Love, Bonito And Asian American Girl Club Launch “TrailBlazer” Collaboration

Fashion company Love, Bonito and culture brand Asian American Girl Club (AAGC) recently joined forces to launch their “TrailBlazer” collaboration, a tribute to Asian American women who are “breaking barriers, redefining leadership, and inspiring future generations.”

Their campaign featured five Asian American women who have broken barriers in their respective industries. The five women include actress and founder of Asian American Girl Club Ally Maki, comedian and actress Sherry Cola, astronaut and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, former Olympic figure skater and diplomat Michelle Kwan, and pop star and actress Paravi. Each has been given their own unique and limited-edition blazer, which is currently available.

Founded by Rachel Lim, Viola Tan, and Velda Tan, Love, Bonito’s purpose was to design pieces specifically for Asian women. It made sense to them to team up with AAGC, whose focus has been on representation for Asian American women in the world of fashion, media, and storytelling.

“At Love, Bonito, we share a common mission with Asian American Girl Club—to champion and uplift Asian American women in spaces where they have long been underrepresented,” said Dione Song, CEO of Love, Bonito, in a press statement. “This Trailblazers collaboration is a tribute to the trailblazers shaping industries, breaking barriers, and inspiring communities worldwide.”

During an event for special guests and influencers, Maki, Cola, and Paravi were in attendance to talk about their participation in the collaboration. In a Q&A, they discussed the struggles they faced growing up due to a lack of representation, but are now proud to be the faces for their community.

Cola, who identifies as queer, is honored to be able to tell multi-dimensional stories and true to who she is, like in Freeform’s Good Trouble and the comedy, Joy Ride.

“[On Good Trouble]

, I got the opportunity to portray this character, and the deeper I got into the process, I knew I had to book this because this was so important,” Cola said to the crowd. “This character’s queerness allowed me to open up my own conversations around queerness and come out to my mom and be prouder about being Asian. All of these things are because of representation. That’s why representation is everything.”

Paravi stressed the importance of the community having each other’s backs and how Asian women are the reasons she’s able to do the things she loves – music. She hopes to pay it forward and help the next generation of Asians realize their dreams.

“So many women, not just in this room, but in this world, have shaped me and guided me into who I am today,” said Paravi. “[Kindness] inspires kindness. It breeds into beliefs. Having someone see me at such a young age as an Asian American girl makes me emotional. I want to continue with campaigns that will inspire other little Brown girls who don’t see themselves on stage to realize they have permission to dream and to be there.”

Maki hopes that campaigns like this will inspire others to feel emboldened through their fashion choices, especially when it comes to attire meant to celebrate Asian women. As Asian Americans wield the fastest-growing consumer market with over $1.2 trillion in spending, the focus for younger generations is on fashion.

“Fashion is a way to express yourself,” said Maki. “I think what’s cool about fashion is it’s not frivolous. It’s a way to show who you actually are. It’s such a beautiful way of self-expression.”

She also emphasized the importance of having a small, independent business like Love, Bonito, run by Asian women, working with an organization that focuses on supporting Asian women. Especially with the recent tariffs and DEI restrictions, she says the only way to fight back against big corporations is to shop small and with intention.

“We appreciate everyone who has supported this collaboration,” Maki tells the audience. “We appreciate everyone who has ever put real dollars into spending their money at AAGC. We do not take that lightly. This is how we have existed for seven years. Because if collaborations do well, it means we get to do more. It means brands like us get to do more.”