5 AAPI Founders Redefining Industries Through Authenticity and Cultural Pride
Passion is carved from every corner of the world, from a restaurant in Saigon to a leather business in Chennai. These five AAPI founders share a belief that fashion, beauty, and food can be built on greater authenticity, sustainability, and accessibility. Further, they’re also proving that what they’re building is worth paying attention to.
Uyen Tran – TômTex
Uyen Tran is the creative mind behind TômTex, a materials innovation company that focuses on developing sustainable fabrics and leather. Growing up, she experienced pollutants and leather manufacturing just a few blocks from her home in Vietnam. Her mother would take her to thrift stores or repair old clothes. “Watching her hands stitch life back into old garments made me realize fashion wasn’t just about appearance,” Tran said in an interview with the Vilcek Foundation. “It was about care, creativity, and survival.” The clothes on her back were always secondhand, often exported from Western countries. She chose to learn from those garments and the brands behind them, such as Ralph Lauren, Nike, and Adidas.
She studied fashion apparel design at the Academy of Art University and textile engineering at Parsons School of Design. She went on to work at some well-known fashion houses, including Ralph Lauren and Alexander Wang, where she witnessed the scale of waste the industry produces. Quickly realizing how much the fashion world relied on cheap, fossil-fuel-derived synthetic materials, she took matters into her own hands and created TômTex.
At TômTex, her team produces high-quality, fully biodegradable fabrics that are made from chitosan, a natural biopolymer derived from chitin found in the shells of shrimp, lobster, and crab. It carries remarkable natural properties, making it antimicrobial, biodegradable, and compostable. The final product looks and feels very similar to leather, rubber, or plastic, making it aesthetically pleasing and eco-friendly beyond fashion.
TômTex’s materials have been embraced by designers such as Allina Liu, Collina Strada, and Dauphinette. And with plans underway to make TômTex fabrics accessible worldwide, Tran is just getting started.
Joyce de Lemos – Dieux Skin
Joyce de Lemos, the proudly self-dubbed “mad scientist” and “cosmetic cook,” is setting a new standard for the beauty industry with her science-first philosophy for skincare. Born to Filipino immigrant parents and raised in California, she developed a passion for science and chemistry starting at a young age. She grew up loving science TV shows such as Bill Nye, Beakman’s World, and 3-2-1 Contact.
She got her bachelor’s in biochemistry from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and later spent five years at Gilead, a pharmaceutical company. She soon discovered cosmetic science and enrolled in a master’s program at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. This decision to relocate led her to co-found Dieux with her teammates, Charlotte Palermino and Marta Freedman.
She’s the in-house cosmetic chemist who formulates every Dieux product, making sure everything is right from the first ingredient to the final formula. She describes her formulation process as building a house: “I focus on the main priority — the texture — which is ultimately the foundation and groundwork,” she told Allure Philippines. She adds in active ingredients that are clinically proven and cost-effective, keeping formula costs down so their prices stay affordable. It’s costly, she admits, but worth it as it’s what keeps customers coming back.
At Dieux, the team focuses on using ingredients at percentages where they’re beneficial. Their approach is meant to be transparent: “We don’t want to scare you with misinformation or shame you into buying our products,” Joyce shared with Forbes. “We want you to see what our product does, and if it matches up with what you want, you can buy it.” Joyce and her team are committed to fighting misinformation, building inclusive shades and product ranges, and a dedication to helping customers feel seen.
On the horizon for Dieux is a cleanser, an SPF, and eventually expanding into body care, all while continuing to keep their products affordable.
Thư Phạm Buser – Ăn Cỗ
Thư Phạm Buser, born in her mother’s restaurant in Vietnam, came from a family that took their food business seriously. She grew up in Saigon, where, as a young child, she would get caught in the kitchen of her mother’s restaurant. This was how she first learned about cooking: by watching and sneaking tastes when no one was looking.
It wasn’t until her very first day in the U.S., after seeing a food magazine, that she realized she could dedicate taking photos of food for a living. She decided to leave her marketing career behind and relocate, first to Seattle, then Madrid, and eventually New York, where she now calls home. In 2015, she and her husband, Taylor, started a travel food blog, where they would cook in local styles across Asia and write about what those experiences taught them about Vietnamese food.
