As the excitement builds and we get closer to New York Fashion Week, New York Style Guide will be featuring a designer of the week.
This week’s designer is Anna Sui!
See Anna Sui’s latest collection during New York Fashion Week, September 16th, 6 PM at The Arc, Skylight at Moynihan Station
American designer Anna Sui designs stylish and energetic clothing that mixes vintage styles with ethnic influences. For inspiration, she draws from cultural references, such as Andy Warhol or Finnish textile prints. She’s always on the lookout for new concepts and experiments. Stylists and fashion editors rely on her to be a true trendsetter. Her innovative and imaginative show is always a high point of New York Fashion Week.
Today, Anna Sui is living the dream she had for herself since she was a little girl. She was born in Michigan in 1955, and she started making her own clothes at the tender age of four. Over the years she has taken a very serious approach to learning her craft and developing unique ideas. As a teenager, she had a goal to never wear the same outfit twice in one year. After high school, she studied at the Parsons School of Design in New York. Early in her career, she partnered with photographer Steven Meisel to style his sportswear shoots. Together they created several collections of sportswear. She launched her first solo collection in 1981.
Over the next two decades, she grew her business and developed her brand. She opened her fist stylish boutique on Greene Street in Soho in 1992. The unique styling of her store and products reflected a vivid, contemporary perspective on vintage styles with a twist of humor and rock and roll. She expanded her business into Asia where she developed a huge following. Her products included not only clothing, but also shoes, cosmetics, fragrances and accessories. Vintage makeup packaging and fragrance bottles from this era are now collector’s items. Today, she owns boutiques in eight different countries, and her clothing is sold in hundreds of stores around the world.
Another important influence for Anna Sui is rock and roll. Superstars find her clothing perfect for their vivacious styles. Audiences eagerly anticipate her runway soundtrack each season.
Hollywood a-listers who wear her clothes include Nicole Kidman, Drew Barrymore, Stevie Nicks, Sofia Coppola, Christina Ricci, Patricia Arquette, Cher, Naomi Campbell, Courtney Love and Madonna.
Anna designs clothes with a contemporary twist on vintage style. Inspired by 40 years worth of magazine clippings she keeps stored away, she creates edgy versions of baby doll dresses, Flappers from the 1920’s and 1960’s style. She also designs clever accessories to go with her clothes.
Anna also has a love of shopping. She considers herself an authority on the best places to shop in major cities all over the world. She has used her talent to decorate her own New York City apartment with visually stunning interior design.
Anna Sui is not only inspired, but she also inspires. She is living the dream she’s had for herself her entire life.
