I’m back with my fifth Asian Heritage Month Clothing Collection (2026 Edition), this year in collaboration with Shea, of Calgary-based Ugly Apparel Co., who specializes in vinyl and embroidered apparel!
As it has been from its first year, this collection is aimed at celebrating Asian culture, increasing visibility, pride and representation, and tackling anti-Asian racism while supporting Asian-owned initiatives.
This year there are eight designs to choose from, and 20% of proceeds from the 2026 Asian Heritage Month Collection presented by LINDORK x Ugly Apparel Co. will be donated to support Chúng Ta Cùng Nhau, a new Vietnamese cultural and heritage preservation non-profit that I co-founded.
Chúng Ta Cùng Nhau means “We Are Together” and our non-profit’s goals are to help Vietnamese-Edmontonians connect more deeply with their heritage, bridge generational divides, preserve culture, increase representation, and shape the future of Vietnamese-Canadian identity, together.
PRE-ORDER TO RECEIVE YOUR ITEMS BY ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH (MAY 2026).
Orders made by April 10, 2026:
- Guaranteed shipping or local pick-up in Edmonton or Calgary by beginning of May.
Orders made April 10-30, 2026:
- Guaranteed Calgary local pick-up and shipping to Edmonton (or elsewhere) by end of May.
Orders made May 1-31, 2026:
- Items to be shipped or available for local Calgary pick-up in June.
This collection will only be available for orders until May 31, 2026.
Designs are available in:
- Hoodies (Small-5XL): Black or White
- Crew necks (Small-3XL): Light Grey or Military Green
- Crew necks (Small-5XL): Black or White
- T-Shirts (Small-5XL): Black or White
- Crop Tees (Small-2XL): Black or White
We’ve brought back some popular phrases from previous collections (with updated designs and an Ugly Apparel Co. spin on things, available in embroidered or vinyl) and have added some new pieces for 2026 as well!
Prices are more affordable!
The prices for this 2026 collection range from $28-$54 CAD depending on the design and type you choose (e.g. hoodie is pricier than a T-Shirt).
There’s also FREE local Calgary, Lethbridge, or Edmonton pick-up!
The Edmonton pick-up is specific to the order deadlines noted above (order by April 10 if you want Edmonton local pick-up at the beginning of May).
Otherwise flat rate Canadian shipping is $17 or Alberta shipping is $15.
2026 ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH DESIGNS – @lindork x Ugly Apparel Co. Collaboration
- ASIAN of the Year
- Always Craving Asian Food
- In the Mood for Noods
- Rice is Life
- Powered by Bubble Tea
- Hot People Hate Racism
- Meet me in Chinatown
- _______ BADDIE (Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, etc.)
Remember you can customize font colours for most of the designs to really reflect your vibe!
ASIAN of the Year
I feel so proud to be an Asian woman and increasingly so proud to connect with my heritage and culture. This statement also I feel like speaks to the competitive nature of many fellow Asian community members. It’s a little sassy and bold and felt like a great Asian Heritage Month statement to make.
This design is inspired by Shea’s previous ‘LESBIAN of the Year.’
Always Craving Asian Food
This is an updated Ugly Apparel Co. design for a popular statement from my previous Asian Heritage Month Clothing Collections.
I love the universality of this statement and appreciate the variety of Asian foods (including snacks!) that Shea collected for this design.
In the Mood for Noods
This is an updated Ugly Apparel Co. design for a popular statement from my previous Asian Heritage Month Clothing Collections.
It speaks to my ever-constant desire for noodles!
I love the noodle character Shea’s created and think this colour palette is super cute.
Rice is Life
This is an updated Ugly Apparel Co. design for a popular statement from my previous Asian Heritage Month Clothing Collections.
My mom always said to me growing up that if you don’t have rice with your meal, you won’t be full. lol. I take that to heart. I am extremely all about rice in my life and have a pot of rice cooked pretty much each day in our household.
Powered by Bubble Tea
This is an updated Ugly Apparel Co. design for a popular statement from my previous Asian Heritage Month Clothing Collections.
Powered by Bubble Tea appears across the middle/chest of the item and I love that idea of stating this with your full chest lol. Bubble tea powers me!!
Hot People Hate Racism
I mean, this collection is all about true statements and what’s truer than this? If you’re racist, you’re ugly. If you’re against racism, you’re hot. It’s pretty simple lol.
