Sandy Liang is a fashion label based in New York City. Founded in 2014 by Sandy Liang, its designs are inspired by nostalgia, girlhood, and grandmothers in Chinatown.
| Industry | Fashion design |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Sandy Liang |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Website | Official website |
Founder
editSandy Liang was born on June 4, 1991, in New York City and grew up in Flushing, Queens, with a brother and a pet Chihuahua.[1][2] She briefly studied architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design before transferring to Parsons School of Design to study fashion design. Her father founded a restaurant in Manhattan Chinatown called Congee Village in 1996, when Liang was six. She frequently spent time at the restaurant after school.[3][1] Her family restaurant and Chinatown in general serve as major design inspirations for her brand.[1]
Liang met Dorian Booth, an architect, in 2016. They married in 2023.[4]
History
edit
Liang launched her fashion label, Sandy Liang, in 2014, after graduating from Parsons. She was inspired by the style of grandmothers in Chinatown,[5][2] and engaged her grandmother to model a collection of oversized coats.[6] The brand's first collection was released in fall/winter 2014.[7] In spring/summer 2015, the brand held a runway show at Liang's family restaurant.[1]
In 2018, Liang was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in the category of art and design.[8] In 2019, the label released a line of leopard-print fleece jackets inspired by hand-me-downs of Liang's childhood.[1] The New York Times described it as the "hottest jacket at New York Fashion Week".[9] The success of the jacket led to the label's first fashion show in September 2019.[5] In 2020, the brand opened a flagship retail store in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.[10]
In 2022, Sandy Liang released its first footwear line, taking inspiration from the aesthetics of ballet to create a cross between a Mary Jane and a pointe shoe.[11] The release was highly successful, even taking pre-orders for restocks.[5] In spring 2023, the brand released a version of the shoe in mesh,[12] and their first bridal collection in the same year.[13]
Sandy Liang's style has been associated with 2020s design trends like gorpcore,[3] balletcore, and coquette, and compared with designers such as Simone Rocha and Miu Miu; Harper's Bazaar compared the brand's cult following to that of the streetwear brand Supreme.[14][5] Its collections often feature ribbon-bow motifs, which was noted as a trend in both fashion and interior design in the spring and summer of 2023.[15][16] Several of the brand's collections are inspired by different elements of founder Liang's girlhood such as Hello Kitty and hand-me-down clothing.[1] In an interview, Liang cited the film Marie Antoinette and the work of Sofia Coppola as a major influence.[17]
Sandy Liang collaborated with Warby Parker in 2019,[18] Away and Target in 2021,[19][20] and Vans in 2020[21] and 2022.[22] In 2023, the brand collaborated with Salomon to create a line of sneakers.[23][24] In 2023, Sandy Liang collaborated with the dog clothing brand Little Beast on a line of fleeces and knitted sweaters for dogs.[25] The brand also created its first line of homeware that year, including a doormat and a carpet runner as well as a variety of underwear and loungewear.[26]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Hodin, Rachel (July 8, 2019). "Sandy Liang, Congee Village heiress". The Face. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Sinclair, Zoe. "Sandy Liang – Grandmas Rock". Metal. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ a b McCann, Allison (September 19, 2019). "The Fashion Week Diary of Sandy Liang, Fleece Phenom". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Taylor, Elise (August 10, 2023). "Inside Cult Downtown Designer Sandy Liang's Two Weddings in Queens and Coastal Maine". Vogue. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Gonzalez, Tara (February 22, 2023). "How Sandy Liang Became Supreme for the Downtown Coquette". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Mei, Gina (October 1, 2018). "Fashion Designer Sandy Liang Has an Unexpected Inspiration: Her Chinatown Grandma". Oprah Daily. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ^ Francis, Ali (March 7, 2017). "This Designer's the Reason You're Seeing Mangosteens on the Runway". Bon Appétit. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Sandy Liang". Forbes. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Schneier, Matthew (February 12, 2019). "This Fleece Is the Hottest Jacket at New York Fashion Week". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Abad, Mario (December 16, 2020). "Sandy Liang's First NYC Store Has a Deep Family Connection". Paper.
- ^ Pauly, Alexandra (November 2023). "Sandy Liang's First Footwear Launch is Totally On Pointe".
- ^ Gonzalez, Tara (June 23, 2023). "The Freaky Sexiness of a Mesh Ballet Flat". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Kim, Daisy (August 13, 2022). "Sandy Liang Debuts First Bridal Collection". V Magazine. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ Tashjian, Rachel (February 14, 2023). "Inside the Fashion Girl Gangs of New York". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Gore, Sydney (April 5, 2023). "Why Are Big Bows Suddenly Everywhere?". Architectural Digest. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Sayej, Nadja (July 23, 2023). "The bows are back in town: brands and stars celebrate feminine fashion". South China Morning Post. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Davidson, Emma Elizabeth (March 13, 2024). "Sandy Liang takes a bow". Dazed. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Bobila, Maria (April 26, 2021). "Warby Parker And Sandy Liang Teamed Up To Create A Short Fashion Film". Nylon. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Hubbard, Lauren (October 14, 2021). "Away Just Launched Its First Designer Luggage Collaboration". Town & Country. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Goh, Yang-Yi (September 30, 2021). "You Need to Cop a Fleece From This Womenswear Collab at Target". GQ. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Bobb, Brooke (January 21, 2020). ""I Just Got to Play": Sandy Liang on Designing Her First Shoe Collection With Vans". Vogue. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Solá-Santiago, Frances (January 12, 2022). "Sandy Liang & Vans' Newest Collab Is A Joyful Spin On '90s Fashion Trends". Refinery29. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Dwyer, Ross (April 29, 2023). "Sandy Liang and Her Salomon Collaborations for Hypebeast's Sole Mates". Hypebeast. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Halabian, Layla (April 20, 2023). "Sandy Liang's Salomon Capsule Is Fit For An Anime Heroine". Nylon. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Colón, Ana (November 10, 2023). "Now Your Dog Can Be a Sandy Liang Girl, Too". Fashionista. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "Sandy Liang's Debut Home Collection Was Made for the Coquette Princess at Heart". Architectural Digest. October 30, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2024.