Har gaw, siu mai. Jade jewelry. Blue and white tableware. Red lanterns. We all conjure a vivid vision of specific cuisine and material objects when we hear the word, Chinatown. Built on stereotypes and racial cues, these quarters are perceived by outside observers as a neighborhood of kitschy tchotchkes and hipster escapism. However, the history of America’s Chinatowns run much deeper and are often steeped in opposing memories filled with accounts of camaraderie, but also perhaps cruelty. They are living emblems of the sacrifice and strength of an entire generation of immigrants who built something out of nothing.
In the 1840s, word spread of the Gold Mountain, or Gam Saan as it was also referred to in Cantonese. As rumor would have it, there was much gold to be excavated in California. Fortunes would be made and lives would be changed. Within weeks, dreamers made their way to California in search of a new life filled with gold and wealth. When Chinese immigrants arrived in America, however, it quickly became clear that Gam Saan was nothing but an illusion. There was no gold and there was no fortune. There was only a foreign land, filled with people who did not want or understand them.
As a means of survival, the Chinese immigrant community found solace in one another, gathering in a united locale where they could be reminded of home with familiar foods and honored traditions. Over time, this dream of a new legacy gave way to an immigrant populace that persevered with resilience. As an homage to this first generation of Asian American Pacific Islanders, Nike now honors the AAPI community with two new launches: the Dunk High “Gold Mountain” and the Air Force 1 “Lotus Flower.”
DUNK HIGH “GOLD MOUNTAIN”
The ever-popular Dunk High silhouette is designed this time around with muted tones on the upper in the form of pristine white leather and grey nubuck sections on the toecap, heel and eyelets. A subdued yellow Swoosh is splashed across the lateral in hairy suede, which is then contrasted by an icy blue outsole. Aligned with the "Gold Mountain" theme, a gam saan is embroidered in gold on the flank of the heel, further embellished with Chinese-inspired cloud designs. Barely visible from the outside, the inner lining of the sneaker is constructed with a deep shade of green that yields an unexpectedly lush detail.
AIR FORCE 1 “LOTUS FLOWER”
The lotus flower is a long-revered symbol within Asian culture, admired for its ability to thrive in even the harshest of conditions. Lotus seeds are known to germinate in mud, often below bodies of water. As the lotus matures, the budding flower must push its way through thick mud and make its way upwards to the water's surface where it can bask in light. The lotus is thus unsurprisingly known to be a survivor, with the flower a symbol of the difficult process of growth that the plant must endure. With the flower being known for its distinctive pink hue, the Air Force 1 "Lotus Flower" is similarly filled with meaning and symbology that goes well beyond its aesthetics. The shoe itself is constructed with premium white leather, contrasted by an ombré pink Swoosh on the lateral. A similar faded coloration is used on the midsole and finished off with an icy blue outsole. To complete the look, a lotus flower is debossed at the heel in light pink.