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Apr 30, 2024 | 
coldteacollective.com | Evan-Thomas May |Samson Chan
Get ready with me to dress in Japanese Americana. When thinking about the Japanese fashion scene there are a few different aesthetics that probably come to mind. The experimental and eclectic looks dominate much of the street scene, and the tech-wear obsession that has made its way stateside. Yet, behind these avant-garde expressions, and many other niches within their fashion world, lies a cornerstone: アメトラ (ametora), the embodiment of Japanese Americana. As explained by W.
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Apr 5, 2024 | 
coldteacollective.com | Evan-Thomas May |Pearl Zhou
Many fashion industry observers often point to Paris Fashion Week as the pinnacle of luxury fashion. The echoes of this year’s event still resonate, mostly spotlighting the perennial dominance of the expected fashion elite — from Balenciaga’s provocatively avant-garde stylings to Louis Vuitton closing out the week once again.
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Feb 22, 2024 | 
coldteacollective.com | Evan-Thomas May |Samson Chan
More and more Asian fashion influencers are making their mark in North America. It’s a fresh wave of diverse faces and personalities to the scene. From style tip blogs to Instagram and Tiktok accounts, their emergence signifies more than a celebration of representation. It stands as a challenge to the conventional standards of fashion in North America.
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Dec 6, 2023 | 
coldteacollective.com | Evan-Thomas May |Samson Chan
Asian founded streetwear brands once again made noise in 2023 . Labels such as Asia-based Edison Chen’s CLOT, Auralee and ASICS, to Asian American brands such as Brain Dead and Rhude are no longer hidden gems. They are household names within the industry. These Asian founded streetwear brands earned their widespread recognition. They have a common ethos: transcending style and redefining streetwear as a dynamic medium for cross-cultural creative expression.
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Nov 6, 2023 | 
coldteacollective.com | Evan-Thomas May |Samson Chan
Sneaker culture changed in North America. I was once fully immersed in the sneaker industry. In January of 2021, I landed my dream job working at an up-and-coming sneaker startup. Exactly one year later I was laid off. In hindsight, it was probably for the best. I’d realized that sneaker culture here in North America has deviated so far from what it once was. The days of scouring Facebook groups in search of your favorite drop are gone.
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Oct 18, 2023 | 
coldteacollective.com | Ronak G. Gandhi |Evan-Thomas May |Cecilia Huang |Pearl Zhou
This month marks a year since I started writing for Cold Tea Collective. I often find myself reflecting on anniversaries—large and small—so I spent some time thinking about why I decided to write here to begin with and our relationship is going (spoiler: I’m sticking around). When I was sixteen, I started consuming online news much like I did dino nuggets at age six. This mostly was before paywalls when ad blocker extensions and incognito mode would do the trick.
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Sep 29, 2023 | 
coldteacollective.com | Evan-Thomas May |Ronak G. Gandhi |Samson Chan |Natasha Jung
Akatsuki Japan is realizing my basketball dream as a Japanese American. I’ve always wanted to play basketball competitively. However, I am all but destined for a career in the Sunday night leagues. Luckily for me though, I get to vicariously live out my dreams each year during the NBA season. This past summer brought a bit of an early treat for a basketball aficionado like myself.
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Aug 28, 2023 | 
coldteacollective.com | Evan-Thomas May |Samson Chan
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Aug 10, 2023 | 
coldteacollective.com | Ronak G. Gandhi |Evan-Thomas May |Cecilia Huang |Pearl Zhou
Note: Interviews and events referenced in this article took place before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and contains quotes from talent who are not members of those organizations. We stand in solidarity with members of both organizations. With Shortcomings premiering at Sundance Film Festival, Randall Park could not have asked for a splashier directorial debut. The movie owes part of its positive reception to its relatively novel take on Asian American storytelling through everyday, mundane moments.
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Apr 20, 2023 | 
coldteacollective.com | Evan-Thomas May |Cecilia Huang |Ronak G. Gandhi |Samson Chan
Through the baseball culture in Japan, baseball means more than a sport to me. To an avid baseball fan like myself this time of the year ranks up there with Christmas morning. What is that I smell? Peanuts? Hotdogs? Is it $9 beers? I can’t seem to put my finger on it — oh, it’s baseball season in full force. The World Baseball Classic and now Major League Baseball’s season opening. That’s what it is. This season, perhaps more than ever, I’m pumped. It’s not really because of a particular player or team.
