Designers Haoran Li and Siying Qu looked to the 19th-century gold rush for inspiration for their genderless fall 2021 collection—specifically, the Chinese migrants who came to California from the Pearl River Delta. The duo partnered with the Museum of Chinese in America to find historical photos of these workers, many of whom worked on the transcontinental railroad in the United States. Honoring the workers’ achievements, as well as acknowledging the xenophobia they faced, provided the jumping-off point for Li and Qu as well as a parallel to the current increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans. “We usually talk about social issues as a brand,” Qu said. “Maybe this is the season we can inspire and encourage people to learn about the culture and history.”
Looking at the historical photos, they were struck by the blend of Americana and traditional Chinese design the workers wore. The focal point of both the historical photos and the collection’s look book is a hat with a wide brim that half-covers the eyes, which is regionally specific to the Pearl River Delta. The workers also wore utilitarian coats and quilted vests with their distinctive hats. “[In the photos from the 1860s,] there are a lot of quilted details in their clothing, which reminds us of how grandmas and grandpas wear clothing in Chinatown today,” Qu said.
The Private Policy rendition of the hat is hot pink or sage green, and it is accessorized by a chunky silver chain. Knot buttons, mandarin collars, and qipao dresses bring Chinese design into the collection, while cowboy boots from Frye, denim midiskirts, and utilitarian jackets provide the Western flair. Quilting is present through the collection, often in the brand’s signature slanted-checker style.
But still, Private Policy’s club-kid ethos is evident. Terry cloth dresses with buttons up the side, harnesses applied to vegan leather overshirts, and nylon bomber jackets, as well as brand signatures like chunky silver chains, cement the collection in the 21st century. The look book closes with a graphic tee of a crane carrying a slanted-checker flag, a riff on the bald eagle carrying an American flag. The message is clear. “When we were doing the photoshoot, someone on the team said, ‘Oh, this looks like Eastern kids in the Wild Wild West,’” Qu says. “That’s exactly what we want to do.”
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