What items/brands do Taiwanese young adults want from the US

(reposted from “culture and history”, this question actually has no category)

I’m traveling to Taiwan in mid April (I go almost every year) and want to bring real gifts for my family friends that are my age.

They are 2 sisters aged 22 and 23, and a brother aged 18. They are not very well off so my dad said that they are genuinely grateful for any used clothing that I have, so of course I’m bringing them the best of my wardrobe that I no longer wear.

This time, I really want to give them real gifts. What brands/items would they want from the US considering that they can get lots of fake A&F and Ed Hardy clothes, and possibly lots of other stuff that would cost way less too. What’s “IN” this season for the young adults in Taiwan?

THANK YOU!

Listen. This is a furriner forum. No English teacher here knows what’s printed on the labels of the clothes of the 20 y.o. girls here. They are rather imagining how they look without clothes or are in the process of achieving this result.

:secret:

[quote=“bob_honest”]Listen. This is a furriner forum. No English teacher here knows what’s printed on the labels of the clothes of the 20 y.o. girls here. They are rather imagining how they look without clothes or are in the process of achieving this result.

:secret:[/quote]

That’s absolutely correct. I spent my work hours in Taiwan mentally undressing little girls. Absolutely.

My source, a friend’s teenage son, tells me Gap and Nike is what he gets when he goes to LA. He’s a young teen, though so maybe different.

Anything, so long as the English is spelt incorrectly. Correct English simply will not do. Colours that clash, checks, dots, stripes, fluffy animals, sewn on vests and dangly bits are good too, preferably all on the same shirt.

Ask a reasonable question and the jokers crawl out of the woodwork. Mr/Ms pheeb_s, I wouldn’t know what your young adult relatives would appreciate, but anything from the mighty US would be welcome, I’m sure. Perhaps some NY Yankees paraphernalia? The Yankees are huge here due to Wang Chien Ming, and I’m sure a few original NYY shirts or caps would be most welcome.

Yeah, I gotta agree with that. And as another poster said above, Nike is always a winner.

In terms of non-clothing gifts, anything techie would go down well. Gameboy type of stuff, ipod/mp3 goodies (but that sort of thing is easily available here).

Definitley can’t go wrong with anything related to the NY Yankees, baseball or basketball.

wow took 2 postings, longer than a weeks time to get some honest responses.

  1. BOB_HONEST: albeit I am new, and I do know that this is a foreigner’s forum but think about it, where else can I find this information from being a foreigner myself? I have tried my relatives in taiwan but they’re all old and the last thing on their mind is what a teenager would want. and HONEST-ly BOB, “furriner”? English teacher? WOW that is my largest pet peeve. if you were some foreigner in Taiwan just traveling and visiting, fine, but an ENGLISH TEACHER? :no-no:

  2. jokers eh? they are only 1% helpful in that it’s only SLIGHTLY funny :raspberry: swank magazine :raspberry:

  3. undressing the girls? … i’m not naive but that’s always still nasty to hear… only the ABC girls would know when someone’s undressing them. i shoot them back a dirtier look THEN give them something to REALLY think about :smiley:

THANK YOU for all the responses, I will find Gap and Nike and “ugly” clothes and US paraphernalia for my friends. I appreciate it a lot!

[quote=“pheeb_s”]wow took 2 postings, longer than a weeks time to get some honest responses.

  1. BOB_HONEST: albeit I am new, and I do know that this is a foreigner’s forum but think about it, where else can I find this information from being a foreigner myself? I have tried my relatives in taiwan but they’re all old and the last thing on their mind is what a teenager would want. and HONEST-ly BOB, “furriner”? English teacher? WOW that is my largest pet peeve. if you were some foreigner in Taiwan just traveling and visiting, fine, but an ENGLISH TEACHER? :no-no:
    [/quote]

My pupils never complained mi Engrish. Zhey do not speak human language anyvay! Weitermachen!

[quote=“pheeb_s”](reposted from “culture and history”, this question actually has no category)

I’m traveling to Taiwan in mid April (I go almost every year) and want to bring real gifts for my family friends that are my age.

