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.

Sandy Liang
IndustryFashion design
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014)
FounderSandy Liang
Headquarters,
United States
WebsiteOfficial website

Founder

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Sandy 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

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A display of shoes at the Sandy Liang flagship store in New York City, 2023

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

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Hodin, Rachel (July 8, 2019). "Sandy Liang, Congee Village heiress". The Face. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Sinclair, Zoe. "Sandy Liang – Grandmas Rock". Metal. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  3. ^ a b McCann, Allison (September 19, 2019). "The Fashion Week Diary of Sandy Liang, Fleece Phenom". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  4. ^ Taylor, Elise (August 10, 2023). "Inside Cult Downtown Designer Sandy Liang's Two Weddings in Queens and Coastal Maine". Vogue. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Mei, Gina (October 1, 2018). "Fashion Designer Sandy Liang Has an Unexpected Inspiration: Her Chinatown Grandma". Oprah Daily. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  7. ^ Francis, Ali (March 7, 2017). "This Designer's the Reason You're Seeing Mangosteens on the Runway". Bon Appétit. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  8. ^ "Sandy Liang". Forbes. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  9. ^ Schneier, Matthew (February 12, 2019). "This Fleece Is the Hottest Jacket at New York Fashion Week". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  10. ^ Abad, Mario (December 16, 2020). "Sandy Liang's First NYC Store Has a Deep Family Connection". Paper.
  11. ^ Pauly, Alexandra (November 2023). "Sandy Liang's First Footwear Launch is Totally On Pointe".
  12. ^ Gonzalez, Tara (June 23, 2023). "The Freaky Sexiness of a Mesh Ballet Flat". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  13. ^ Kim, Daisy (August 13, 2022). "Sandy Liang Debuts First Bridal Collection". V Magazine. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  14. ^ Tashjian, Rachel (February 14, 2023). "Inside the Fashion Girl Gangs of New York". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  15. ^ Gore, Sydney (April 5, 2023). "Why Are Big Bows Suddenly Everywhere?". Architectural Digest. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ Davidson, Emma Elizabeth (March 13, 2024). "Sandy Liang takes a bow". Dazed. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  18. ^ Bobila, Maria (April 26, 2021). "Warby Parker And Sandy Liang Teamed Up To Create A Short Fashion Film". Nylon. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  19. ^ Hubbard, Lauren (October 14, 2021). "Away Just Launched Its First Designer Luggage Collaboration". Town & Country. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  20. ^ Goh, Yang-Yi (September 30, 2021). "You Need to Cop a Fleece From This Womenswear Collab at Target". GQ. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Solá-Santiago, Frances (January 12, 2022). "Sandy Liang & Vans' Newest Collab Is A Joyful Spin On '90s Fashion Trends". Refinery29. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  23. ^ Dwyer, Ross (April 29, 2023). "Sandy Liang and Her Salomon Collaborations for Hypebeast's Sole Mates". Hypebeast. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  24. ^ Halabian, Layla (April 20, 2023). "Sandy Liang's Salomon Capsule Is Fit For An Anime Heroine". Nylon. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  25. ^ Colón, Ana (November 10, 2023). "Now Your Dog Can Be a Sandy Liang Girl, Too". Fashionista. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  26. ^ "Sandy Liang's Debut Home Collection Was Made for the Coquette Princess at Heart". Architectural Digest. October 30, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2024.