Hmong Legacy Market: Bridging Cultures Through Food and Community
News
September 19, 2023
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At Hmong Legacy Market, located on Madison’s South Side, you’ll discover a treasure trove of homemade Asian cuisine. From steaming bowls of beef pho to whole roasted tilapia seasoned with herbs and chili, and delightful sesame rice balls filled with mung beans and coconut, this independent Asian grocery store offers a culinary journey.
Ze Yang, one of the owners, can often be found expertly preparing dishes like squash curry. To her, food is more than sustenance; it’s a connector, a storyteller, and a unifying force that brings people together.
As a young child in the 1980s, Ze Yang lived in a refugee camp in Thailand with her family, having fled Laos during the aftermath of the Vietnam War. In 1991, Ze Yang’s family received the opportunity to immigrate to the United States, sponsored by a distant uncle who had settled in California. Their early days in the U.S. were marked by challenges—language barriers, cultural shock, and financial difficulties. However, their farming skills from Laos allowed them to grow crops like green beans, tomatoes, and peppers, which they sold to support their family.
After six years in California, Ze Yang’s family decided to move to Wisconsin, drawn by the promise of better public schools and economic opportunities. Ze Yang’s parents worked tirelessly, holding multiple jobs to make ends meet. This experience inspired Ze Yang to become a teacher, focusing on helping immigrant children adapt to the American education system.
Ze Yang’s family thrived. They bought a house, built a family, the kids went to school, but they also wanted to pursue their entrepreneurial dream. They longed to create a space where people from diverse backgrounds could gather, savor homemade dishes, and access pantry staples from across Asia. This is why they opened Hmong Legacy Market, offering an extensive array of products, from giant spring roll skins to bamboo shoot chili oil, and from mango mochi to traditional Hmong celebratory clothing.
More than just a grocery store, Hmong Legacy Market is committed to the well-being of the community. In 2021, it partnered with Public Health Madison and Dane County to serve as a mobile COVID vaccination clinic. Looking ahead, Ze Yang envisions the store’s legacy continuing to thrive, driven by the spirit of family and the desire to improve and grow.
Jennifer Chun, Uniformed’s designer, brings a refreshing collaboration of Korean-American heritage and sustainability practices. Her story began during the pandemic, when she discovered traditional natural dyeing techniques. After connecting with experts and artisans, she came to Korea and got directly involved in the dyeing lessons. “I had no idea Korea had its natural dyeing traditions,” Chun shared.
Her collection is a celebratory integration of hand-dyed materials and fabrics from traditional markets to create a sustainable, limited-edition line.
Jennifer Chun blends her Korean heritage into her sustainable fashion line, Uniformed. (Photo credit: Wayn Ohara Reid)
Overcoming the Challenges of Slow Fashion
Amidst the growing world of fast fashion, it is clear that Chun’s main challenge lies in maintaining sustainability while navigating an industry deeply accustomed to mass production and fleeting trends.
Fashion has changed so much that consumers want items faster or cheaper because we have gotten used to mass production. I make such limited quantities that it can be a challenge working with factories that would rather produce en masse and do not want to make specialized pieces that take thought or time, as producing less can increase manufacturing prices. It’s difficult to educate consumers on this when even people in my industry aren’t aware of what goes into the whole process.
During the global lockdown, designer Jennifer Chun found an unexpected bridge to her Korean heritage through a chance encounter with an article on Korea’s natural dyeing traditions—an art form predating the country’s unification.
I came across an article about Korea’s natural dyeing and artisans. I had no idea Korea had its own natural dyeing traditions and techniques that predated the formal unification of Korea. In the article, they interviewed a natural dyer outside of Seoul, and I decided to just email her. My mother was in lockdown, living in LA, and like many senior citizens, the isolation was incredibly difficult. So I asked her to collaborate with me by helping me communicate with the natural dyer.
We all eventually became pen pals. Once travel restrictions were lifted, my husband and I visited my father, who was living in lockdown in Korea. We made arrangements to meet with the natural dyer and visited her indigo farm and studio. She taught me how to cut the indigo and showed me the basic process of her craft. She suggested we collaborate.
The line developed from there, eventually leading to a capsule collection, incorporating fabrics developed in Korea, including hand-dyed materials and fabrics purchased in traditional markets around the country. And constructed into limited edition pieces to ensure sustainability, and designed with a uniform aesthetic, in New York City’s garment district.
Working with Korean artists—who prioritize quality over quantity—has deepened her appreciation for true craftsmanship. ‘There is so much pride in the craft and process. They do not compromise sustainability at any cost, and I had to assure them that I wouldn’t either if we were to collaborate,’ she explains, highlighting Uniformed’s commitment to sustainability.
Jennifer, while in South Korea.
Integrating Heritage into Design
Jennifer is not one to shy away from how her heritage has a profound impact on her design. She takes great pride in how it informs her work, and she has learned to combine these cultural elements more skillfully as she refines her craft. “With Uniformed, I am really proud that I have been able to bring my Korean American heritage into my designs,” she shared. “None of this is easy or formulaic, but it is a new, interesting, and inspired challenge.”
The opportunities to reconnect with her roots, meet local artisans, and learn new techniques have been both humbling and transformative for Jennifer. “It can be a very humbling experience to adopt a new perspective and craft after working in this industry a certain way,” she reflected. “You’re almost starting over and sometimes have to prove yourself, but it’s all been worth it for the new experiences.” This humility and commitment to continuous learning form the foundation of her design philosophy and entrepreneurial values.
Fashion with a Global Vision
Jennifer’s ultimate goal for Uniformed is to collaborate with artisans around the world, incorporating the diverse experiences of Koreans globally. “I want to understand more about Koreans in different parts of the world,” she shared. By blending these cultural perspectives, she aims to create a brand that celebrates the universal appeal of the ‘uniform,’ merging tradition with modernity.
Jennifer Chun’s design (Photo Credit: Kim Jae Min)
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