EYE CANDY CANDY EYE Fusing fashion with culture to create something 100% authentic
by Katherine ragamat photos by Gabe Cortese
models/GUM NAKYO, CHRISTINA WONG, ANNA GURVITS
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n today’s fashion industry, the latest styles move from runway to retail in a matter of moments for mass production. Despite the trend of fast fashion, Floridabased designer Gum Nakyo aims to create genuine, hand-crafted garments with her independent fashion label, 100% Sugarfree. Hailing from Apopka, Fla., Nakyo developed an interest in fashion from growing up watching television shows like “Project Runway” and “America’s Next Top Model.” Inspired by the styling and designers, she began experimenting with graphic patterns on Photoshop and started learning how to hand stitch garments from scratch. In 2014, Nakyo began selling her pieces through Storenvy and Etsy. Later she launched her own website, and continued to stitch and sew each order by hand. For the 23-year-old self-taught designer, hand making clothes came naturally to her, but she mainly picked up her sewing
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skills through online tutorial videos. “I learned it all from the Internet. I’m Internet-taught,” she said. The influence of the Internet is present in her pieces. In her latest collection, SAiBA, each of Nakyo’s garments are adorned with an eye-catchingly eccentric blend of ‘90s pixelated graphics, Japanese anime characters, and neon-colored candies and sweets. Not only does Nakyo draw inspiration from Internet subcultures, but she also looks to her cultural upbringing for ideas. Much like her brother and Orlando artist Boy Kong, she pays homage to her Chinese-Vietnamese roots in her designs by incorporating Buddha statues, Chinese characters and other Asian motifs. “I draw more from my Chinese side, but I still try to incorporate more of my Vietnamese culture into it too,” she said. “I try to bring both cultures together.”
While her brand has showcased how her own cultures cross over, her clothing has also reached to consumers overseas. Through her online store, Nakyo has gained a following from buyers in Europe. Despite her growing audience, Nakyo is insistent on creating each of her pieces by hand and has no intention of going into mass production “Mass producing isn’t very special,” she said. “I want to make special things that are really rare that not everyone can buy.” For Nakyo, hand crafting clothing is therapeutic and an activity she truly has passion for. Through 100% Sugarfree, she wants to share her love of fashion and design to the world, according to her website. “I hope to inspire others like me with my talents and abilities and to make life that much better, brighter, cooler, funner, cuter/kawaii-er or awesome-er.”
Featured clothing available at 100Sugarfree.com