Sandy Liang's Grandma Chic

July 11, 2017

26-year-old designer and Bayside Queens native Sandy Liang is best known for her outerwear silhouettes that meet at the crossroads of fuzzy pastels and posh, streetwear motifs. Sandy’s approach to design is deeply personal.

Drawing inspiration from the quiet places where childhood nostalgia lingers and the Chinatown grandmas flashing counterfeit Vuitton on Canal street, her label’s vitality has become parallel to her own.

Her love for fashion began with grade school and the Gap jeans she could never wear because her mom wouldn’t buy them for her. Now, Liang is fusing idealism with reality in her very own label.

We sat down with the designer to talk being inspired by her grandma, the beauty of the process, and Britney Spears.

Interview by Lindsey Okubo
Photos by Elvin Tavarez

The daughter of immigrants, Sandy grew up in Congee Village, her parent’s restaurant in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Congee Village served up its own namesake amidst fake bamboo decor under a rosy glow courtesy of the carefully curated, neon, lights. For Sandy growing up in America meant doing something legit; becoming a doctor or lawyer -- something with security to assuage the blue-collar sacrifices made by those who paved the way. Yet Sandy struck an early penchant for drawing, taking her brother’s old notebooks and plastering them with stage outfits designed for Destiny's Child and Britney, betch.

As is the case for many first-gens, it took Sandy walking out on her dream to figure out that that’s what she was doing. Three years later, she has defined a cathartic relationship to her clothes by making sense of and immortalizing her quotidian experiences through cotton and leather. We chatted with her at Dimes Deli on a Summer night to better understand her unique design process and her love for Chinatown grandmas.

Reflecting on it now, when you said you could taste your brand—what did it taste like? There’s always this constant battle between idealism and reality and you really managed to fuse the two in building your label.

It all started with me wanting it first, I think a lot of people don’t even love themselves enough to dream that big... [My brother told me once], "Who do you think is going to do it for you? You have to believe in yourself so much to the point where you’re insane and not making any sense. You have to visualize yourself there already.” That was the starting point for me.

So where does the beauty of the process live for you?

I think it’s beautiful in the way that I’m approaching it... Everything I make is so personal to me. I don’t work with a team of designers, I design everything myself and everything goes back to my childhood or the neighborhood that I live in... The street is my inspiration, my dad is my inspiration, the restaurant is my inspiration, it’s just life, it’s what I encounter. It’s light, and people often put such a weight on fashion and at the end of the day, these people are just trying to make money and make it happen and they’re making cool things while they’re doing it.

You were talking about being inspired by your neighborhood and I mean just looking around right now and thinking about growing up here, I can’t even imagine that. Whenever I see little kids on the street I’m like, “what is your world?!”

Yes! When I was trying to figure out what my senior thesis collection would be I was like, fuck, I can’t tell anyone what I’m actually inspired by because they’re going to think I'm a whacko. I actually was just inspired by my grandma, my favorite person in this world. I feel like in a lot of Asian families, the grandparents raise the kids while the parents are going to work. [laughs] I was really into Chinatown grandmas and the very particular silhouette of their pants. Literally everyone is wearing them right now, but it’s boxy, cropped and crazy florals with a mismatched top, with a book bag or a visor. I was taking photos of them secretly and that was my moodboard for my senior year thesis. I found them really beautiful because everyone in New York and downtown is trying to be cool all the time but Chinatown grandmas are the ones who legit don’t care about what they look like. I was also really inspired by aprons because of my dad’s restaurant and the workers smoking out back and all the little, nostalgic things that I would encounter.

Yeah and the process must just be very surreal, like when you finally have your first press day or Vogue feature, tell us about the magic.

The magic for me is extra magical because I don’t have a PR team that works with me year round... I always think about that Britney Spears quote about how the first time she heard her own song playing on the radio she was going ape shit and that happened to me not too long ago. There was this girl walking down Grand Street towards Chinatown and she was wearing my fleece. I only saw the back of her but I flipped a shit and was like, “oh my god! She’s not even my friend, I didn’t even sell it to her at wholesale, she bought that shit retail off of some online store!” It made me so happy. [laughs]

Where do you want the brand to be or end up?

It’s not like my goals are aligned with the goals of other brands that have multiple investors and whatever. I’m learning so much more about the brand itself as I’m designing each collection and I just want to keep doing that.

Shop Sandy Liang here.

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Starting off December on the right foot, Jordan Brand teamed up with cultural visionary Téla to create a fresh addition to its brand. As a co-founder of Who Decides War, Téla is constantly focused on finding innovative ways to blend luxury and streetwear. The Jordan Brand Flight Court x Téla pulls inspiration from skateboarding and basketball as well, resulting in a shoe meant for any occasion.

With its debut on December 5th, the collaboration is marked by its mix of Jumpman DNA and distressed elements. Who Decides War’s signature darning technique can be seen throughout the black, Off Noir, and Varsity Red shoe. You can even choose which logo to display while wearing them, enhancing the convergence of these two worlds.

By Abby Dillingham
Photos Courtesy of Jordan Brand

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The conversation, led by office's Cassie Jekanoski, was centered around navigating today's creative industry while bringing hope and joy to the craft. Smiles were exchanged and laughs echoed the walls as the guests got real about their takes on creativity, collaboration, and individuality. Meanwhile, bright flames reflected on the Orchard Street storefront as the culinary team grilled outside.

