The world of fashion has a fast-increasing number of high-profiled designers - that are listed below - whose on-going creations have caught the attention of the general public and Hollywood's celebrities.
According to Timothy Gunn, chair of fashion design at Parsons, a lot of Asians are coming to the U.S. to pursue fashion careers because there are so few fashion schools in countries like South Korea and Japan . . . . There is also a cultural duality to the design aesthetic of the young Asian designers . . . That idea of society and politesse distinguishes the attitude of this generation of Asian designers . . . . According to Timothy Gunn, chair of fashion design at Parsons, a lot of Asians are coming to the U.S. to pursue fashion careers because there are so few fashion schools in countries like South Korea and Japan . . . Mostly, though, (Peter) Som thinks that the current rash of Asian designers and design students in the U.S. is a generational phenomenon. "My parents had more pressure on them to become doctors or lawyers. With this generation there is an open-minded feeling in terms of what you can pursue as a career," he explains. So it is that many Asians, both here and abroad, are entering into fashion and design.

FASHION DESIGNERS

• DOO-RI CHUNG - She graduated from Parsons School of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion in 1995. After receiving her degree, Chung worked for Geoffrey Beene for six years, rising to the position of head desinger. In 2001, Chung started her own firm in the basement of her parents' dry cleaning business. The firm remained there for the next four years. Chung is inspired by Ann Demeulemeester, Martha Graham and Joseph Beuys In 2004, Chung was a finalist for the Vogue/Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Fund Award. Chung won the Swarovski's Perry Ellis Award for emerging talent in womenswear from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in June 2006. Chung's award was based on her 2005 Spring and Fall collections. [1] Also in 2006, Chung won the Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund Award. This $200,000 prize also came with a Lexus and a Montblanc watch. In 2006, Chung married Jeff Green. She and her husband made their own wedding rings.
• TOMOMI FUKUDA - From Japan by way of London, fashion designer Tomomi Fukuda knows all about that. Bored with selling exclusively vintage clothing after opening her Camdenlock boutique on Melrose Avenue in 1995, Fukuda began carrying what were then largely unknown British brands. Business was slow- at first. By 2001, the U.K. brands Fukuda first imported to L.A. began making inroads at her competitors and eventually at the big department stores, so she began creating her own clothes. She quickly picked up local clients along with those visiting town to record albums, including rock bands Green Day and OK Go. Armed with a measuring tape, Fukuda is well equipped to notice the changes in the Anglophile L.A. community. For one thing, "the boys are getting skinnier and skinnier every year," she says, laughing. If the boys are looking less like the meaty American stereotype, they're also starting to look less modern.
• ELLE HAMM - clothing designer, tv emcee, entrepeneur and music artist
• REI KAWAKUBO - Founder of Comme des Garcons. Starting out with women's clothes, Kawakubo added a men's line in 1978. Comme des Garcons specializes in anti-fashion, austere, sometimes deconstructed garments, sometimes lacking a sleeve or other component. Her garments are primarily in black, dark gray, and white, often worn with combat boots.
• WAKAKO KISHIMOTO - Wakako Kishimoto, along with her husband Mark Eley, has built one of the success stories of British fashion. Despite their reputation as print specialists, the designers have built a formidable ready-to-wear business. Eley Kishimoto is an inspiration to younger designers, combining creativity with commercial stability.
• PHILLIP LIM - A former designer for Katayone Adeli and Development, last year Phillip Lim, 31, started his own line 3.1 Phillip Lim. Sold at Cusp, Lim's classic, chic and simple clothing has been a favorite of glamour girls in the know for ages. In preparation for his next show in September — his second at New York Fashion Week — Lim will be chronicling his progress in a new blog for Jane magazine beginning August 1.
• THAKOON PANICHGUL - He was born in Northern Thailand). designer. Panichgul moved to the United States with his family when he was 11 years old, and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. Panichgul has a talent for blending distinctly different influences into his work, imparting a feminine spirit into a youthful, sporty line. The result is clothing that projects poised elegance with an underlying hint of playful wit. Growing up, Panichgul was interested in photography, and always had an eye for styling. After graduating from Boston University with a business degree, he moved to New York. As a fashion writer, Panichgul discovered that his ideas were often conceived through a designer's point of view, and he eventually pursued formal studies at Parsons School of Design. In September 2004, Panichgul produced his first ready to wear collection and quickly became a favorite with the fashion press, top editors and stylists, and celebrities like Rachel Bilson, Demi Moore, and Sarah Jessica Parker. He has become known for timelessly feminine designs which are as romantic and sensual as they are modern and innovative. His appreciation for the luxury of the past is a foundation of the collection, which has been described as "forward-looking, respectful of the past, and not at all vintage. Though his collection might be perfect for a modern Madame de Pompadour, it would suit an L.A. starlet just as well."
• PARAMJIT SINGH RANA - The embroidered robes in "Troy," the props and flags in Oliver Stone's "Alexander the Great," the intricate embroidery on the 400-meter stage curtain in the upcoming "The Phantom of the Opera" -- all came from Rangarsons (Paramjit Singh Rana & Son - Manjot), a family-run business located in New Delhi's central business district.
• VIVIENNE TAM - Her dresses can be seen in the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa. & London's Victoria, Albert Museum, Glasgow's Lighthouse and Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She was included in People magazine's list of "50 Most Beautiful People."
• ZANG TOI - Malaysian-born clothes designer who has worked with Sharon Stone and Ivana Trump
  
• VERA WANG - a former Vogue editor, revolutionized the bridal wear market in the 1990s, offering simple, modern alternatives to the prevailing frou-frou styles. She gained worldwide attention for designing Nancy Kerrigan's skating costumes at the 1994 Olympics. Wang also has ready-to-wear, accessories, beauty and tabletop collections.