on that initiative, where every fashion mask that they sold was able to get an actual N95 or a N95-equivalent to the health care worker.
In 2018, I think it was like a rainy Memorial Day weekend — I didn't have any plans, and I just had some jewelry that I wasn't wearing anymore. I went to the Bead District and bought some stuff. I thought I would craft for the weekend. I didn't have that soul-crushing pressure that I think a lot of designers have and feel sometimes. And having worked with these creatives and seeing it firsthand and seeing the sale or closure of their brand, it feels very heavy. I just didn't want that to affect me personally.When I started House Of, a lot of people were like,'Why wouldn't you just name it Christina Tung or something after your own name?' That was what all of the PR agencies were doing at the time.
From a brand perspective, there's a lot that's out there in the industry that feels very calculated or performative. I delved deeper into the storytelling of our different designers much more in the last year, and it made me realize we gravitated towards a 70% BIPOC roster — not on purpose, not seeking it out. That felt very reaffirming for me, because I wasn't doing it for any kind of cachet. It was just who I thought deserved to have some more visibility within the industry.
I had some hesitation, obviously, because it was like, 'Do I have the bandwidth to do it? Do I have the ability to give this the attention and thoughtfulness that it deserves?' It started with the Atlanta killings and the rise in AAPI hate crimes. I was having a lot of personal conversations with my friends within the AAPI community and outside. Those were so illuminating for me, and I wanted more people to hear them.. Some of the conversations were with my designers.