Koi Suwannagate And Anna Sui Design T-shirts For A Cause

KOI SUWANNAGATE AND ANNA SUI DESIGN T-SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE

Nordstrom Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with Limited-Edition T-shirts 

SEATTLE—In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Nordstrom is partnering with designers Koi Suwannagate and Anna Sui on a limited-edition T-shirt collection that will be sold exclusively at Nordstrom for the month of May.

These limited-edition T-shirts will be available at 15 Nordstrom stores and online at Nordstrom.com/apahm beginning May 1. Customers will have three different T-shirt designs to choose from including one from Koi Suwannagate and two from Anna Sui. T-shirts will sell for $60 each with proceeds benefiting the scholarship program of OCA, a national organization dedicated to serving Asian Pacific Americans. For over 10 years, OCA has provided assistance to students in achieving their dream of a higher education.


“We are excited to partner with Koi Suwannagate and Anna Sui in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month,” said Amelia Ransom Letcher, vice president of Diversity Affairs for Nordstrom. “Our collaborative effort in support of OCA’s scholarship program is one that we can all be proud of.”

Koi is known for her artistic designs that many would describe as “wearable art”, and this T-shirt is nothing short of that. Anna Sui’s two designs incorporate her signature fanciful design elements, complete with unexpected details.

“Having the opportunity to contribute my T-shirt design to Nordstrom for OCA’s mission is very humbling,” said designer Koi Suwannagate. “My T-shirt design for Nordstrom is an extension of one of my spring/summer 2009 feather prints. The feather is a symbol of lightness and fantasy.”

“I was honored to be asked to participate in this project. I think it’s so fantastic that all the proceeds will benefit the OCA scholarship program,” said designer Anna Sui. “I designed two T-Shirts. The first one is a blow-up of one of the sketches I did for my spring 2009 collection and includes a real satin bow on top of the girl’s head. The second design is festooned with lace trim, a pearl necklace and real satin bows.”

T-shirts will be available online at Nordstrom.com/apahm and15 Nordstrom stores across the country including:

Ala Moana Center – Honolulu, Hawaii
Brea Mall – Brea, Calif.
Downtown Portland – Portland, Ore.
Downtown Seattle – Seattle, Wash.
Fashion Square – Scottsdale, Ariz.
Fashion Valley – San Diego, Calif.
Mall of America – Bloomington, Minn.
Michigan Avenue – Chicago, Ill.
Pentagon City – Arlington, Va.
Roosevelt Field – Garden City, N.Y.
San Francisco Centre – San Francisco, Calif.
The Grove at Farmer’s Market – Los Angeles, Calif.
Topanga Plaza – Canoga Park, Calif.
Valley Fair – San Jose, Calif.
Village of Merrick Park – Coral Gables, Fla.


About Koi Suwannagate
Born and raised in Thailand, Koi came to the United States and studied fashion in California. That’s where she discovered her true passion for wearable art and where her professors and fellow students encouraged her to start her own fashion line. Her line launched in 2001 and she made her New York Fashion Week debut in 2007. Koi was also a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist in 2007.

About Anna Sui
At age four, Anna decided that she would become a designer and started to make her own clothes. Before the end of her senior high school year, she was accepted to Parsons School of Design in New York. After two years at Parsons, Anna styled with friend Steven Meisel and designed for several sportswear companies before launching her first collection in 1980. Anna’s business continued to grow throughout the 1980s, and in 1991 she premiered her first runway show. The following year she opened her first flagship store on Greene Street in Soho. She has also launched cosmetics, fragrance, shoe and accessory licenses. Today Anna Sui has 32 boutiques in five countries and her collection is sold in 300 stores in over 30 countries. Most recently, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) announced the 2009 Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Anna.

About Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 172 stores located in 28 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 110 full-line stores, 58 Nordstrom Racks, two Jeffrey boutiques and two clearance stores. Nordstrom also serves customers through its online presence at www.nordstrom.com and through its catalogs. Nordstrom, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.

About OCA
Founded in 1973, OCA is a national organization dedicated to the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, DC, OCA is engaged in organizing its over 80 chapters and affiliates across the nation to develop both leadership and community involvement. OCA is online at www.ocanational.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Colleen Quinn
Nordstrom, Inc.
(206) 373-3036

Sarah Smith
OCA Communications Manager
(202) 223-5500
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