How "Beef"'s Costume Designer Captured Distinct Asian American Identities Through Clothing

Though Danny and Paul are brothers who grew up in the same environment, the latter is clearly more engaged in the world and his surroundings — which is also demonstrated through his clothing. With Paul's finances and background in mind, Huang's point of reference was mall culture, specifically stores like Zumiez, Pacsun, Champion, and Express. "He's trying to be more current [than Danny] but he's still 10 years behind," as opposed to Danny's 20.

Because Mazino's IRL style was so cool and up-to-date, Huang remembers telling the actor apologetically that they had to "tone down the cool." "The top half [of his outfit] would be normal, and then the bottom half, we'd put him in really skinny jeans from Abercrombie with rips," she says.