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 All girls play
with their dolls. But Anna Sui was the only one who, when dressing her little
protégés, cherished a dream that someday she would design real garments, and
not simple ones, but the ones that would make women happy. And her dream came
true, as those fair ladies who wear Anna Sui dresses can consider themselves
lucky to be donning apparel of such unforgettable design and vigor.
For Anna
Sui, even business is a creative endeavor and a way of expression, let alone the
process of designing clothing. Eccentric outfits, where eclectic reigns
supreme, are perfect reflection of the designer's world, - the fact well known
to those who are personally acquainted with Ms. Sui. Anna Sui was born in
Detroit to French-educated Chinese emigrants in 1964. Her early aspiration to
become a clothing designer did not fade away with age. Instead, it grew
stronger, although her models were bigger, life size. She came to New York to
attend Parsons School of Design after graduating from high school in the early
1970s - an era whose music-inspired fashion scene, mix-it-up attitude, and
free-spirited energy influenced Sui to a great extent. After only two years,
though, she ditched class and plunged headfirst into the industry, learning the
ropes designing for sportswear labels and styling for the photographer Steven
Meisel, a friend, on shoots.
During this
time she began designing clothing out of her apartment which retailed at
locations such as Macy's and Bloomingdale's. In 1980, prompted by friends, she
started her own company. Greatly influenced by New York's punk scene of the
1970s, Sui's main focus was on selling her funky styles to music stores, though
she continued as a stylist for Meisel. This changed around 1987, when Sui decided
to «get serious about being a designer» as she recalled, despite some of her
employers who obviously didn't enjoy Sui's enthusiasm for designing her own
clothes. Thus, the future fashion icon was faced with a choice, and remained
faithful to her dream.
With the
encouragement of her friends Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, Sui launched
her first runway show in 1991 which caused quite a stir. Following this
incredible reception she opened a retail store in New York City's Soho
District. This shop, with its lavender walls, red floors, antique black
furniture, and signature dolly head mannequins has become a staple of SOHO
fashion and synonymous with the Anna Sui brand. A year later, in 1993, Sui was not only recognized
as the queen of fashion show extravaganzas and hip New York style, but also won
a Perry Ellis Award as the best young designer.
The success
has inspired Sui to explore new territories and to expand, which in the fashion
world means designing shoes, accessories, producing cosmetics and perfumes. In
1997, Anna Sui Shoes premiered on her runway for the fall collection.
Manufactured by Ballin in Venice, the shoe collection included both day and
evening styles, in velvet, silk, patent leather, snake and lizard skin,
shearling and suede. Two years later, in 1999, Sui launched her signature fragrance
and cosmetic line. Since its beginning, the fragrance line has expanded to
include Sui Love, Sui Dreams, Dolly Girl, and most recently, in association
with Victoria's Secret, the fragrance Secret Wish.
Collection after
collection, show after show, Sui enjoys great appreciation of the world fashion
elite and common people. Certainly, comparisons with Miuccia Prada, who was a
fashion icon at that time, were flattering to Sui in her early designer years. Today,
Anna Sui is a fashion icon herself, who draws inspiration from art exhibits,
films, flea markets, museums, music, and street fashion. She does not simply
pluck ideas from the past or another culture, but instead pulls together themes
from many sources and seeks to relate them to what people are currently
experiencing. She understands that her customers want to express themselves
through their clothing and not feel as if they were wearing a costume, instead,
her apparel looks like it belongs not to the catwalk but to the high street, be
it overcrowded York, refined Paris or hip Milan. Sui's designs attract many
famous clients such as Paris Hilton, Patricia Arquette, Mischa Barton,
Christina Ricci, Cher, Naomi Campbell, Sofia Coppola, Lindsay Lohan and many
other fancy ladies of high society.
In 2009,
Sui won the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Lifetime Achievement
Award, which serves to honor contributions made to American fashion by
outstanding individuals in the industry. Sui joins the ranks of Yves St
Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Diane von Furstenberg and Bill Blass,
who are past recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award. This year Sui celebrated
her 45-th anniversary and has already become a person whose contribution to the
fashion has been valued as high as the input of those who worked for decades on
the fashion scene.
In an
interview with CNN, Sui confessed that she was looking forward to the
retirement and would like to work in a museum afterwards. That's quite
understandable, as in a museum she could do the same thing that she does today
- explore, observe, look for a story, something unusual that might be behind
the most ordinary little thing. This philosophy has become her credo, because,
according to the designer, her biggest fear is to become conservative. Luckily,
such thing is never possible with her life philosophy.
Well, as Anna
Sui is not even close to her retirement we have so many years ahead of us to
enjoy her designs. Among the eclectic variety of glorious Anna Sui fashions, everyone
can find a design to express oneself.
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