i’ll be blogging a series of posts recapping on the events of last week, but i’m here to start off with the interview and photoshoot i had with isa magazine on thursday!

a little re-wind, this opportunity opened up while vending at the luminance event last month. while asian-american artists were there to perform, isa magazine was there to launch their first issue. luckily, i got the chance of crossing paths with tiffany wong (fashion + style writer for isa), and she was sweet enough to ask if i’d be interested in having an article about me and my business in the next issue… shocked and flattered (but mainly shocked), i (of course) said yes!

fast forward to a month later, i was sitting at a cute cafe sipping hot tea with tiffany and kevin wu at the lab in costa mesa (yes, home of my last photoshoot). while we had some technical difficulties with the videography, the interview went smoothly and we got to touch base on a lot of interesting topics. they wanted to take a few photos of my clothing to add into the article spread, so i called good friends (and og models), jenny and rwang, to come for the mini-shoot. as always they were great.

then… the awkwardness:
they insisted the article wouldn’t be complete without a few photos of me, but the thought of awkwardly standing in front of a camera by myself was something i wasn’t looking forward to. ironically enough, jenny and rwang were there to witness me in front of (instead of behind) the camera… oh, how the tables have turned! awkwardness aside, it was fun, and i guess i now have new photos for my ‘about me’ section… but never again, please. neverrrr.

big thank you to tiffany for making this happen, kevin for taking all the amazing footage, jenny + rwang for stepping in last minute, and isa magazine for this opportunity!

the magazine doesn’t come out for another month or so, but i wanted to paste a little snippet of my interview (it’ll actually transition into my next post pretty nicely):

“Well, first off, there aren’t enough images of Asian-Americans in mainstream America, so our stereotypes are very much heightened and limited. However, I think our generation is finding new ways to be represented, even if we have to create these images ourself. The internet allows this. Not only will you find Asian American singers, dancers, film makers, personalities on venues like Youtube, for example, but you’ll find that they’re amazingly talented and have the potential to really make it big. I’ve had the pleasure to meet a few of them in the past couple of months, and it’s the most inspired I’ve felt in a really long time. The energy shared is really contagious, and I think it’s important to really take this opportunity to grow as a community. Asian-Americans aren’t just doctors and the nerds crunching numbers (though nothing’s wrong with being a little nerdy). We’re sprinkled with different talents and capable of many things, and until society accepts this, future generations will continue to have difficulty with breaking that mold. I’m hopeful though, because with the internet and how easy it is to represent ourselves the way we want to be seen, we’re reaching people… and it’s a start.”

“I’ve never really seen being Asian American as a disadvantage, and I still don’t. Sure, there’s stereotypes I had to work through to get people to take me seriously… especially being a female, being vertically challenged (hooray for shorties!), and being young… but I feel like there’s only barriers and obstacles if you make them be barriers and obstacles. It’s important to create the image you want people to see… act it, be it, and believe it… and soon, others will too.”

that was a mouthful! there will be more in the issue, which should be available by the end of april. i’ll post another update when it’s released, as there will be hard-copies (you can bet i’ll be saving a stack) and an online version available for viewing as well.

until then, asian american or not, i’m really interested to hear your thoughts on this topic… so leave a comment with your two cents!

it’s been an insane week, but i’ll be ending it with a trip down to san diego for FUSION XI! trips down for fusion aren’t new to me, but this will be the first time attending as a vendor instead of a dancer. you can bet that you’ll be seeing me in the stands once CADC takes the stage though! proud alum, what can i say.

but for all you in san diego, grab tickets to the show or come drop by while i’m vending along the line outside of the rimac arena. you can find me there by about 3:30pm, and i’ll be vending outside until doors open + everyone starts to take their seats. hope to see you there!

FUSION XI: HIP HOP COMPETITION
march 28, 2010
ucsd’s rimac, san diego @ 6pm
more info

once i return from san diego, i’ll be preparing some new blog posts that i’m really excited to share with you all! i’ve had the pleasure to meet some new faces and be apart of some great opportunities this past week… so look out for those!

small sneak peek:

(brownie points for anyone that recognizes the shadowed silhouettes in the photo!)

if you were familiar with steppie prior to the month of march, you’ve probably landed here a bit confused. i apologize for the unexpected change of pace around the steppie website, but things definitely needed a little bit (or a lot) of re-vamping.

before completely moving on, let’s say our good-byes to our old website:

i’ve been getting a few questions for the reasoning behind the new change, and while i’m happy the first website made a good first impression, i’m excited to share with you all the new nifty things about the new site:

+ viewing pleasure: not only can you now view thesteppie.com on your cell phones, but you can now view everything with much faster loading speeds. using flash to build my old website inhibited both of those things. might not seem like a big deal, but trust – with the technology we are spoiled with today, it’s crazy how impatient we are with the internet sometimes.

+ central place for everything and anything steppie: we’re no longer sprinkled all over the internet, and now have one central home. links to my shop, facebook fan page, and flickr… blog posts + twitter updates… lookbooks + photoshoot videos… and even ways to contact me or to get to know me better… yep, all here. spend some time here and you might just get sick of me. (;

+ stay up-to-date: for my most loyal fans and friends, this is the best way to stay up-to-date with what i’m up to and what event i’ll be vending at next. you’ll also get the first word when i throw special sales or discounts at my shop. and considering how new my business is, you’ll get to join me on this little adventure as i never know where this will take me next!

+ functional and easy on the eyes: not gonna lie, my last website was all for show. it was cute, but limiting in what i could do with it. with this revamped version, i now have more control over what content is on the site and how things look aesthetically. i’m pretty proud of how i was able to whip this one up (hours staring at html coding + using google every 5 seconds will attribute to this),  and am even more excited about how functional this new website will be.

+ a preview of some of the awesomeness: one of my favorite features on the new site is our new lookbooks! click on the photo below to view our most recent ninja collection ’10 lookbook:

huge shout out to melly lee for spending a few hours with me in lee’s to figure that one out – lol! you can view the rest of the lookbooks under my portfolio section.

it was a little difficult parting ways with the old thesteppie.com, but i’m definitely finding it a lot more comfortable over here at our new home. feel free to bookmark this site, visit often, and leave comments! and of course, i’d love to hear your feedback on the new site — what do you like about it, what would you like to see — share it all!

thank you again for all of your amazing support!
fab-u-lous, that’s exactly what you are.

a cute fan just sent me this youtube video of her ‘outfit of the day’ with the ‘i am a ninja’ crew neck! thanks so much sweeetyasian!

she also posted a video of her opening up her package!
see the video here, skip to about 4:27.

how do you wear your steppie clothing?
send me photos (and videos!) through email or through my fan page!

jr aquino breakin’ hearts + rockin’ his new ‘i am a ninja’ crew neck!