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International designer Anna Sui's involvement in
fashion began at an early age, with a devotion to dressing her dolls
and her neighbor's toy soldiers for her own personal version of the
Academy Awards. Sui eventually extended her fashion interest to include
designing her own clothes and clipping fashion magazine pages to serve
as inspirations. To this very day, she continues to refer to these
"genius files".
After graduating from high school in Detroit,
Michigan, Sui moved to New York City to attend Parsons School of
Design. While at Parsons, Sui found a collaborator and close friend in
Steven Meisel, today one of the world's top fashion photographers. Her
early days as a stylist for Meisel's shoots included editorial for the
Italian fashion magazine LEI.
After leaving Parsons, Sui worked at a variety of junior sportswear companies.
In
1980, Sui presented six original pieces at the Boutique Show and
immediately received an order from Macy's, who featured one of her
designs in a New York Times advertisement. That same year, Anna Sui
launched her own business that operated out of her apartment throughout
the 1980's.
In 1991, Anna Sui premiered her first runway show,
featuring her signature "head-to-toe" look and prompting the New York
Times to proclaim it a "pastiche of hip and haute styles." In that same
year, Sui moved her business and showroom to its current location in
the Garment District.
In 1992, Sui opened her own boutique at
113 Greene Street in the SoHo district of New York. The store reflects
Sui's distinct taste: pairing flea market furniture and whimsical Dolly
Head mannequins in a room with purple walls and red floors.
In 1993, Sui won the prestegious CFDA Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent.
The
first of three Anna Sui freestanding boutiques in Asia opened in May
1997 in Tokyo. The second opened in Osaka in the Fall of that same
year. Another Osaka venue opened in 2000. The stores mark the continued
worldwide expansion of the Anna Sui brand and lifestyle. Isetan Company
Limited is the main licensee for the Japanese distribution of the
women's collection and Mammina, a subsidiary of Isetan, is the
distributor to department and specialty stores there.
In 1997,
Anna Sui Shoes premiered on her runway for Fall 1997. Manufactured by
Ballin in Venice, Italy, the shoe collection is comprised of both day
and evening styles, and include velvet, silk, patent leather, snake and
lizard skin, shearling and suede.
Anna Sui opened her Los Angeles boutique in 1999 in Sunset Plaza, in West Hollywood.
In
1999, Sui launched her signature fragrance and cosmetic line. In
October 1997, Anna Sui signed a fragrance licensing deal with Wella AG
of Germany to develop a signature fragrance. In a three-sided
arrangement, Wella shares the Anna Sui beauty business with Japanese
cosmetics maker Albion, which holds the Anna Sui color cosmetics and
skin care license. Under the agreement , Wella will produce and market
Anna Sui fragrances while Albion introduces the Anna Sui color
collection for Japan. Wella will sell the fragrances to Albion, which
will distribute them inside Japan, while Albion will sell the color
cosmetics to Wella for distribution outside of Japan.
For Fall 2000, Sui Dreams, the second Anna Sui fragrance launched worldwide.
Called a designer that "never panders" by The New York Times,
Anna Sui continues to design and manufacture her signature Anna Sui
Collection in her New York City headquarters. Her runway shows continue
to set trends and inspire designers everywhere. Sui's signature wit and
original designs draw legions of devotees to her pieces, including
clients Patricia Arquette, Christina Ricci, Cher, Naomi Campbell, Sofia
Coppola, Courtney Love of Hole and James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins. |
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