To get to know “one of the five icons of world fashion of the decade” one must go beyond stereotypes and clichés. We need to retrace an interesting journey that starts from the center of the United States and embraces a universe made of clothes, jewels, shoes, accessories and dozens of other winning ideas that together form the Anna Sui brand .
His clothes are always a cross between a high-class garment and the most innovative idea ever seen on the market. Difficult to find a precise boundary, you have to take them as they are and love and appreciate them as the whole world appreciates this woman with her fascinating personality.
In this new post dedicated to famous American designers, we will retrace the life and career of Anna Sui, in a truly interesting journey full of ideas for the reader.
Anna Sui, how a myth is born
Anna was born on August 4, 1952 in Detroit , in the state of Michigan (USA).
Her parents are of Chinese origin but speak French at home having both studied in Paris. Among the relatives of her maternal side, Anna Sui boasts an important Chinese philosopher, Fang Chih.
She is only 4 years old when she decides she wants to create clothes and it will be her mother who will teach her not only to sew but to literally invent clothes with tailoring scraps or by combining old clothes together to recycle them into new ideas .
With this precious background, the young Anna Sui begins studying fashion in college, graduating from the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York .
Immediately after, she left for Paris to hone her skills as a stylist, as well as a creator of clothes and fashion.
Anna Sui’s career
Back home, she starts collaborating with a school friend, the photographer Steven Meisel who takes care of the fashion shoots for the Italian magazine “Lei”.
Anna Sui creates the clothes that the models will wear and quickly becomes a name, at least in Europe.
At home he works for a sports fashion house and his clothes hit the directors of two great New York fashion centers: Bloomingdale’s and Macy ‘s . From here to the leap in quality and a moment.
His clothes thus appear in the advertising inserts of the New York Times and are requested by names such as Chanel, Versace, Lacroix.
In 1991, with the support of her friend Meisel and models Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, Anna Sui opened her first personal atelier in New York .
The same year he participates in the fashion week in Paris and on that occasion he meets Madonna , who will immediately marry her extravagant style, bringing further notoriety to the company.
In 1994 the Anna Sui fashion shows landed in Venice and the following year on the covers of Vogue .
In the late 1990s, Sui ateliers opened in dozens of countries, including Japan. His clothes are also exhibited at the Royal Victoria and Albert Hall in London!
The 2000s opened with the expansion to the perfumery industry and in 2006 even a “Barbie” was designed and produced with Anna Sui’s clothes !
Collaborations increase over the years and lines inspired by television hits (Gossip Girl, Sailor Moon, Starbucks…) are born.
Anna Sui today is a trendy brand also for cosmetics and footwear. A world brand, famous and recognized all over the globe.
Masaki-H, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Private life of Anna Sui
Anna Sui has never been married . She does not know, to date, boyfriends or companions and it is assumed that she does not have any. However, the jealous confidentiality with which the designer protects her personal life suggests that she might as well be having an affair … in secret!
