philip lim
Photography courtesy of 3.1 Phillip Lim x Volvo

Designer and Slaysian Phillip Lim Is Shaking Things Up

From a sustainable new bag to the House of Slay, his vision is clear

Breathe. Just take a deep breath.

I’m minutes away from sitting down with Phillip Lim at his luxe-meets-minimalist limestone-floored flagship store in New York City’s Soho district. He’s currently around the corner shooting Stories for his personal Instagram account, sipping a Tepozán-tequila-based cocktail, catching up with his team, very much in his element. I on the other hand am gulping down iced water to cool myself, so I don’t hyperventilate in front of him.  

Meeting any designer is an incredible honour—and nerve wracking. But Lim is more than just a designer. Yes, his name is synonymous with the effortlessly elegant clothes and accessories from his brand, 3.1 Phillip Lim, worn by stylish women all over the world. But more recently he has emerged as inspiring voice for social activism, joining forces with a group of fellow Asian-American designers and fashion friends known as the #Slaysians, including Prabal Gurung, Laura Kim of Oscar de la Renta, restaurateur Ezra J. Williams and influencer Tina Leung.

This year, the fabulous five have been spearheading the Stop Asian Hate movement, advocating for Asian-Americans in the face of racism and violence. They recently launched House of Slay, a media platform and comic book that features each of them as their own Asian superhero. Obviously, I need in. (Later, Lim took his House of Slay pin from his collar and pinned it on my sleeve, “anointing” me as an official member. I’m surprised I survived to write this story.)

Along with fighting injustice, Lim is also fighting for more sustainability in design. For his latest collab project, he teamed up with Volvo, which has been making waves in the auto industry by replacing leather interiors in its electric cars with Nordico, a smooth material made out of recycled wine corks, PET bottles and bio­ material from sustainable forests in Sweden and Finland. Lim took up the challenge of using the material to design a gorgeous weekender bag that’s reminiscent of his original 31 Hour Bag. Although the weekender is currently not for sale, Lim sees it as an exercise to rethink the way things are produced.

“To me, this collaboration is not about the bag; it’s an example of what can be achieved,” he explains. “We can’t wait for Superman. We have to be our own superheroes and participate in becoming part of the solution.”

I sat down with Lim to talk the future of fashion, what’s next for his brand and how to be your own superhero in this world.

When did you decide your work needed to become more sustainable?

“I’ve been on this journey personally for about six to seven years, starting with the question ‘what is beauty?’ It looks great from the outside, but beauty is such a fleeting moment. I’d been feeling this way prior to the pandemic; I’ve been taking myself off the fashion show circuit to reevaluate, connect back to the community and to find a more conscious and mindful way of doing things. We may not have the solution now, but we’re part of the problem, so how do we do our part from our little points of the world to add to a grander shift. I’m trying to do more of less. I also realized an acronym for my last name is ‘Less Is More,’ so I was born this way.”

What are some ways you’re pursuing sustainability in your work, given fashion is a notoriously polluting industry?

“Everything is based off of trends, everything being so quick. And now the space is getting more crowded, I feel like the pace is even more amplified. My approach is not a linear one, but actually looking at it 360º—from the way I live and consume personally to looking at ingredients and not participating [in trends]. However, if I do participate, how does it add to the conversation? This collaboration is an example of two companies with aligned values proving what we can achieve with creativity and our superpowers. This bag represents form, function and a new value—mindfulness. But this is not the solution. The solution cannot be a bag, but it is an example.”

What do you think the future of fashion looks like?

“I hope everyone jumps in. I hope we start to understand we can harness the power of fashion, because it can shift perspectives and make mindfulness chic. When you take a question and use design to answer a question, you bring an offer to the world for consumers to question and to choose. We hope this bag will cause a ripple effect and someone will look at it and change their mind the next time they consume. Because you don’t want to have to preach it constantly. You want people to naturally gravitate towards it. We’re redefining what luxury is.”

The future of fashion is also about inclusivity. Let’s talk about House of Slay. How did this come about?

“It started as a way to sustain community, friendships and representation within an industry that’s trying to erase us because it’s not trendy. We have started with a digital comic series but this is just the beginning. We hope it becomes a social impact media brand with different verticals. We are currently working on volume two and we’re adding different community members because this is not supposed to be AAPI focused. Yes, it is AAPI founded, but it can’t just be about ourselves. If there’s injustice for one community, then it’s all of us. We saw it in this pandemic. It started with Black Lives Matter and then it was Stop Asian Hate, but who’s next? What we all have in common is that we’re fighting hate.”

This cause is very close to me. I wrote many stories about this

“That’s great. That is your superpower. I feel like our generation is a bridge generation. My parents’ journey to the U.S. was just to survive. The generation coming up is about pride, but how do we connect these two? How do we help understand your privilege of pride comes from sacrifice, grit and resilience? If we can understand that within the community, we can use this idea to bring other communities into the fold, so we can be one type of family.”

How did Slaysians start?

“It started from representing and from being proud. We slay on the runway and we slay in life. We’re unapologetically ourselves. But no one can own ‘Slaysian’ because Slaysian is a spirit. You’re a Slaysian, I’m a Slaysian.”

I’m so glad I recorded that

“Hey, if you’re Asian and you slay, you’re Slaysian. It’s a mindset, an embodiment and believing in the idea that we can build this house together—tangibly and metaphorically.”

What have been some of the effects of having such strong, amazing friends within the industry?

“In this industry, we’re conditioned to think there’s only room for one or two of you, and if you don’t take that space, someone else should come in and push you aside, but that’s bullshit. We should all belong. Having friends within the industry has given me more confidence. It’s had such a positive effect. I first did this because I was searching for beauty, but when you’re around inspiring people and have this support system, something in your mind shifts into looking for the value of beauty. If I can get there, I can look at people in a more valuable way. I can make beautiful things and make sure there is a value instilled.”

What’s been your proudest moment as someone of Asian descent?

“To exist as a brand with the surname Lim. To have the privilege to work with a like-minded company like Volvo with the surname Lim attached to it. The way we protest is to survive and succeed. As long as we can do that, we can amplify that and share that with the world. That makes Lim like Smith or Williams. It’s natural. It’s not like, ‘Where’s that name from?’ Being here discussing, sharing and participating is my form of protest and resistance.”

What can we expect next from 3.1 Phillip Lim?

“More in this direction. More of using the platform, resources and superpowers to participate in very important conversations that are larger than me as an individual. I do get nervous. I still have this trigger when people say ‘Stay in your lane. You’re just a designer.’ The thing is yes, I am a designer, however, I live in this world and I have every right and responsibility to try and change narratives. People say I’m privileged and I’m like, ‘Yes, I earn all of my privilege, so I’m going to use it the way I want to use it.’”

 

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