Brooks Brothers, Gold House Create Prize for Female Asian Entrepreneurs
Brooks Brothers and Gold House, a nonprofit that promotes the interests of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, teamed to celebrate the Lunar New Year by hosting a dinner at Mr. Chow’s in New York’s TriBeCa for a group of Asian-Pacific executives, creators and cultural figures including comedian and actor Hasan Minhaj, actress, singer and producer Bailey Bass, Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel and others.
Ken Ohashi, chief executive officer of Brooks Brothers, said prior to the pandemic, he thought Asians were “doing well, all was good,” he said. “But then a lot of Americans told us we weren’t good.”
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This was one reason Ohashi championed the new Brooks Brothers Gold Prize, a grant to further education and personal development for female entrepreneurs. In partnership with Gold House, the retailer will provide a grant for four females “who have demonstrated leadership potential and resilience in the face of adversity,” the said. The four grantees will each receive $25,000 in funding, mentorship with Brooks Brothers executives, and promotion across Brooks Brothers and Gold House’s platforms.
At the same time, Brooks Brothers unveiled the second installment of a limited-edition capsule in honor of the Lunar New Year, which kicks off on Feb. 10. Creative director Michael Bastian designed T-shirts, sweatshirts, a button-down shirt, scarves and hats with a playful dragon logo to honor the Year of the Dragon. Five dollars from the sale of each item will be donated to support the Gold House and Brooks Brothers Gold Prize.
Dinner guests were gifted a piece from the collection. The event, which brought 40 Asian-Pacific leaders together, featured an elaborate dragon dance by a local troupe.
Earlier that day, Ohashi; Bing Chen, CEO and cofounder of Gold House, and Grace Lee, New York Assembly member, led a discussion at Brooks Brothers’ offices on how next-generation leaders navigate their identities, success and societal responsibilities.
The Lunar New Year collection is available on the Brooks Brothers site and select stores globally.
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