Anna Sui
Anna Sui (pronounced Swee) was born in Detroit in 1964 to immigrant parents. She started her iconic career at a young age by clipping out pages from fashion magazines and filing them away in her “Genius Files” that were her source of inspiration during her entire career. It was during her senior year where she obtained a full scholarship to attend Parson’s School of Design in New York City. During this time she networked and developed a friendship with Steven Meisel, a man currently recognized as an industry leader in fashion photography.
After Parson’s, Sui began work with minor sportswear corporations and her business grew through the 1980’s. It was in 1991 when she launched her own runway show for the first time, and 1992 when she risked her own line in her first boutique on Greene Street in New York’s SoHo District. The red floors and purple walls of this little store parodied her preference for flea market furnishings and mannequin doll heads. Her relatives now say this store became the icon of culture in a fashion world that is continually changing. In 1997, Tokyo launched Sui’s first free-standing boutique and her second the same year in Osaka. It did not take long for Sui’s career to catapult after this with a resulting 200 independent locations through all of Japan. As a result, the Anna Sui Corporation has become a leader in Japan’s exclusive luxury fashion. This same year, Anna Sui Shoes debuted on the fall runways. This collection worked both day and evening styles in fabrics that only Sui could work on shoes – velvet, patent leather, silk, suede, and sherling.
The next year, Sui went Hollywood with her first boutique in Sunset Plaza and boutiques then went international cropping up in China, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In 1999, we saw Sui launch her cosmetic and fragrance line. Since then her fragrance line has exploded to include Sui Love, Sui Dreams, Dolly Girl, and most recently, Victoria’s Secret “Secret Wish”. By 2006, Anna Sui had over 506 international independent boutiques in 26 nations and her fashion empire was valued at well over $400 million. She is listed in the top five of this decade’s fashion icons by Time Magazine, and continues to produce signature collections in her New York City headquarters. This year, the Twinkle by Wenlan and Betsey Johnson dresses are Anna Sui’s signature pieces, and you will soon see the Sui Phone, as she has been contracted through Samsung to design their next cell phone.
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