The “Why Headbands” Answer: Adornment, and the Intersection of Culture and Fashion

I have lived on and off in China since 2001. There was a time when my hair was a heart string of my identity. It was stable, something material that was a part of my being, that existed in me across cultures. My highlighted blonde hair stuck out in China and Hong Kong, and this led me to live a life where I knew I was always going to be perceived as a foreigner. I was an immigrant in China from Arkansas, sporty, fashionable, and cosmopolitan. I learned Mandarin over time and began to adjust to a life shopping in huge malls in SOHO districts, partying in Beijing and Shanghai, and studying at an American university China. I embraced the expat lifestyle.

As part of my outsider status and appearance, I gradually began to absorb the fashion of the land around me. Always in big cities in China, I was able to attend fashion shows, work in a hostel with young models and DJ’s, and still visit my family during the week who had worked in men and women’s retail when I was very young. With an internship at a consulting firm, I learned Mandarin Chinese while also becaming more attuned to the the fashion of my peers. They were mostly international students and professionals from Europe, Africa, India, and of course the U.S. - Chinese people were the dominant culture for the entirety of my upbringing, which made me have to fight hard to succeed since I was always a part of the minority. When it comes to privilege, white skin is valued highly in China stemming from ancient Chinese beauty preferences, so I was often adored by other woman for being as pale as I was. Meanwhile, even though over time I learned more deeply about the culture of my host country, I also noticed greater appreciation for me when I spoke the native language to people in the dominant culture. I did not appear to be able to speak Chinese but in fact I would surprise my driver, the guards who worked outside of the gates of my apartment complex, my neighbors with children, and of course to my colleagues at the school that I worked at with my standard-sounding Mandarin.

Most deeply, I was inspired by a simple but powerful idea from my mother, that a piece of jewelry could keep me safe. It started from a sparkly blue plastic bracelet that my Mom called “The Bracelet of Power.” I came to believe that when I wore it, nothing could really go wrong. I eventually moved on to teach a variety of students in China English. I enjoyed my time around young kindergarteners the most, at an international school where my class was learning three languages, including English, Chinese, and French. They loved headbands. After a few years as an English teacher, I started wondering about the Bracelet of Power again. At WashU as an MBA student, I created my own fashion brand that features the Loominova Headband, aka the Band of Power. I designed it for the fun individual seeking to embrace benevolence, cultural harmony, and possibly, even the idea of global peace through wearable fashion. Why? For the kids I taught and for the little girl in Arkansas faced with a big move abroad. I wanted my students to grow up resilient and protected from unruly Presidents, national policies on immigration, national security laws, and educational inequities in both China and the U.S. and I wanted to honor the bracelet of power in a new way in my adulthood.

I have observed that large portions of Americans and Chinese people adorn themselves in tattoos, jewelry, fancy dress, scarves, and headbands. The headbands that I turned into a business were sold as “Bands of Power.” They’re for everyone who wants to see cultures collide in design and in the very foundations of the supply chain or business marketing collaboration, while enhancing the value of businesses founded on the premise of the success of artificial intelligence design systems.  My passion has been to bring silk products to the American consumer. I have made a business plan to “reimagine” the silk headband for a Western audience. Through the fusion of American Chinese designs and business strategies, the morning routine of getting dressed becomes a symbol of unity we can all experience through something as simple as the Band of Power by Loominova.

Moreover, my fashion brand bridges the divide between the China in me and the U.S. national in me. I am the creator of Loominova, and my headbands are a combination of both sides of me. The symbol of the brand’s flowered bridge exists to further enhance the notion of embracing cosmopolitanism.

Finally, a portion of headband sales are donated to a rural school in China to help provide teaching materials to regions less materially well off. The school doesn’t necessarily have access to foreign English teachers or quality education materials since city and private schools are resource rich while rural schools in China are notoriously underfunded. We aim to bridge that gap by delivering quality headbands to people, with the goal of everyone in China and the U.S. existing in harmony.