Michelle Yeoh has been a force in the film industry and Hollywood for decades. The latest project of the master actress, who won the Oscar for Best Actress in 2023 with the movie “Everything, Everywhere, All at the Same Time”, is a Netflix series with plenty of action.
“The Brothers Sun,” which premiered on Netflix on January 4, tells the story of the leader of a Taiwanese trio who is shot by an assassin, leading his eldest son Charles to travel to Los Angeles to protect his mother. Yeoh and the younger brother are played by Sam Li. While the series offers action and fight scenes in every episode, it also does not skimp on fashion and style moments.
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The costume designer for the dark comedy action series is Vera Chow, known for her work on “Big Fan,” “Marco Polo” and the last two seasons of “The Walking Dead.”
One of Chow’s goals when costuming the show was to make sure it challenged Asian stereotypes.
“When I first got the script, I thought there was a line where every time I watch a Yakuza-type movie, they all dress the same,” Chow said. “I have not knowingly done any research on Western interpretations of Asian gangster films. I grew up in Asia and that gave me a different understanding of how to approach this topic. I especially researched Taiwanese, Hong Kong and Chinese films. There are differences among Asian gangsters in how they dress based on rank and how they dress depending on which group they belong to. Even jewelry where gangsters can tell you what group they are from or what religion they belong to.”
A lot of specificity was required in the wardrobe of the character Charles, played by Justin Chien, one of the lead male roles in the series. As the son of a triumvirate, he needed an elevated appearance that showed his level of wealth and privilege. But given the amount of action and fight scenes Charles has, the look also needed show-level versatility.
“I’ve spent most of my career on stunt-heavy shows, and it was a good thing for me to join this project,” Chow said. “Looking at Charles as a character, he comes across as an Asian guy whose wealthy parents sent them to a prestigious private school abroad, and when you look at him right away you realize he comes from a wealthy family. to do this. Charles wears more muted colors and I have dressed him in many tailored suits and Asian embroidered blazers. I designed some special suits from sofa fabric. “I brought a bicultural approach to Charles’ clothes that reflected the fact that he was Taiwanese but now in Los Angeles.”
Chow said that, like many other costume designers, he approaches putting together a wardrobe for a show like a psychologist: the pieces of clothing reflect the character’s emotional state and mindset.
One of the ways this is reflected is in the series’ title characters; one is Charles and the other is his brother Bruce, played by Sam Li. As the series progressed, Chow worked more to mix color palettes; As the characters’ traits began to influence each other, Charles’ clothes became more casual and Bruce’s clothes became more flamboyant. Chow said he chose to do this to express unity and that brothers come to work together.
Yeoh’s character, Mama Sun, also undergoes an evolution in both style and character development throughout the series.
“From her nurse’s scrubs to the clothes she wore while with her family in Taiwan, Mama Sun’s every look reflected how important being a mother was to her,” Chow said. “She is introduced in a nurse’s uniform and the scrubs are intended to be ambiguous, suggesting that she could be many different working-class people. But even in her casual clothes, you can see that she has the typical San Gabriel Valley aunt look with her cardigans and elastic-waist pants. Mama Sun wants to fit in, but still always has an air of elegance. We kept a baseline so that the transition wasn’t too dramatic as it got higher in appearance.
For the overall lineup, Chow focused heavily on including as many Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander designers as possible. Some of the brands and labels she bought were Vivian Chan, Sundae School, Hungry Sloth, Yanyan Knits, and Ren.
Symbolism emerged through subtle choices, such as having Mama Sun wear an all-white suit before the scene of a mass shooting with casualties. White is traditionally a funeral color in Chinese culture and indicates the future. Jade jewelry was also a sign of class and rank within gangs and their different groups. Of all the costume choices featured in the show, the Chinese opera masks for some of the gangsters were one of Chow’s greatest labors of love because they were all made by hand.
“The Brothers Sun” stars Michelle Yeoh, Justin Chien, Sam Li, Highdee Kuan, Alice Hewkin and Madison Hu. The series is currently streaming on Netflix.
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