Five prominent fashion industry figures are coming together for a new creative project that tackles racism and anti-Asian hate.
Prabal Gurung, Phillip Lim, Laura Kim, Ezra J. William and Tina Leung — who refer to themselves as the #Slaysians — have teamed up to create the House of Slay, a new digital comic book series that reimagines the figures as superheroes on a journey to tackle anti-Asian sentiment and build a community.
“Alone, each of you can be broken. But together, you make a radiant fist” reads the comic series’ tagline. The series is described as an “inclusive space for underrepresented voices from all walks of life” and a “place where you are visible, heard and validated.”
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The comic series is meant to offer an inclusive and diverse medium for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and others who rarely see themselves portrayed in media. “We are creating this comic filled with heroic characters that we would have wanted to see growing up,” the description reads. “By establishing AAPI members as heroes, the next generation can see themselves in a new, bright light.”
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“House of Slay” has been roughly a year in the works. The group, many who have been longtime friends, came together amid the pandemic’s rise in anti-Asian hate crimes to fight back against the sentiment and build a safe and inviting community.
“When COVID-19 happened and our communities started being attacked, we already had a safety net within our family here,” Lim said in a Vogue interview. “But we thought that if we didn’t do something about [the attacks], if we didn’t say, ‘we’re not a trend, we’re not your stereotype, we’re not your model minority myth,’ then we could’ve disappeared at any point — even in fashion. We can be very frank. We’re constantly treated as a trend. One time we’re in, next time, it’s another community. It really shouldn’t be that way; we should all make up the community of fashion. So we thought we should build a house that invites all in — all communities.”
The first issue of “House of Slay” will be available for free on Thursday on Tapas. A line of merchandise will also be released on Thursday.
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