Fresh Traditions Fashion Show

I have been working with the aspiring designer Yuri Xiong for a little while. I also photographed her and her team at the Fresh Traditions Fashion show on Oct. 5.

Fresh Traditions Fashion Show is a program of the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent that provides a platform for Hmong women who are interested in fashion design.

These are the photographs during rehearsal.

Yuri Xiong takes a moment for herself before the show starts. Yuri’s line is called “Play Time.”

2013 Hmong Freedom Celebration Festival

I went to the Hmong Freedom Celebration Festival 2013 in St. Paul last weekend because it is related to my project and I’ve never been to this even before. I talked to people before I went to get some basic idea of how the event is going to be, and it sounded really cool. Although I’d done some talking beforehand, it was still different than I imagined. I was surprised by the size of the festival. It was far bigger than I thought and there were way more people than I thought.

There was a big market that sold traditional food, traditional clothes, herbs, Hmong entertainment, toys and all kinds of stuff. There was also sports tournaments!

It wasn’t an ideal place to take photographs but I tried to look for the “Hmongness” to photograph.

The traditional Hmong silver head jewelry

Melodie Vang, 24, tries traditional Hmong clothing on and asks her fiance Nicolas Raho, 34, to help her with taking the clothes off while her mother Vaj Kub, 47, videotaping the experience. Vang and her family are visiting from France.

A traditional Hmong clothing vendor helps Melodie Vang to put on a traditional hat.

Melodie Vang, 24, tries the traditional Hmong clothing and waits for her mother Vaj Kub and her fiance Nicolas Raho’s review. Vang and her family came from France to visit their family and also joined the July 4th Festival.