Today we’d like to introduce you to Wone and Youa Vang.
Wone and Youa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Third Daughter, Restless Daughter is a sister team that creates sarcastic and snarky cross stitches. At a young age, our grandmother taught us the traditional Hmong embroidery Paj Ntaub. As life happened, we stepped away from cross stitching only to come back to it years later. Though our work isn’t your traditional looking needlepoint, we use this technique along with infusing humor, pop culture, and our personality into our designs.
Derived from the song “Second Child, Restless Child,” by the Oh Hellos, the name Third Daughter, Restless Daughter took on a new meaning when second daughter, Wone, formed a partnership with third daughter, Youa, who originally created the company.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are several roadblocks that we encounter daily, however, one that sticks out is the perception of what a female Asian should act like or talk. There have been times we are berated about the words used in our cross stitches, usually from older men, since this isn’t how a proper woman should act or talk. Yet, male vendors do not get the same criticism.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We are a duo-sister team that has similar but unique humor. Our different experiences and interests are translated and integrated in our work, meaning what we create is something we have felt, experience, or our individual strengths. As with most siblings, we are extremely critical, yet honest with each other. This honesty allows us to push ourselves to improve on our creations.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Prior to the pandemic, we were moving at an accelerated rate with expansion by developing in new markets and communities. The pandemic and racial injustices slowed us to reflect and spend time with our family, giving us the opportunity to develop new ideas that would better serve our mission in the future.
This past year in 2021, we collaborated with other businesses, artists, and makers to create a safe space for us to feature all the work that everyone creates. An event that will be coming back in 2022, is L.A.M. (Little Asia Market) Pop-up Market. The concept of this event is to feature the extensive local Asian American makers along with showing the resilience and steadfastness of the community during a time where Asian hates crimes was on the rise throughout the country.
Contact Info:
- Email: 3drdcrafts@gmail.com
- Website: 3drdcrafts.com
- Instagram: @3drdcrafts
- Facebook: @ThirdDRD
- Twitter: @3drdcrafts
Image Credits
Blkkhand
