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PHILIP LIM: More and more I question the whole idea of like you know just like
where were you born? For me, it's more about what runs in my blood and I'm Chinese.PHILIP LIM: I grew up in Southern California in um Orange County. In the
suburbs. The real O.C.PHILIP LIM: And I majored in home economics just because they -- that department
uh had sewing classes, you know? Had a fashion merchandising uh class. And while I was figuring out what to tell my parents, I took courses that kind of felt natural to me and that kind of like changed the course of my future.PHILIP LIM: It's never apparent, you know? It's like--I'm not like creating um
qipaos or like you know what I mean? Or like dragon embroidered on satin, you know? I think that what I do is just create um uh sportswear, you know? Or actually, not even-- I wouldn't even call it sportswear. What I do is just create clothes. Being Chinese, I guess the way it would influence the clothes is just through the thought. Through the humility, through the, um, integrity. Through the, um, tenacity. You know, it's like in the culture, what's more important is the stuff that's not said. You know, and I think that's how it reflects through our clothes.PHILIP LIM: It's um hard to pick two looks that kind of say it all. These two
looks are the closest snapshots to kind of what we do. You know, where we are as a company. You know, I think that, uh, these two looks kind of represent the modern uniform. If we talk about how clothes relate to, to culture, it's really um kind of in my mind connected to these two looks because it's very multifaceted, it's, it's unconventional but at the end the outcome is somewhat normal.PHILIP LIM: It's hard to like talk about something that's like so natural like
it's how--it's like asking me, uh, how do you breathe? [laughter] You inhale, you exhale.PHILIP LIM: For me, fashion is the only medium that neutralizes and can change,
and can cross social, cultural, and economic, um you know, status, you know. And it's the one neutralizer and, and, on any given day, you can feel any way you want and you can look the part. You know, and I think that more and more it might be--more and more people might be in tuned to that.PHILIP LIM: I'm honored to be included in this group of Chinese American
designers. This project is really special. For me, I'm just a link in a chain. There are ones that paved the way for us and we will pave the way for others. I'm just so grateful to be part of the process.