They are 2 sisters aged 22 and 23, and a brother aged 18. They are not very well off so my dad said that they are genuinely grateful for any used clothing that I have, so of course I’m bringing them the best of my wardrobe that I no longer wear.

This time, I really want to give them real gifts. What brands/items would they want from the US considering that they can get lots of fake A&F and Ed Hardy clothes, and possibly lots of other stuff that would cost way less too. What’s “IN” this season for the young adults in Taiwan?

THANK YOU![/quote]

I’ll chime in since my family brings stuff back…mind you this is a normal list when I go back.

Clothing
Nike sports clothes/t-shirts, since they are fairly expensive in Taiwan. I’d suggest going to outlet stores around your area. Other sport companies are also popular.
Jeans will depend on the style they normally wear in Taiwan. I’ll get baggy jeans whenever I go back. (no complaints yet.)
A&F clothing in general will be nice since they are genuine, AE clothing is good well received too. They will like any big name clothing, but get them from outlet stores/mall. It’ll save you alot of time.

An exception would be some brands though.
Smallish dialog from a friend visiting from Taiwan
Me: Let’s go to J. Crew
Her: Why?
Me: The style is nice and is very popular here.
Her: But it’s not a brand name.
Me:…Okayyyy…

Before you go shopping I would definitely ask them beforehand what sizes they wear. I made that mistake one year, when the brother was tall and skinny. (I always buy XXL shirts now so they can fit him) And of course our petites here are fat clothing for girls in Taiwan. :wink:

I’m Taiwanese-American and I’ll just chime in on what the family members in Taipei like to receive as gifts. Since they’re university age, they might be a little more style or brand conscious - so I’d rule out the Gap. But sports-themed brands: Nike, Adidas, Puma sportswear are all popular (and really expensive in Taiwan, so it’s a nice gift). A & F and American Eagle also, but I’d stick with basics that SAY A & F or American Eagle on them. I think there’s some correlation between visible logos and desirability as well. We in the States might think: “hmm, PUMA spattered across my chest, how tacky” but Taiwanese youth love English words on their clothes, even made up ones. A safe bet is also any Ralph Lauren or LaCoste gear; it’s available in Taiwan but often at higher prices.

Hope this helps!

:eh: I don’t know where you guys shop but a pair of $130 Nikes or Puma’s and most of their clothing in the US is less than half price here. I picked up a pair of Pumas from the Puma store in Meilihua (i.e. genuine not copies) for like 980NT. ADIDAS is also wayyyyy cheaper.

About the only clothing I can think of that would be cheaper in the US than here is high end active gear like North Face, but Taiwan has access to European stuff like La Fuma etc cheaper here so they’d have to have a thing for NF to make it worthwhile. Clothing not available here would be the only choice I go with, like above NY gear or what have you.

Hmm… American fashion’s not big in Taiwan (does america even have fashion outside SF, NY and few other bigger cities??) AFAIK. It’s always been more Japanese oriented. Clothings are dirt cheap here in Taiwan especially for girls, you sure they’re really THAT poor that they can’t even afford to buy clothes? If so they should be on welfare.

People usually buy snacks or health product from the US. But if you HAVE to get clothings I guess A&F, American Eagle’s semi-popular, most of the ppl wearing those seems to be ABC, or people returning from America tho. Is there H&M around where you live? H&M matches taiwanese fashion pretty good and they fit skinny taiwanese frame really nicely, H&M’s probably what i miss the most from the US, they’re not built to last tho.

oh and btw… wrong section.

Edit - if the 18 y/o boy’s into sport, get him an official licensed baseball cap/jersey from his favorite team. Those are usually a lot more expensive here, and they go well with the hip-hop craze that’s all the flair here.

[quote=“sungus”]Hmm… American fashion’s not big in Taiwan (does America even have fashion outside SF, NY and few other bigger cities??) AFAIK. It’s always been more Japanese oriented. Clothings are dirt cheap here in Taiwan especially for girls, you sure they’re really THAT poor that they can’t even afford to buy clothes? If so they should be on welfare.

