Anna Sui's fashion career began at the early age of four, when she fell in love with a taxicab yellow vinyl coat with maroon stripes. Sui has turned her fashion passion into 32 boutiques in five countries and a signature cosmetics line. But the key to her success started with a fashion design school.
Sui got her start designing custom clothes for her Barbie dolls and toy soldiers, and she showed her creations at make-believe Oscars ceremonies. Her mother taught her to sew, and Anna found much of her inspiration from fashion magazines. But what really influenced the natural born designer was a Life magazine article.As a child, she read about a designer for Elizabeth Taylor who got her start at New York's Parsons School of Design, and Sui dreamed of following in her footsteps.
Pursuing that dream, Sui left her suburban home in Detroit in the 70s and set out for Parsons School of Design. These were formative years, Sui recalls. "The most valuable knowledge I received at Parsons was how clothing was constructed." Traditional craftsmanship remains a hallmark of Sui's design: "I like feeling my clothes fit well."
The Parsons School also offered Sui the exposure that she needed to establish herself in the New York fashion world. While in school, Sui met up-and-coming fashion photographer Steven Meisel, and the two collaborated on the photographer's seminal photo shoots. Meanwhile, her design projects at Parsons caught the eye of a sportswear company: "I was in my second year when I was offered a dream job to run the design department for a sportswear line. I jumped at the opportunity."
The rest, as they say, is history. From there Sui presented six original designs at a boutique show and immediately received an order from Macy's, which featured her design in a full-page New York Times ad. The exposure laid the foundation for Sui's rise to fashion design success, and the designer launched her own company in 1981.
Inspired by the "louche, laidback style of original rock chicks Anita Pallenberg and Marianne Faithful," Sui's unique style is the epitome of boho chic. Deep purple hues, opulent designs, and bold textures are signature Anna Sui. It's "the feeling of fantasy and luxury, with a touch of humor," she explains. Reviewers find her unique style at once "trendy and nostalgic, flea market and rock and roll, saucy and sweet, rococo and gypsy." In any case, Hollywood approves: Nicole Kidman, Sofia Coppola, Cher, and Madonna are just a few of her celebrity customers.
Anna Sui has come a long way since her make-believe Academy Awards clothing line. Time named her one of the Top Five Fashion Icons of the decade. And in 2004, she received the Legend of Fashion Award at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. But she hasn't lost touch with her roots--her latest project is a 2006 edition of her childhood muse, the Anna Sui Boho Barbie.