EYE CANDY

“Unbound” Unfastens Asian American Identity From the Western Gaze

by Michael Beckert

Charlie Nishimura in a sheer dress with bedazzled stripes accentuating the silhouette
Photography by Alexander Cody Nguyen and styling by Brandon Tan. Charlie Nishimura wears Area dress; Joomi Lim earrings and bracelet; Wolford tights. Makeup by Miki Ishikura, hair by Chika Keisuke, fashion assitance by Morgan Charlton.

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, New York City-based photographer Alexander Cody Nguyen teamed up with stylist Brandon Tan to create “Unbound,” a fashion story that challenges the western gaze. Nguyen and Tan recruited an all-Asian team—including model Charlie Nishimura, makeup artist Miki Ishikura, and hair artist Chika Keisuke—to create a space that paid homage to their shared and lived experiences. Nguyen explains that “with this photo series, I aim to showcase the creativity, beauty, diversity, resilience, and humanity of the NYC Asian American community… Asian Americans are never really seen, represented, or made to feel important, beautiful, and powerful. The possibility of what we could be or do was limited to a checklist; labels and tropes set forth from society forced us to adhere to norms that were never inherently our own.” The photos, Nguyen hopes, will “change that narrative for future generations.”

Tan added, “The project also serves as a petite homage to the known and loved neighborhood of Chinatown.” Unique locations were chosen deliberately for each photograph, including Seward Park, Doyers Street, and a personal favorite of Tan’s: the peking duck windows at Wu's Wonton King. “A love letter and reclamation for me, if you will,” he said. “I grew up going to a Buddhist temple with my dad, near Division Street. It wasn't until my Dad pointed it out to me weeks into living there that I had even noticed. For so long, I compartmentalized those cultural and familial parts of my life, [and] isolated them from what I do and know today, but in the past months, I've been working very consciously on reclaiming that.”

View the series below and consider donating to the AAPI Civic Engagement fund here.

Photography by Alexander Cody Nguyen and styling by Brandon Tan. Charlie Nishimura wears Gucci shirt, cardigan, pants, loafers and glasses; Ben Amun earrings. Makeup by Miki Ishikura, hair by Chika Keisuke, fashion assitance by Morgan Charlton.

Photography by Alexander Cody Nguyen and styling by Brandon Tan. Charlie Nishimura wears Melitta Baumeister dress; Falke socks; Simone Rocha shoes. Makeup by Miki Ishikura, hair by Chika Keisuke, fashion assitance by Morgan Charlton.

Photography by Alexander Cody Nguyen and styling by Brandon Tan. Charlie Nishimura wears Melitta Baumeister dress; Falke socks; Simone Rocha shoes. Makeup by Miki Ishikura, hair by Chika Keisuke, fashion assitance by Morgan Charlton.

Photography by Alexander Cody Nguyen and styling by Brandon Tan. Charlie Nishimura wears Alexander McQueen shirt, coat and boots; Panconesi, Joomi Lim and Ben Amun earrings as brooches. Makeup by Miki Ishikura, hair by Chika Keisuke, fashion assitance by Morgan Charlton.

Photography by Alexander Cody Nguyen and styling by Brandon Tan. Charlie Nishimura wears Givenchy top, skirt and shoes; Gucci glasses; 1064STUDIO bracelet; Vex gloves; Falke tights. Makeup by Miki Ishikura, hair by Chika Keisuke, fashion assitance by Morgan Charlton.

Photography by Alexander Cody Nguyen and styling by Brandon Tan. Charlie Nishimura wears Area dress; Joomi Lim earrings and bracelet; Wolford tights. Makeup by Miki Ishikura, hair by Chika Keisuke, fashion assitance by Morgan Charlton.