Cultural Threads - AANHPI Voices in Fashion

MODERATOR

Richi Ramos is a multi-hyphenate emcee, event producer, boylesque artist, dance fitness teacher, and singer-songwriter based in Denver, Colorado. Richi's professional performing credits include America's Got Talent, Virgin Voyages, and most recently, Meow Wolf at Convergence Station. To top it off, Richi has forged a 14-year career as an entertainer, performing at amusement parks, on cruise ships, at weddings and corporate events, at music festivals, and now all over Denver's venues and stages. Their latest venture is creating the House of Ishan, an event production company based in Denver that has co-produced for organizations and businesses like the Denver Fringe Festival, Central City Opera, WTS Colorado, Ballyhoo Table & Stage, Colorado Health Network, Femme Fatale Intimates, Rainbow Cult, and the Haus of Other. Keep a lookout on music streaming services for their first album coming out in November!

DESIGNER/PANELIST

Shiela DeForest, of Amihan Artisans, is a Filipino-American sustainability fashion advocate, designer, Climate Reality Leader, and Mrs ECO International 2019. She hails from Pagsanjan, Laguna, Philippines.

Shiela’s love for fashion began in childhood, growing under the influence of her grandmother, a dressmaker who taught her the fundamentals of sewing, fabric care, and garment construction. She developed an early fascination with design and craftsmanship and later took up dressmaking in high school. These early experiences shaped her passion for fashion rooted in heritage, artistry, and purpose.  A signed model with Wilhelmina Rocky Mountains, she has been a runway, commercial and editorial model since she was 18 years old and has walked the runways of New York, Vancouver, Manila, Singapore, Dubai, Doha, Shenzhen, Los Angeles and Denver.   

As a new immigrant, Shiela shared her love of fashion through community service, as a volunteer stylist with Dress for Success Denver and Bella Boutique Denver.

A socially minded entrepreneur, Shiela founded Amihan Artisans LLC in 2016 to help preserve Filipino weaving traditions through upcycled bags, hand‑loomed fabrics, and culturally inspired fashion pieces. She curates handmade pieces by indigenous, women‑owned, and purpose‑driven communities to support traditional artisanship while promoting conscious, ethical consumerism. In November 2024, Amihan Artisans LLC was awarded a USPTO trademark.  To further help her people, the business donates to Gawad Kalinga USA for their poverty alleviation projects in the Philippines. 

Shiela’s design journey evolved from her early sewing roots to debuting as a fashion designer in shows in Salida and Denver, CO in 2025. Her work blends sustainability, cultural preservation, and modern styling, showcasing Filipino craftsmanship through contemporary silhouettes and upcycled materials. She aims to create a global platform where handmade Filipino heritage meets innovative eco-fashion, uplifting communities and inspiring meaningful change.

DESIGNER

Founded by Anu Kochar, Mio Mora was born from a deep passion for Indian clothing and jewelry and a vision to celebrate Indian fashion across Colorado and the United States.

Each design showcases the finest silks, intricate embroidery, and handcrafted jewelry, honoring generations of Indian artisans and their exceptional craftsmanship. At the heart of Mio Mora’s mission is preserving cultural heritage while creating space for it to be seen, worn, and celebrated in modern settings.

The Mio Mora Couture collection blends timeless traditional silhouettes with modern Indo-Western design, offering elevated pieces for Indian weddings, celebrations, and multicultural events. Proudly recognized in Colorado as a premier destination for Indian wedding and party attire, Mio Mora designs ensure that every member of the wedding party feels represented and beautifully dressed for an Indian celebration.
Mio Mora 

www.miomora.com

IG handles

Mio_Mora

miomora_couture

PANELIST

Christina Joymon is a rare force at the intersection of engineering, artistry, entrepreneurship, and global leadership. A visionary who defies conventional categories, she has built a career that seamlessly bridges STEM, storytelling and the stage.

Armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Drexel University and a Master’s degree in Systems Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, Christina shattered barriers early, becoming the first Asian woman to serve as President of IEEE at her university. She went on to hold distinguished roles as a Senior Systems Engineer and Project Manager at BAE Systems, earning multiple accolades for innovation, technical excellence, and transformative leadership.

In 2024, Christina was crowned Mrs. Colorado American and went on to become 1st Runner-Up at Mrs. American, using her platform to champion women in STEM, elevate diverse leadership and inspire purpose-driven impact nationwide.

As Founder of XIA Capital, she has spent more than a decade helping innovators bring emerging technologies, particularly in Artificial Intelligence and sustainability, to life. Her influence extends beyond boardrooms and laboratories. An award-winning novelist, her debut, Royal Planet, explores powerful themes of colorism, adoption and self-worth through an imaginative and symbolic narrative that resonates across generations.

Yet Christina’s story began long before engineering accolades and national titles. Classically trained from childhood in Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Mohiniyattam, she transformed her passion for dance into leadership, founding and operating her dance school, Nirthalaya Academy, with two locations in New York and New Jersey. She has choreographed, taught, and performed across North America, Europe, and Asia, graced Broadway stages and walked in Fashion Weeks in Denver, New York, and Paris.

Her artistic achievements also include starring in one of the lead roles in Atu America Itu India, the first Telugu film shot in the United States. The film earned the prestigious Nandi Award for Third Best Feature Film, marking yet another historic milestone in her multifaceted career.

A sought-after keynote speaker, Christina has headlined conferences such as LeadHERship, where she advocates for equity, representation, and bold ambition in STEM and beyond.

Whether she is building companies, mentoring future leaders, walking a runway, or spending time with her family, Christina embodies a powerful truth: women do not have to choose between logic and creativity, strength and grace, ambition and heart; they can lead with all of it.

Instagram: @christina.joymon
Website: www.christinaj.com

DESIGNER/PANELIST

I’m Nagisa Corbett, also known as Toki—a self-taught fashion designer and illustrator raised in Miami & Japan, now based in Denver. My work explores fantasy, culture, and emotion through a lens of sustainability and personal storytelling.

Tokiprism: The Brand

Tokiprism is the manifestation of my prismatic vision—where dreamy, gothic, and cyberpunk aesthetics meet slow fashion values. Influenced by the expressive and unique world of Tokyo fashion, I create gender and size-inclusive pieces using organic, up-cycled, and second-hand materials. 

My Role & Vision

I design, sew, style, illustrate, model, and edit—every piece is touched by my hands and heart. My mission is to create wearable art that honors both individuality and the planet, inviting people to express themselves boldly while treading lightly.

DESIGNER/PANELIST

Gaby Oshiro is a visual artist based in Colorado Springs. Born in Buenos Aires, she is the daughter of Beba Bresolin—photographer, pianist, and founder of the group Familiares de Desaparecidos de la Colectividad Japonesa (Relatives of Disappeared of the Japanese Community)—and Oscar Takashi Oshiro, a labor lawyer who defended factory workers before becoming a desaparecido during Argentina’s military dictatorship.

Her practice connects this personal and political history with the materiality of the Wabi-sabi and Arte Povera traditions. Oshiro utilizes raw materials—mulberry paper, pumice, wheat paste, and fire—to explore fragility and transformation. She was trained in Italy at the Liceo Artistico Statale di Treviso and in Argentina under Guggenheim Fellow Carlos Gorriarena.

Her major research project, Kintsugi, examines the legacy of the disappeared through site-specific installations. The project debuted at the National Library of Congress in Argentina (Kintsugi I). It later evolved into Kintsugi Part II: The Presence of Your Absence—an installation featuring portraits on chairs—which was presented at the Galleria dell'Artistico in Italy and the CMA Centro Municipal de Arte.

Most recently, Oshiro was the Featured Artist for the Denver Art Museum's Dream Studio (2024–2025), where she produced two installations and a wheat-paste origami sculpture.