By Ernabel Demillo
host and reporter for Asian American Life (@AALCUNYTV)
Eva Chen has a shoe obsession. If you are one of her more than 380,000 Instagram followers you’ll find her posting photos of her eclectic footwear, along with photos of her fashion finds, food and her current favorite subject, her baby daughter.
Chen, 35, is a self-admitted shareholic. The former editor-in-chief of Lucky Magazine understands social media branding and its importance in today’s changing media landscape. It’s one reason why she was dubbed one of the first “digital natives” to rise to the top of the highly competitive world of magazine publishing.
“We are living in this crazy, fast-paced world where you are only as relevant as your last tweet, your last instagram and as a brand is very important to think about things at that crazy fast pace,” she said. I recently interviewed her at her former offices at Lucky Magazine, where she was getting ready to wrap up her tenure there.
It’s been quite an adventure for Chen, who took over as editor-in-chief at Lucky Magazine in 2013, handpicked by Anna Wintour. She was not only the youngest editor at a fashion magazine, but the first Asian American at the top of a Conde Naste masthead.
But Chen, who was born in New York City, did not set out to be a fashion editor. She jokes that she was a dutiful Asian daughter, who was studying pre-med at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore on her way to becoming a doctor.
“I really thought there were four careers. I thought there was medicine, law, engineering and finance. Those were the four careers that I thought existed,” she said.
But that all changed the summer between her junior and senior year when she decided to do something “fun” for a change and apply for a media internship. For more on her rapid rise in the publishing industry and her plans for the future watch this month’s edition of CUNY-TV’s Asian American Life.
Other features this month include:
China Through A Looking Glass, showcasing China’s art, fashion and cinema influences in the Western world, is the largest costume exhibit ever featured at the Met, spanning three floors. The exhibit, which took two years to create, is on display through August 16, and Ernabel Demillo takes viewers on a tour.
Fashion Designer Anna Sui has built a global empire of clothing, fragrance and cosmetics, and is one of most versatile designers of our time. She was named one of the “Top Five Fashion Icons of the Decade” by Time Magazine, and in 2009 she earned the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). She has designed for Keith Richards, Stevie Nicks, Naomi Campbell, and many other celebrities and rock icons. Reporter Minnie Roh meets one-on-one with Sui to discuss how she continues to evolve and expand her fashion empire overseas. And Sui shares the secret to her longevity in an industry that’s ever changing.
In the 1980s, New York City was a nonstop party, and photographer Tseng Kwong Chi (1950-1990) was always on the guest list, photographing friends like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. Today, the Grey Art Gallery in Manhattan hosts a solo exhibition of Chi’s photographs, the first such retrospective for the pioneering artist who died of AIDS in 1990. He left behind a decade’s worth of work that remains startlingly original. Paul Lin interviews the exhibition’s curator, Chi’s sister Muna Tseng, to talk about his legacy.
Haute Couture fashion and transgender model Geena Rocero may not be a household name, but her story continues to go viral. She has graced the pages of Glamour magazine, been featured in a Marriott Marquis commercial, and delivered a TED Talk. An advocate for transgender people, she shares her inspirational story with Ernabel Demillo.
* CUNY TV is broadcast over-the-air in the New York tri-state area on Ch. 25.3, and cablecast in the five boroughs of New York City on Ch. 75 (Time Warner and Cablevision/Optimum Brooklyn), Ch. 77 (RCN) and Ch. 30 (Verizon FiOS). On and after 6/19, the program an also be viewed online anytime on www.cuny.tv/shows/asianamericanlife.
RE: from Pre-med to fashion editor: what’s next for Lucky editor Eva Chen? waao! thats quite a transition
RE: From pre-med to fashion editor: What’s next for Luckky editor Eva Chen?:She really has a unique taste when it comes to fashion. I like the way how her grey tee complements with her long skirt. Very impressive! Many people are having difficulties complementing their tees with pants or skirts. I find plain tees easier to blend with almost anything including accessories. That's why my favorite tees are plain.