Photos by Ava Perman

Perfection is the recipe for disaster for a lot of us. You will always fail in the pursuit of perfect... but the journey is fun. - Kevin Ponce

Everyone finds zen in their work in a different way. It's a really important part, having something in your work that feels good despite what else is going on. Once you put yourself into that state of flow, a lot comes out. -Martine Ali

A lot of the time we have narratives of people, what we think they are going to be like, or a certain perception of them. For them to blow away all of those things is incredibly cool. That's my main objective and the whole point of writing, to keep the narrative going, to keep cultural criticism going, to keep history going. - Kerane Marcellus

Kerane Marcellus, Kevin Ponce, and Magdalena O'Neil

Nicolaia Rips, Liv Solomon, and Cassie Jekanoski

Michelle Li, Kim Shui, Laura Pitcher, and Kevin Ponce

Maria Alia, Becky Akinyode, and Shay Johnson

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Manifestations of Jeff

December 05, 2024

Alter-egos manifest in different ways. Designer Moni Jiang’s Graduate Collection at Central Saint Martins dives deep into hers, a man named Jeff. Jeff doesn’t care, he’s resourceful, he fearlessly makes mistakes and looks good while doing it. He finds random clothing in his closet, accessories on the street, and somehow pulls it all together.

This exploration marks a significant moment in her journey as a designer and stylist. She blends streetwear culture and 1920’s opulence to bring us into Jeff’s world. Inspired by the memory of her grandfather, the collection is innovative in its use of materials. A corset constructed with 3,600 bobby pins and a puffer jacket covered with thousands of rhinestones simply makes sense in the universe she creates.

office sat down with the mastermind herself to talk all things Jeff.

Interview by @abbydillingham
Creative Direction @ferrrariboi
Styling @ferrrariboi
Photography @billiejstringer
HMU @at0_1ee
Models @temisaama @cakarefe
Assistants @halbutlerr @timsoliman

I'm really fascinated by how you brought this character to life, when did Jeff first appear to you?

It's kind of funny how this whole thing started. So I actually used to live in New York, years back. And one day, when I went thrift shopping, I found this worker's shirt, and it said Jeff on it. I think it was like someone's work shirt. And I thought that was super cool, so I bought it, and that sort of became my alter ego. And I kind of just started using that as my name for dating sites, all sorts of online shit. So it was very random.

I love that. Can you take me through a classic day in the life of Jeff? What is he doing? Where is he going? Who is he hanging out with?

I don't think there is a classic day in his life, because it's always different, like he's always doing things on a whim, you know. He just wakes up and he would do whatever the fuck he wants. It's all quite random. And I sort of like that. The fact that he doesn't stick to a routine, because I feel like that's how it's supposed to be for him, because he's not tied to anything. He's not confined, like he has no limits, so he kind of just, like, does everything and anything he wants, whenever, wherever.

Yeah, totally. And I read that a lot of the inspiration for Jeff came from your grandfather. How do you feel like Jeff embodies him?

Actually, initially, I feel like I didn't even see it. But as I was making the collection I sort of saw my grandpa's shadow within the collection. And I feel like it's because, like my grandfather himself, he used to be this super careless, fearless and free soul who never gave a fuck about what anyone else said. And he was always sort of in his own little bubble kind of thing. He had no friends, I think he didn't mind that. You know, that's just like part of his personality, he didn't care. So I think this collection was also sort of an attempt to revive his spirit through this alter ego that I've created.

For sure, I love that. I think especially when you're designing something, sometimes you don’t even see the inspiration until it's done. And it's really cool, because it's kind of subconscious.

You use a variety of materials, did you use any in the beginning that you thought would be a small detail that ended up being kind of central to the collection?

Yeah, actually, I think the first piece that I made for this collection was the hat. So that was kind of like, where the whole thing started. Because, like the hat, it kind of was a representation of repetitions. And I was like, oh so it's something that he keeps doing over and over again, like a mistake that he keeps making over and over again. This whole collection is basically Jeff's attempt to look posh or glamorous, but with things that he found. It's a bit like how as a kid, you would gel your hair back to look like you were older or wrap blankets around you to make a gown kind of thing. The whole thing is meant to be playful and really just random.

Yeah, especially like the childhood spirit of just working with whatever you have at home or in your parents closet and just making it happen.

Yeah, totally.

So you pulled some influence from streetwear culture and 1920s opulence. Does that era in particular inspire you at all? Would you say it inspires Jeff?

I think it's not about clothes from that era or details. It's mostly about the spirit and like, what people know that era as. It’s the glam and the lavish lifestyle.. And I think that's how Jeff is, that's how I want Jeff to be. He doesn't care about what other people think, he just wants to show off as much as he can. He just wants to put himself out there and be seen. Like he's just a walking spotlight.

Yes! I see that for him. It's kind of this balance between unconventional and conventional. And I guess my last question would be, how do you feel like, we all can be more like Jeff? How can we be inspired by him?

I think, really just go easy on yourself and allow yourself to make mistakes, because I feel like that's what I’ve struggled with for the longest time, because when I make things, I feel like I'm too much of a perfectionist, and I have a little bit of OCD when it comes to my work

Yeah, don't we all.

Yeah and, because of that, I've actually suffered a lot throughout my creative process over the years, because I can always do one thing 10 times just to make it perfect. But I feel like at the end of the day it's kind of pointless, because in the end, you're really just gonna see the overall image. And I think that's how it works with styling as well. Like, when I was working with other stylists, they didn't care that much about that one little fold in the skirt. You know, they care more about the overall image on the screen. And also, because, like on set, everything moves so fast, you can't just be fixated on one little detail. So, yeah just chill (laughs), like chillax.

Literally (laughs) just relax. I feel like everyone just needs to relax.

Yeah (laughs), everyone needs to chillax.