Each item from these artists reflects the intersection of Filipino American history and culture, presented in a contemporary way in day-to-day attire.
From rough sketch to someone's closet, pieces combine Mateo's love for art and fashion with Filipino American community and culture. Her designs are intentional, Mateo has dedicated much of her work to "pinays," or Filipino women who are often depicted as landscape.
"That's a huge part of my art style, because I think that women especially - we're powerful enough to embody a landscape," she shared. "We provide and we give, but we also - with that matapang face - are asking for that respect back."Mateo said she created Empire in the Air as a teen and only developed a heavier intention of combining history in her designs in her mid 20s.
She described having also written a master's thesis on "how engaging in artwork that's for us, by us dismantles colonial mentality."