People usually buy snacks or health product from the US. But if you HAVE to get clothings I guess A&F, American Eagle’s semi-popular, most of the people wearing those seems to be ABC, or people returning from America tho. Is there H&M around where you live? H&M matches taiwanese fashion pretty good and they fit skinny taiwanese frame really nicely, H&M’s probably what i miss the most from the US, they’re not built to last tho.

oh and btw… wrong section.

Edit - if the 18 y/o boy’s into sport, get him an official licensed baseball cap/jersey from his favorite team. Those are usually a lot more expensive here, and they go well with the hip-hop craze that’s all the flair here.[/quote]

Taiwanese fashion is American fashion from 2-3 years ago at least. Look at trucker hats for example. Or Taiwanese B-boys. To assume that most places in America don’t have fashion is arrogance. If we didn’t have fashion we wouldn’t be wearing clothes. Japanese fashion could be argued as just a recycling of American fashion, unless you count cosplay or something. American brands aren’t as widely popular here precisely because they are more expensive.
Fashion is defined as:
a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc.: the latest fashion in dresses.
I guess nobody listens to hip-hop and wears hip-hop fashion either.

That reminds of the many times I’ve heard “Americans don’t have culture.” How is that possible?

If you can afford it though, Taiwanese seem to like Couch alot.

thanks for all the responses!!!

I’ll be doing some outlet shopping for my friends then :slight_smile:

[quote=“occhimarroni”]Taiwanese fashion is American fashion from 2-3 years ago at least. Look at trucker hats for example. Or Taiwanese B-boys. To assume that most places in America don’t have fashion is arrogance. If we didn’t have fashion we wouldn’t be wearing clothes. Japanese fashion could be argued as just a recycling of American fashion, unless you count cosplay or something. American brands aren’t as widely popular here precisely because they are more expensive.
Fashion is defined as:
a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc.: the latest fashion in dresses.
I guess nobody listens to hip-hop and wears hip-hop fashion either.[/quote]

:roflmao: I’m sorry, you call someone on saying “most places in America don’t have fashion” and say wearing clothing = fashion. You then have the gall to say two other countries are just copying American fashion and give a completely different definition of fashion.

:discodance: Good job! Who’s arrogant now hmm?

Get 'em some real Amurican gear…West Coast Choppers

Good specials on tank tops & thongs…it gets hot here.

[quote=“Freakin’ Amazing”][quote=“occhimarroni”]Taiwanese fashion is American fashion from 2-3 years ago at least. Look at trucker hats for example. Or Taiwanese B-boys. To assume that most places in America don’t have fashion is arrogance. If we didn’t have fashion we wouldn’t be wearing clothes. Japanese fashion could be argued as just a recycling of American fashion, unless you count cosplay or something. American brands aren’t as widely popular here precisely because they are more expensive.
Fashion is defined as:
a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc.: the latest fashion in dresses.
I guess nobody listens to hip-hop and wears hip-hop fashion either.[/quote]

:roflmao: I’m sorry, you call someone on saying “most places in America don’t have fashion” and say wearing clothing = fashion. You then have the gall to say two other countries are just copying American fashion and give a completely different definition of fashion.

:discodance: Good job! Who’s arrogant now hmm?[/quote]

Anyone claiming that hip-hop fashion is somehow Japanese I would say is rather being arrogant. When the prevailing styles of dress orginate in America, then pass through Taiwan via-Japan certainly illustrates that America has fashion. Sure you make like to paint the label that Americans are just arrogant and that’s the end of it, but my point was that fashion, like culture, is all around you wherever you are and it is impossible to have the absence of either one. Where did you get two definitions?

[quote=“occhimarroni”]Fashion is defined as:
a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc.: the latest fashion in dresses.[/quote]

I haven’t claimed, painted, or said anything, a little presumptuous for you to claim to know what I think. Still seems hypocritical to call someone for saying America has no [homegrown] fashion, then say the same for Japan/Taiwan. Or do you still not see my point?

