Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Dan Wang

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dan Wang. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Dan, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Recently, I adopted a little stray cat who was absolutely terrified of people. Before coming to me, he had spent over a year moving from one foster home to another, always on guard. For weeks, he wouldn’t even let me near him — I felt like I was living with a ghost. But then, out of nowhere, he decided I was safe. Now he’s so clingy it’s honestly hilarious — he follows me around like a tiny shadow. It made me laugh, but also feel proud in a quiet way — to see that with enough patience, even the most guarded hearts can learn to trust again.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a costume designer and costume director based in New York and New Jersey, currently leading the costume department at DramaBox. Over the past decade, I’ve worked on more than fifty stage and screen productions across China and the U.S., and every project still feels like a little adventure.

What I find most magical about my work is that I get to take fabric, texture, and color, and use them to lead audiences into another world. Every day, I dive into scripts, imagine how a character moves, feels, and breathes — and then build a wardrobe that allows actors to step fully into that world. Through costumes, we help viewers temporarily forget reality and feel the emotions of the story.

The most beautiful part? I get to send my understanding of the world — through the way I shape each character — back into the world itself. Then, other extraordinary collaborators, teams, and artisans add their own interpretations, and together, the work comes alive in ways none of us could have predicted. Watching an actor put on a costume and suddenly transform is both thrilling and sometimes a little chaotic — like seeing your sketchbook run off the page and start acting. That constant mix of creation, surprise, and storytelling is why I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I think what breaks bonds between people is often being blinded by our own immediate emotions and desires—focusing only on what we want or how we feel. We might admire someone’s generosity or talent, but struggle to understand their selfishness, limitations, or vulnerabilities. And all of that—the good and the flawed—is just part of being human.

Truly repairing bonds comes from seeing people for who they are, not just what they give us or want from us. The most beautiful thing about a person is often their imperfection—the ways they don’t always meet our expectations. That imperfection itself is real and powerful.

In my work, I build connections with each character through costume and styling. I respect them, their choices, and their state of being. Sometimes a character wants to hide, and the costume helps them do that. Other times, the design leaves space for the performance, the set, the lighting, even the audience’s imagination. Every detail interacts with the whole team, and every choice matters.

Life is similar. When we respect others, give them space, and accept their imperfections, the bonds between people can gradually heal. On stage, a performance comes alive when we fully understand a character; in life, real connection comes from fully accepting people as they are.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
The moment I stopped hiding my pain came after losing something—or someone—I deeply cherished. I couldn’t bear to forget them, so I had to find a space in my heart to hold them, to coexist with that loss. Facing this pain directly wasn’t easy, but it taught me something important: pain can be a source of insight and strength, and it also reminds you that you’re alive, and that life is real.

In my work as a costume designer, I’ve realized that my own experiences of vulnerability and loss help me connect with the characters I bring to life. Their fears, desires, and contradictions resonate more deeply because I’ve sat with my own discomfort. In this way, pain becomes a kind of power—not only to channel into creative work that touches others, but also in life itself, reminding me to be resilient, sensitive, and fully present, and helping me build richer, more authentic connections with myself and those around me.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
I still believe love can melt everything. Most people might disagree, because too often “love” is just well-intentioned control—imposing your wishes on someone else.

But real love isn’t about fixing everything or making life go your way. It’s about understanding, compassion, and staying soft even when things are messy, painful, or imperfect. That’s what keeps connections alive, even in the hardest moments.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people don’t need to talk about me with words, but that they carry the feeling in their hearts—the sense of ease, being understood, and those brief moments of calm and happiness they experienced when they were with me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: danwang._deisgn
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-wang-4baa46280/