Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
We Are Golden
The richness of diverse cultures. The bright future of innovation. The generations that have paved the path for us. We're shining a light on the Asian American and Pacific Islander community through their stories, their work and their brands.
The Luminaries
Perspectives and stories that brighten our world. We sat down with three of our favorite AAPI founders and editors to talk about how their heritage has shaped their identity and what they've built today.
the beauty editor
Sara Tan (she/her)
With 10+ years of editorial experience, Sara Tan is currently the Beauty Director at Refinery29 & Co-Host of the award-winning podcast, Gloss Angeles. When she isn’t reporting, she’s working alongside with the Asian American Girl Club and roaming L.A. with her husband, daughter and French bulldog.
On representation:
“Growing up, I didn't want to look like myself because I didn't see myself represented. But now we have so many beautiful, talented, intelligent Asian American women to look up to in all fields. We’re everywhere.”
On celebrating AAPI brands:
“There are people behind AAPI-founded brands. Get to know who those people are. We should be telling the stories of each of these brands and each of these founders—just like we would if they weren't Asian.”
the founder & author
David Yi (he/they)
Founder of Good Light, skin care that embraces beauty beyond the gender binary. Former Editor-in-Chief of Very Good Light, an empowering beauty content destination, and author of bestselling book "Pretty Boys".
On embracing their heritage:
“Good Light is a love letter to myself as a young child, when I felt as if I had to either remain in the shadows or be shamed for who I was. The world may not understand me or embrace me, but I'll proudly do so: My ancestors are calling my name, and I'm going to take their call.”
On beauty beyond the binary:
“The beauty aisles felt jarring. One was hyper-masculine and one was hyper-feminine. We must have room and space to recognize folks who don't abide to gender norms and those who want to be amplified and celebrated for who they are.”
the founder & creator
Deepica Mutyala (she/her)
Deepica Mutyala is the Founder and CEO of Live Tinted. It all started with a viral YouTube tutorial on how to cover up dark circles with red lipstick. Fast forward, and she has taken the industry by storm as an entrepreneur and business owner.
On her goals for Live Tinted:
“I hope that people see Live Tinted as a celebration of their skin tone, their identity and their culture. There’s space for all of us. I want people of all different skin tones to walk into Ulta Beauty, see a brand with a South Asian woman behind it, and say, ‘I wanna support this brand.’”
On how it felt to launch:
“That video of my parents walking into Ulta Beauty and seeing Live Tinted was crazy. It went viral! That moment of pride—that's what it’s all about. It's fulfilling their dreams and creating my American dream...to hopefully inspire future American dreams.”
See more on Instagram where we'll be spotlighting our community of AAPI artists and creators.
The Artwork
Meet Steffi Lynn Tsai, a Texas-native residing in Brooklyn, NY. Her illustrations are woven throughout our We Are Golden campaign, and like all of her other work, it's full of color, character and hope.