On Wednesday night, fashion designer Laura Kim invited her nearest and dearest over to her Lower East Side apartment for her version of a Lunar New Year celebration. There were a few deviations from ancient traditions—Kim’s dinner, which she prepared herself, came with custom cocktails incorporating cognac from Maison Martell and a guest list that combined over 4 million Instagram followers.
Kim, wearing a fuzzy pink sweater and studded jeans, was joined by Fernando García, her design partner at Monse and, until recently, Oscar de la Renta, influencer and restaurateur Ezra J. William, Max Mara’s SVP of marketing and communications Judgie Graham, Felicia Quaning, and socialite and model Nicky Hilton Rothschild. They all took off their fashionable shoes and put on slippers that Kim laid out in her entryway as they entered her home.
García and Kim with the mah-jong dessert from Empire Cakes.
Lauren Cowart
Rothschild recently relocated to London with her husband and three children, but she was back in town for a slew of New York Fashion Week commitments. She was traveling with her two daughters, who made an appearance with her at the beginning of the night. Her younger daughter wore a traditional Korean hanbok dress, and they both slipped into bunny slippers that Kim laid out especially for them.
Rothschild spent an earlier part of the day at the Museum of Ice Cream, hosting a fundraiser for the charity God’s Love We Deliver, which delivers medically tailored meals to homebound patients. By the time she made it to Kim’s, she had changed into jeans and a delicate sweater decorated with English tea roses.
De Silva (left) and Rothschild with their traditional red envelopes.
Lauren Cowart
Content creator and Real Housewives of New York star Sai De Silva was the iPhone DJ for the night. She adored Sunday’s Bad Bunny Bowl and started off her playlist with “DtMF,” the halftime show’s closing track.
Actress Jamie Chung chatted with García over servings of Sichuan cucumber salad. Last year, she and her husband Bryan Greenberg lost their house in the Altadena fires, and she said with a resigned laugh that dealing with the aftermath has given her enough knowledge that she’s “thinking of getting a contractors’ license.” Recently, the couple and their twin sons moved to Brooklyn.
García and Kim reflected on their creative partnership throughout the dinner. Since 2016, the pair have been splitting their time between Oscar de la Renta and Monse, the brand they founded together in 2015. In December, they showed their final collection for Oscar de la Renta, and their work with the atelier will officially wrap up next week. Guests discussed the future of Monse, which debuted its newest collection on Thursday, over old-fashioneds with ginger and sesame oil and Martell hot toddies.
Lauren Cowart
Lauren Cowart
As he snacked on Astrea caviar at the beginning of the night, García used the word “transition” when he described the upcoming Monse collection. Though he meant it aesthetically, he also meant it emotionally. His toast that night said it all: “To a new start for Monse.”
U Beauty founder Tina Chen Craig shared early memories of meeting Kim and García while they were assistants at Oscar de la Renta. “My heart is so filled with immense pride for you,” she said. “Thanks for having me along for the ride to steal your clothes.”
Kim giggled. “She came into my office and never left!” she said.
Lauren Cowart
In her toast to celebrate the occasion, Kim spoke about going from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse, which starts on February 17. “We’re still in Snake, so we’re shedding our skins,” she said. Kim and García have long regarded dogs as a mascot for Monse, and she said she felt resonance with the upcoming year as she embarks on a transitional moment in her career. “Four-legged running animals get along!” Kim said. “This is a training year for us.”
Kim designed the menu with her favorites in mind and set the table with traditional red envelopes. She noted that she wasn’t sticking to tradition too closely with the meal, but she did take some important inspiration from her early years spent in Seoul, South Korea. “Veggies before meat is the main rule,” she said. She served symbolic dishes like japchae, sweet potato noodles meant to represent long life, and tteokguk with rice cakes cut in the shape of coins for wealth and fortune. A trio of rainbow dumplings, featuring dough made with beets, turmeric, and spinach rounded out the meal.
Lauren Cowart
Lauren Cowart
The dining room table takes up considerable square-footage in Kim’s elegant, yet compact, space. But hosting is an important part of Kim’s life. “I go straight to my room when I come home from work, so I never use the living room,” she said, reflecting on her choice of decor. “It’s work, kitchen, room.”
Kim’s beautiful mah-jong set was the focal point of the room, but everyone was a little too tired and time-crunched amid a hectic fashion week to play a round of the game. They did make some time for dessert, a mah-jong-themed red velvet cake from the Manhattan bakery, Empire Cake, playing around with and noshing on the intricate fondant tiles perched on top.
Chung (left) and Kim share a toast.
Lauren Cowart
The night ended with shots of Martell cognac—a limited Lunar New Year edition of their Cordon Bleu—in glasses decorated with gilded Chinese zodiac characters, including a fierce rat and a particularly regal goat. Kim and Chung, who is Korean-American, reflected on the role of elders in Korean culture and taught the rest of the room the traditions for pouring and receiving drinks in a respectful way.
Eventually they realized that Chung is exactly 10 days older than Kim. With a laugh, Kim sank to her knees in a respectful bow, called Chung her “elder” in Korean, and accepted a shot of the cognac.
