IMMIGRANT DREAMSFALL/WINTER 2013 LOOKBOOK_

How many among us remember, with vivid detail, what it was like to be in that boat? Or what it meant to leave the only family and country we’ve ever known for an unsure future in a foreign land? How many of us know what real risk taking looks like?

The journey to America is a tale often wrought with themes of separation, loss, and sacrifice.

It’s an unforgettable experience and for some, it was a choice. It presented a lifeline and path out of the slums and countryside. But for others, the choice was made for them, either by repressive regimes or by forced labor, violating our most basic human rights.

But whether your family arrived five generations ago or within the past five months, the impact of immigration can still be found in the most intimate areas of our lived experiences. They contextualize who we are as Americans and bridge us to a Motherland we may not know.

These compelling stories are foundational to understanding the ever important questions of why and how so many are compelled to take such risks in a new land.

As the children of immigrants, we know that the immigration reform debate is not just an issue of political

Jenny Ton & Julia Rhee, Founders

will and legality. It’s about families. It’s about love. It’s about opportunity. It’s about us.

This lookbook is dedicated to the generation of fearless mothers and fathers who took a chance in this vast place called America.

May we live with the courage and strength they showed us when coming to America.

May we live out the dreams they carried with them.

U.S. businesses founded

by immigrants employed

approximately 560,000

workers and generated

$63 billion in sales

during 2012.

JULIA RHEE + DAE KYUNG RHEE

I AM JULIA RHEE. I’M THE PROUD DAUGHTER OF IMMIGRANTS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS.

WITH ROOTS FROM KOREA AND AN UPBRINGING IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, MY IDENTITY AND LIVED EXPERIENCES FEEL DECISIVELY ASIAN AMERICAN.

I’m here today because of the resilience and resourcefulness of my parents, and I’m proud to be a child of immigrants.

It’s because of their hopes, dreams, and a lifetime of sacrifices that I got every chance to make it in America.

I AM DAE KYUNG RHEE.

I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE COUNTRYSIDE OF SOUTH KOREA, AND I WAS THE FIRST IN MY FAMILY TO IMMIGRATE TO AMERICA. I’VE CALLED THE BEAUTIFUL PACIFIC NORTHWEST MY HOME FOR THE LAST 35 YEARS.

Even though I’ve spent more years in America than I have in Korea, people still see me as a foreigner. But, I continue to believe in the American Dream.

I came here for my children and family.

I CAN’T IMAGINE LIVING ANYWHERE ELSE.I am proud to be Korean American.

MIMO HAILE + RAHEL WOLDEHANNA

I AM MAEREG “MIMO” HAILE. I WAS NAMED AFTER MY MOM’S FAVORITE BAKERY IN ETHIOPIA, WHICH SHE VISITED EVERYDAY WHILE PREGNANT WITH ME.

My American Dream is to be a women’s health advocate, especially for women of the African Diaspora.

I AM RAHEL WOLDEHANNA, A PROUD MOTHER, ENTREPRENEUR, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, AND A PROUD ETHIOPIAN FROM ABEBA, ETHIOPIA.

As an immigrant, I had to constantly endure people’s false perceptions of my work ethic.

I was often belittled because I was only seen as a foreigner with an accent.

I want others to have compassion towards women like my mother. She gave up all that she had to come to America to give me and my siblings a better opportunity.

It is commendable, and I believe women like her should be celebrated.

CARLO DE LA CRUZ + PPROSY & ENRIQUE DE LA CRUZ

I AM CARLO DE LA CRUZ, A SECOND GENERATION QUEER FILIPINO AMERICAN, THE PROUD SON OF TWO IMMIGRANT PARENTS.

I’M AN AMERICAN CITIZEN BY BIRTH, BUT MANY PEOPLE ARE AMERICANS IN THEIR HEART.

I AM PROSY ABARQUEZ-DELA-CRUZ, J.D.

My Filipina American Dream is to include all ethnicities in nation building, to see that all groups have a voice at the decision-making table, that all have a shot at building equity, as well as opportunities to advance themselves to meet their fullest human potential.

I AM ENRIQUE DE LA CRUZ. I’M AN AVID BIKE RIDER, WRITER, AND ACTIVIST.

When we assume something about a person’s background, we limit their ability to surprise and teach us something.

Everyone has something valuable to offer, no matter who they are, or where they’re from.

Migration is a human right, and all people should be treated with dignity.

I’d like people to know that if you were to hear the story of my parents, you’d be reminded of your own family and their journey to build a life and home in this country.

More than 5,000 children living in foster care had parents who had been detained or deported from the United States. Another 15,000 children will end up in foster care in the next five years because of immigration enforcement.

Nearly half of undocumented

immigrants and over 1/3

of legal immigrants live in

families comprised of

couples and children.

STEVE LI

YO SOY STEVE LI SIN MIEDO Y SIN PAPELES. PERUANO CHINO AMERICANO DE SAN FRANCISCO.

I AM STEVE LI, AN UNDOCUMENTED AND UNAFRAID PERUVIAN CHINESE AMERICAN FROM SAN FRANCISCO.

The most challenging aspects as an undocumented immigrant is the criminalization of immigrant families and the fear that you or your family can be deported at any moment.