Ăn Cỗ, which directly translates to “attending a banquet,” was launched in July 2023, co-created with her husband. It’s an intimate dining experience in New York where limited tickets go on sale in advance, people come to enjoy food communally, and Thư walks guests through each dish with its cultural backstory and personal significance. The events spotlight lesser-known Vietnamese dishes and traditional food art, encouraging guests to be curious, build their own food, and interact with everyone around them. “I want to serve not just a slice, but the whole cake,” she told Office Magazine. “The dish, the culture, the vibe, the design, the drinks, and the stories that make up our food.”
Each event from Ăn Cỗ is called a “volume”— “touring” the country from North to South, highlighting dishes from each region. There are a total of 10 volumes, and she’s currently preparing for Volume 8, titled “Spring in the Citadel (Huế),” coming in June 2026.
Maanasa M. – Maketh Thou
Maanasa Muralidharan, known professionally as Maanasa M., grew up in Chennai, India, the center of India’s leather trade. Her father worked in the leather industry for over 40 years, and her family ran a leather manufacturing business right in the comfort of their home. Growing up, Maanasa was a fan of manga and anime, which fueled a love of visual arts and fashion. She also had early exposure to international fashion and the American style through her family’s cable TV. She credits her familiarity with the international market as a kid, sharing with 1202 Magazine: “I think I saw what worked, what didn’t, and more so, the endless possibilities that fashion as an industry holds.”
She attended Parsons School of Design, where she studied Fashion Marketing and Communications. Her influences come from Chennai and New York, where she visits regularly for work. In 2022, she founded Maketh Thou, a leather and accessories brand. The ideas are conceptualized in New York City and made in India. Maanasa is the sole designer; she sketches, chooses the leather treatments, and directs the creative vision for each piece. Her family’s factory in Chennai produces everything. The leather Maketh Thou uses is a byproduct of the food industry in Southern India, making their supply chain both ethical and sustainable.
What sets the brand apart is intentional production — Maanasa opposes fast fashion and low-quality faux leather. They deeply believe in honoring culture and intentional craft with every seam and stitch. They create pieces for consumers to keep for a lifetime, or even pass down through generations.
Maanasa wishes to create more job opportunities through her factory in Chennai, with a focus on training more women as skilled leather artisans. Her mission is to make high-quality leather accessible and affordable for a wider audience who deserve to experience the craft. Eventually, she envisions bringing Maketh Thou to retail stores so more people can experience how cultural and authentic the leather is.
KJ Kuang – TWOGAA
Chinese American business founder KJ Kuang, born and based in New York City, grew up experiencing his family’s shoemaking factory. This gave him an early, hands-on understanding of footwear, from durability to construction and craftsmanship.
The background knowledge from childhood became the foundation for his brand TWOGAA, founded in 2024. It’s a New York City-based leather footwear company known for professional and comfortable everyday footwear. The look of each piece is polished enough for the office but cozy enough for the city. Each pair is built for the average person. KJ is the sole founder and creative director, overseeing the designs, build, silhouettes, and colorways. He leads the brand’s identity and aesthetic by directing every vision, ensuring each design choice reflects intention.
What sets TWOGAA apart is the architectural approach, engineered comfort, and quality of material. With each shoe, there are precise lines and strong geometry. Every form is inspired by the urban infrastructure of New York City rather than trendy or traditional shoe styles. The premium leather is curated to focus on longevity, a direct pushback against the disposability of fast fashion items. The designs are tailored to fit the needs of every New Yorker’s day.
Already earning features in Forbes and Footwear Magazine, TWOGAA is gaining traction fast, despite being fairly new. Retail placement in New York is in the works, and KJ’s vision is only just getting started.
The future of fashion, beauty, and food is being written by every one of these founders. Through the stories they tell and the standards they set, they’re showing a new generation what’s possible. What they’re cultivating goes beyond products; they’re establishing trust and inclusivity — something that will stick with customers long after they’ve come across the brand.
Interested in reading more about AAPI-owned businesses? Check out these articles on 10 college gift recommendations!