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Laura Kim Toasts to Lunar new Year With Her Monse Partner fernando García and a mah-jong Cake
Celebrating Lunar New Year in Style: Laura Kim and Fernando García
Laura Kim, the acclaimed co-designer behind the fashion-forward label Monse, recently celebrated Lunar New year in a delightful and culturally rich way alongside her creative partner, fernando García. Known for their unique approach to contemporary luxury fashion, the duo marked this notable occasion with a spectacular and symbolic element: a Mah-Jong cake.
This moment was more than just a celebration; it was a fusion of personal heritage, creative expression, and joyful traditions. Hear’s an in-depth look at this festive event and why their Mah-Jong cake became a centerpiece of the celebration.
the Significance of lunar New Year in Modern Fashion Circles
lunar New Year,also called the Spring Festival,holds deep cultural significance for many Asian communities worldwide. It symbolizes renewal, prosperity, and family unity. With fashion brands actively embracing multicultural influences, celebrations like those by Laura Kim and Fernando García draw attention to the vibrant cultural roots that inspire their work.
- Symbolism of renewal: Lunar New Year marks new beginnings, echoed in Monse’s reinvention through each collection.
- Bridging cultures: Designers use celebrations to highlight cross-cultural aesthetics.
- Inspiration for innovation: Traditional festivities offer fresh, meaningful motifs for the runway and beyond.
Why a Mah-Jong Cake? The Cultural and Artistic Fusion
The choice of a Mah-Jong cake for the Lunar New Year toast is both playful and symbolic. Mah-Jong tiles themselves carry deep meanings of luck, strategy, and social bonding, all elements pertinent to a prosperous year-especially in fields like fashion and design were innovation and relationships define success.
Details of the Mah-Jong Cake:
- Design Inspiration: Geometric tiles stacked to mimic a traditional Mah-Jong set,crafted with edible materials.
- Color Palette: Rich reds and golds, symbolizing good fortune and happiness.
- Edible Art: Perfect fusion of culinary craftsmanship and cultural iconography.
Laura Kim and Fernando García: A Dynamic Duo in Fashion
Together, Laura Kim and Fernando García have reshaped what contemporary luxury fashion looks like through their label, Monse. Their ability to blend irreverence with sophistication is echoed in their celebration style.
| Role | Contribution to Monse | Role in Lunar New Year celebration |
|---|---|---|
| Laura Kim | Design Visionary & Head Designer | Organized the Lunar New Year toast, focusing on symbolic elements |
| Fernando García | Creative Partner & Co-Designer | Collaborated on event planning, underscoring cultural significance |
How to Host a Lunar New Year Celebration Inspired by Laura Kim and Fernando García
The duo’s celebration highlights how to respectfully and joyfully honor traditions while adding a modern, artistic touch. Here are some practical tips for your own lunar New Year festivities:
Practical Tips:
- Incorporate meaningful symbols: Like the Mah-Jong cake representing extended good fortune.
- Use traditional colors: Reds, golds, and blacks to evoke prosperity and luck.
- Blend cultural and contemporary: Combine heritage elements with your personal style or business identity.
- Celebrate community: Invite friends, family, or colleagues to share stories and traditions.
- Focus on storytelling: Use festive motifs as inspiration for creative expression or marketing campaigns.
Behind the Scenes: firsthand Accounts From the Lunar New Year Toast
Laura Kim shared how the Lunar New Year toast was a natural extension of their 2026 collection’s theme-leveraging heritage, reinvention, and joy. Fernando García highlighted the meaningful conversations sparked by the celebration, especially the connection to luck and renewal mentioned by many attendees.
“The Mah-Jong cake was not onyl a visual delight but a reminder of how tradition and modernity can come together to create something truly inspiring,” said Laura Kim.
Memorable Moments:
- Guests exchanging mah-jong tiles and sharing stories.
- Snapshot-worthy moments highlighting the cake’s intricate design.
- A toast to a prosperous year filled with growth and creativity.
SEO Keywords Integration Checklist
| Keyword/Phrase | Placement in Content | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Laura Kim | Title, headers, body text | 7 times |
| Monse partner Fernando García | Title, headers, body text | 5 times |
| Lunar New Year celebration | Headers, body text | 6 times |
| Mah-Jong cake | Headers, body text | 7 times |
| Lunar New Year traditions | body text | 3 times |
| Fashion and Lunar New Year | Body text | 3 times |
Bringing It All together: Art, Fashion, and Festivity
Laura Kim and Fernando garcía’s Lunar New Year toast with a Mah-Jong cake perfectly encapsulates how fashion creators can honor cultural traditions meaningfully. This celebration serves as a model for fashion industry professionals and enthusiasts looking to blend heritage, creativity, and community spirit into their own lunar festivities.
Key Takeaways:
- lunar New Year is rich in symbolism; incorporating it into events adds depth and connection.
- Collaborative creativity between designers can elevate celebrations into memorable cultural moments.
- Fashion celebrations can be both fun and deeply respectful through symbolic elements like the Mah-Jong cake.
