Miho Aoki & Thuy Pham

Japanese-born F.I.T. alum Miho Aoki and Vietnamese-born Thuy Pham founded United Bamboo in 1998, making their New York runway debut for fall 2004. The duo is also entrenched in the underground art and music scene, taking on collaborative “art projects” like artist-designed T-shirts printed with provocative cartoons or compilation CDs produced by indie music label United Acoustic Recording. The first United Bamboo store opened in 2003 in Tokyo and a subsequent men’s store opened in Harajuku in 2006. The line is carried throughout the U.S. and Asia as well as in select boutiques in Australia, Russia, and Canada.