I struggle with the agony of not knowing if I will ever be able to see my parents again because they were unexpectedly and unjustly deported.

Immigration is an American issue that affects all of our communities.

I want people to know that I have the same hopes and dreams as you do.

VY THAO HOÀNG + VÂN NGUYÊN

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I AM VY THAO HOÀNG. I WAS BORN IN SAIGON (CURRENT DAY HO CHI MINH CITY), VIETNAM, AND I WAS RAISED IN SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

Because of the systematic and cultural consequences of yellow peril and the model minorit y myth, there are many misconceptions of Vietnamese immigrants.

In the face of these dehumanizing views, I want people to know that I am one of the many human legacies of resilient and fierce Vietnamese fighters, survivors, and lovers.

I AM VÂN NGUYÊN. I AM FROM SAIGON, VIETNAM.

I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO COME TO AMERICA FOR A BETTER LIFE FOR MY FAMILY.

Immigrants and children of immigrants constantly put in so much work for the survival of our families.

Seeing my immigrant mother work day in and day out at her working class job is a labor of love.

ANDREA PAOLA DIAZ + SILVIA DIAZ

I AM ANDREA PAOLA DIAZ. I’M THE FOUNDER AND OWNER OF ROOM TWO, A VINTAGE AND LOCAL DESIGNER SHOP IN SAN JOSE, CA.

I CAME TO THE U.S. FROM MEXICO WHEN I WAS 4 YEARS OLD.

Since coming to the U.S., one challenge is maintaining a balance with my Mexican identity and my American identity.

Sometimes staying true is not only challenging but confusing.

My American Dream is to make my parents proud and to show them that their sacrifices are appreciated.

I want to show my parents the happiness that they have taught us to find.

I AM SILVIA DIAZ. I CAME TO AMERICA WITH MY HUSBAND TO GIVE MY CHILDREN THE OPPORTUNITIES WE KNEW THEY WOULD NOT HAVE IN MEXICO.

JENNY TON + CHINH THI PHAM

I AM HUONG TÔN, WIDELY KNOWN AS JENNY. I AM THE CO-FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF RETROFIT REPUBLIC.

I’M THE PROUD DAUGHTER OF VIETNAMESE & CHINESE IMMIGRANTS HAILING FROM BALDWIN PARK, CALIFORNIA—HOME TO THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD AND THE 1ST IN-N-OUT.

Whether you are undocumented or not, working low to high skill jobs, we are all interconnected, and we want the same thing—opportunities for a better life for ourselves, for our families, for our communities.

I firmly believe that when this nation fully accepts immigrants, and it is reflected in equitable and inclusive policy, education, access to resources, and job opportunities, we will all be better off.

I AM PHAM THI CHINH. I COME FROM A LINEAGE OF FARMERS FROM THAI BINH, VIETNAM. I CAME TO AMERICA BECAUSE I WANTED FREEDOM, AND A FULFILL ING LIFE FOR MY CHILDREN THAT WAS UNATTAINABLE IN WAR-TORN VIETNAM.

New immigrants to America still face many of the same struggles as I have, but I feel it’s even harder for them now.

I ask all newcomers in America to continue to fight the struggle. There will be better times and a brighter future, and you will be able to achieve something beautiful.

Immigrant women embrace

citizenship and encourage

integration. They are

overwhelmingly the drivers

of naturalization in their

families, with 58 percent

stating that they felt the

strongest in their family

about becoming an

American citizen.

LOOK GOOD.

DO GOOD.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Retrofit Republic retrofitrepublic.com

PHOTOGRAPHER

Lauren Crew laurencrew.com

PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPORT

Chelsea Chorpenning chelseasnaps.com

WARDROBE + STYLING

Jenny Ton + Julia Rhee Founders, Retrofit Republic

LOOKBOOK DESIGNERS

Athenia Teng atheniateng.com

PRODUCTION SUPPORT

Catherine Tran Claudia Ho Linda Yang Kei Vinuya Tiffany Refuerzo

HAIR STYLIST

Geneive Jaramilla Co-Founder + CEO, Step Heavvy

MAKE-UP ARTISTS

Adela De La Cerda facebook.com/AdelaDeLaCerda.makeupartist Keren Lizarraga Shannon Nicole Feiman shannonnicolemakeup.com

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO

Rheanna, Lucas, & Ryan Hipstamatic + Snap Magazine hipstamatic.com

CITATIONS + SOURCES

slide 23 | Center for American Progress The Facts on Immigration Today ht tp://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/

report/2013/04/03/59040/the-facts-on-immigration-today-3/

slide 23 | Center for American Progress 10 Facts You Need to Know About Immigrant Women ht tp://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/

news/2013/03/08/55794/10-facts-you-need-to-know-about-

immigrant-women-2013-update/

slide 05 | Manhattan Institute for Policy Research ht tp://www.manhat tan-institute.org/html/ib_18.htm#.UdPF9-tQ3rg

slide 44 | Center for American Progress 10 Facts You Need to Know About Immigrant Women ht tp://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/

news/2013/03/08/55794/10-facts-you-need-to-know-about-

immigrant-women-2013-update/

LOOK GOOD. DO GOOD.

retrofitrepublic.com