nation’s complex culture and history, and with a nation that is as

diverse as China, this can be embodied in a myriad of ways. Much like Bobblehaus and

YanYan Knits, new designers wish to bring something new and different to the industry,

and the shift towards community points to the desire to not only purchase clothing based

on appearance but also based upon a brand’s identity, community, and stance on social

and personal issues. Branding reflects and embodies the personal identities of its

designers and consumers, translating them to clothing and lifestyle. Choosing what to

sell, make or consume all provides an opportunity to display oneself to others in a

specific identity or preference, “performing difference or alliance through dress simultaneously [as] an act of politics and of self-making.”209

208 Wu, Juanjuan, Yue Hu, Lei Xu, and Marilyn R. DeLong, Fashion in Multiple Chinas, 90. 209 Niessen, Sandra, Anne Marie Leshkowish and Carla Jones. “Globalization of Asian Dress.” ReOrienting Fashion: The Globalization of Asian Dress. New York: Berg, 2013, 22.

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