We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jingwen Wang. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jingwen below.

Alright, Jingwen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Having absorbed aesthetics from both American and Chinese cultures, I’ve always been looking for something that could represent my love for Chinese aesthetics, but interpreted in a modern, accessible way. I wasn’t able to find anything that truly felt like that, which is why I was inspired to start DAWANG. From the start, my mission has been to build a community for people that loves and appreciates Chinese culture and aesthetics.

Particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic when we saw such a disheartening increase in anti-Asian violence, I find it so important to continue the discourse on the importance of breaking down barriers that define our culture as a monolith. For me, creating clothing that is a proud depiction of culture truly is a part of that. It’s interesting — when I say conversation, I really mean it. When I spoke with one of my social media consultants, she discussed her experience feeling ostracized and isolated for wearing cultural clothing when she was young and growing up in the United States. For me, I had a different experience growing up in China and coming here for college. I think that’s what part of makes this art — the ways it brings us together to talk about our experiences, and what fashion evokes, and how empowered we can feel when we wear it.

My mission is to really drive that conversation — to celebrate our diverse experiences, and to continue to create opportunities to engage in radical celebration of our culture, and to make clothes that make myself and those around me proud to be a part of the DAWANG community.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Daisy Jingwen Wang, and I am the designer and founder of DAWANG NEW YORK, a fashion brand and community committed to celebrating a modern interpretation of traditional Chinese aesthetics. Since 2019, I’ve created fresh interpretations of the qipao for everyday wear, brocade cargo pants and crop tops, and all sorts of styles that combine my Asian heritage with my love of fashion.

After taking a class on subcultures at Parsons the New School of Design, I realized that nobody was making the type of elevated Asian streetwear that I wanted to consume — something comfortable, ready to wear, and not a gimmick. Most importantly, something that really comes from our community — that celebrates the rich history, and also welcomes an inclusive future with open arms.

We’re a lifestyle brand that sells clothes, accessories, and exclusive collaboration pieces through our online website, as well as in pop-up locations from New York to LA. I really set out to create a fashion line that underlined the importance of representation in the form of daily accessible modern Chinese lifestyle (for people that loves and loves to celebrate the beauty of modern Chinese fashion). I’m so proud of the community we’ve created, and the ways in which our family welcomes people of all cultural backgrounds to partake in the beauty of a new era of fashion.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

We sell primarily through our own DTC website. We love the ability to have direct communication with our consumer, as well as a chance to foster brand loyalty. But, as a small team, fulfilling orders can be a bit chaotic and stressful.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We truly love our clients and see them as a part of our community, wouldn’t made it to where we are without their love and support. We love directly communicating through our various channels (web, email, and especially social media). One of my favorite things is seeing clients tag us in posts so I can see how they styled their pieces or where they are wearing their DAWANG! We’ve also seen a lot of success with hosting in-person experiences for our followers and friends. This has ranged from popups in our most popular cities, new season celebration events and shows, plus renewal workshops and sample sales in our studios since we’re really focused on increasing sustainability in fashion. Most recently, we popped up in Los Angeles and had such a blast seeing so many of our customers in person and giving sneak peeks of upcoming collections. At the end of the day, our community is why we do it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dawangnewyork.com
• Instagram: dawangnewyork
• Linkedin: dawangnewyork
• Tiktok: dawangnewyork

Image Credits
@Ashley Chang @Ally Wei Models: John Michael Notarte, Thomas Pham, Alex Fox, Alexis Victoria, Daisy Jingwen Wang, Geri