This design is inspired by Shea’s previous ‘HOT PEOPLE HATE THE UCP’ (which is the first design that introduced me to Ugly Apparel Co..!)
Meet Me In Chinatown
I try to ensure there’s always one Chinatown-specific design in my Asian Heritage Month statement pieces. With Edmonton (and frankly most Chinatowns in North America) going through its vibrancy and revitalization challenges, I think manifesting a bit of good fortune for the neighbourhood and support for its business owners is a nice sentiment to have.
________ BADDIE
You customize: Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, etc.
This design builds off a previous customizable “I Am” statement in my 2024 collection, which speaks to wearing your ethnicity loud and proud (while mitigating some micro-aggressive ‘where are you from?’ questions). The addition of “Baddie” draws inspiration from the viral “Chinese Baddie” trend, which recently celebrated confident expressions of Chinese culture and style, though as the phrase spread online, it also raised important conversations about cultural appreciation versus appropriation.
This design intentionally shifts the phrase back to its intended statement of pride, made by the communities themselves. The blank is meant to be filled with your own identity—a reminder that culture isn’t someone else’s costume, especially in a world where people are so eager to enjoy the food, music, and aesthetics of immigrant cultures, yet can also be so quick to tell the very people behind those cultures to “go back to where they came from.”
ABOUT THE ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH COLLECTION
May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada and AAPI (Asian Pacific American / Pacific Islander) Month in the United States.
Back in 2022, I partnered with Sherrell of Zen Lion Design in Edmonton to produce an Asian Heritage Month Collection, following the significant rise in Anti-Asian hate crimes in North America as a result of the pandemic. We collaborated on a number of collections in the years that followed and I think our work truly made a difference (and really, continues to make an impact whenever anyone wears their AHM piece!!) I thank Sherrell for her partnership over the years.
This year 2026 will be the fifth year of the collection, and the first year I’m doing it in partnership with Shea of Ugly Apparel Co. in Calgary.
I first learned about Shea and her awesome company after seeing her “HOT PEOPLE HATE THE UCP” design last year. Our values are very aligned and I love that in people and companies I partner with. I’m also excited to expand this Asian Heritage Month Collection across Alberta to Calgarians, and still be able to offer a local pick-up option for Edmontonians if you order by March 31.
It’s been amazing to see the growth and support for this annual clothing collection.
I truly love seeing the designs out in the wild and am so grateful for everyone who has purchased a piece of this collection over the years.
Each year, I try to include statements, phrases, or illustrations that celebrate, uplift, address representation or anti-Asian racism in the collection designs. It’s been a platform to bolster Asian pride and anti-racism not just for Asian Heritage Month, but year-round. You do not have to be Asian to wear the majority of this year’s items (allies welcome!)
The 2026 collection is also only available for a limited time (order by May 31, 2026 at the latest), so if you think you want one, get one as they may not come back after May.
ABOUT THE CHARITABLE DONATION
Each year since 2022, we’ve been able to donate 20% of proceeds from the Asian Heritage Month Clothing Collection collaboration to an Asian-specific charity or non-profit initiative.
With Zen Lion Design, that means nearly $4,000 in total donated to support these organizations:
- Represent Asian Project, a Canadian platform I love that is dedicated to celebrating, advocating and elevating Asian representation and voices in media and beyond.
- Asian Gold Ribbon, an Edmonton-founded organization supporting Asian mental health initiatives including destigmatizing Asian mental health.
- Togather Chinatown Arts Festival, an Edmonton-based organization working to uplift and revitalize Edmonton Chinatown through arts-focused initiatives.
- FascinAsian Film Festival – Edmonton, a volunteer-run, not for profit dedicated to sharing Asian-centered stories on the big screen, and addressing challenges of equity in the arts.
The timing of this fifth collection launch with Ugly Apparel Co. made sense for me to direct funds raised to Chúng Ta Cùng Nhau (We Are Together), a new Vietnamese cultural and heritage preservation non-profit that I co-founded with my friend Jessica Truong in late 2025. We officially incorporated as a non-profit society early this 2026.
I’m really excited about the work our group has already done and will continue to do creating online and in-person spaces for the Vietnamese-Edmonton community and allies to connect and preserve culture, heritage, increase representation and bridge younger and older generation community members.
Plan to shop the 2026 Asian Heritage Month Clothing Collection presented by LINDORK x UGLY APPAREL CO.!
Thank you for your support!!