[quote=“occhimarroni”]Fashion is defined as:
a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc.: the latest fashion in dresses.[/quote]

I haven’t claimed, painted, or said anything, a little presumptuous for you to claim to know what I think. Still seems hypocritical to call someone for saying America has no [homegrown] fashion, then say the same for Japan/Taiwan. Or do you still not see my point?[/quote]

Does Taiwan have homegrown fashion though? I’m not being silly. I’m saying that everything I see looks pretty similar to fashions that came out of the U.S. or Japan a little bit before. For instance, regarding those trucker hats, there are only three possibilities: 1) That fashion developed outside Taiwan (America) before it developed in Taiwan, 2) that fashion developed in Taiwan before it developed outside Taiwan, 3) the two fashions developed simultaneously but independently of one another.

Number 3 hardly seems likely. Likewise, it seems highly unlikely that 2 would happen and then spread from Taiwan to America. So, wouldn’t we have to conclude 1? Given the lack of fashions here that are not very similar to anything in other countries, wouldn’t we then conclude, by extrapolation, that those other countries (with their bigger economies and greater international influence of their cultures) would be the ones originating the fashions and Taiwan would be the one copying the fashions? Thus, it’s not hypocritical to call someone on saying the U.S. has no fashion but to also claim that Taiwan has no fashion.

Anyway, I’m merely commenting on the topic in general, not what you may or may not think about fashion in one place or another. Personally, I couldn’t give a rodent’s earlobe about where trucker hats come from. I think they’re ugly and look trashy. Then again, I’m possibly the least fashionable person I know.

[quote=“occhimarroni”]Fashion is defined as:
a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc.: the latest fashion in dresses.[/quote]

I haven’t claimed, painted, or said anything, a little presumptuous for you to claim to know what I think. Still seems hypocritical to call someone for saying America has no [homegrown] fashion, then say the same for Japan/Taiwan. Or do you still not see my point?[/quote]

Does Taiwan have homegrown fashion though? I’m not being silly. I’m saying that everything I see looks pretty similar to fashions that came out of the U.S. or Japan a little bit before. For instance, regarding those trucker hats, there are only three possibilities: 1) That fashion developed outside Taiwan (America) before it developed in Taiwan, 2) that fashion developed in Taiwan before it developed outside Taiwan, 3) the two fashions developed simultaneously but independently of one another.

Number 3 hardly seems likely. Likewise, it seems highly unlikely that 2 would happen and then spread from Taiwan to America. So, wouldn’t we have to conclude 1? Given the lack of fashions here that are not very similar to anything in other countries, wouldn’t we then conclude, by extrapolation, that those other countries (with their bigger economies and greater international influence of their cultures) would be the ones originating the fashions and Taiwan would be the one copying the fashions? Thus, it’s not hypocritical to call someone on saying the U.S. has no fashion but to also claim that Taiwan has no fashion.

Anyway, I’m merely commenting on the topic in general, not what you may or may not think about fashion in one place or another. Personally, I couldn’t give a rodent’s earlobe about where trucker hats come from. I think they’re ugly and look trashy. Then again, I’m possibly the least fashionable person I know.[/quote]

I pretty much agreed with all of that, except for the part where somehow you thought I said Taiwan has no fashion. Unless someone else said that and I’m misunderstanding, but according to the definition I posted it’s impossible not to have fashion. In fact, I would argue that although the majority of what Taiwanese wear is mimicking Japanese (or re-hashed American) fashion, there is still some homegrown fashion. The taike and taimei fashion is the best example, and although it’s hideous, of why it’s celebrated for being uniquely Taiwanese.
Basically, I’ve noticed a trend where people (Canadians :doh: ) like to underplay the influence that the U.S. has had on many aspects of culture just about everywhere. My intention is not to be arrogant, but I call it where I see it. Fashion doesn’t really matter to me, but just reminds of when I lived in Venezuela. I remember many people saying to me that America did not have a culture. I think it was more out of pride for their own and distaste for ours than actual fact.

If you’re Canadian don’t take me too seriously.