Anna Sui
1769531
223148186
2008-07-02T19:53:26Z
JCReport
7374010
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{{Infobox Fashion Designer
|image=annasui.jpg
|image_size=180px
|caption=
|name=Anna Sui
|nationality=American
|birth_date=1964
|birth_place= [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]
|education=[[Parsons School of Design]]
|label_name=Anna Sui
|significant_design=
|awards=Time Magazine- Top 5 Fashion Icons of the Decade
|}}
'''Anna Sui''' ([[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 蕭志美, [[pinyin]]: Xiāo Zhìměi) (born in 1964, <!--birth date from Encyclopædia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/search?query=anna+sui&ct= --> in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]] USA) is an American [[fashion designer]]. She has<ref name="annasui.com">http://www.d-annasui.com/ Anna Sui Japan</ref><!-- 129 expansion stores have been added in Asia and Europe as of 04.05.07. Increase from 382 listed in 2000 --> boutiques in many world countries, especially Japan.<ref name="annasui.com">[http://www.fashionvue.com/directory/anna-sui.htm ANNA SUI | Fashion Vue Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <!--Posted on Official Site -->
==Early life==
Sui was born to immigrant parents; her father Paul was an engineer who graduated from The [[Sorbonne]] in Paris, at which her mother, Grace, also studied painting.<ref name="britannica">[http://www.fashionvue.com/directory/anna-sui.htm ANNA SUI | Fashion Vue Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> At a young age, Sui dressed her dolls and her neighbor's toy soldiers, and pretended they were at the [[Academy Awards|Oscars]].<ref name="beauty">[http://www.annasuibeauty.com/site/about_anna_child.htm] Anna Sui's history, from ''Anna Sui Beauty''.</ref> According to photographer Taka Kawachi, as Sui was growing up, she "began clipping fashion-magazine pages and filing in now what she calls her ''Genius Files'', which have been an inspiration to her throughout her career."<ref name="beauty">[http://www.fashionvue.com/directory/anna-sui.htm ANNA SUI | Fashion Vue Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> During her senior year of high school, Anna Sui received a scholarship to attend [[Parsons The New School for Design|Parson's School of Design]] in New York.<ref name="beauty">asd</ref> While there, she became close friends with photographer [[Steven Meisel]]<ref name="beauty">asd</ref> who is today widely recognized as the industry's leading photographer.
==Career in Fashion==
After leaving Parson's, she worked for a variety of junior sportswear companies. Sui's business continued to expand in the 1980s. In 1991, she launched her first runway show.<ref name="bio">[http://www.fashionvue.com/directory/anna-sui.htm ANNA SUI | Fashion Vue Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It was in 1992 that she took a chance with a personal clothing line and opened her first boutique shop at 113 [[Greene Street]] in [[New York City]]'s [[Soho]] District. This shop, with its purple walls and red floors, reflects her taste for pairing flea market furniture and dolly head mannequins. According to relative [[Grant Sui]], "The stores have come to emphasize the epitome of culture in a continually shifting fashion world."
The first of Sui's freestanding boutiques in Asia opened in May 1997 in [[Tokyo]]. The second opened in [[Osaka]] in the fall of that same year. In following years, the popular stores soon expanded to independent locations all over Japan. [[Isetan]] Company Limited has attained the main license for the Japanese distribution of the women's collection and Mammina, a subsidiary of Isetan, is the distributor to department and specialty stores there. Through this partner, Anna Sui Corp has grown into one of Japan's top luxury fashion brands.
Anna Sui opened her [[Los Angeles]] boutique in 1998 in Sunset Plaza, in West [[Hollywood]]. Sui also made headway with the international markets as boutiques sprang up in countries like [[China]], [[Taiwan]], [[South Korea]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Singapore]], [[Thailand]], and the [[Philippines]].
Internationally the brand has also grown primarily in the Asian market. Recent contracts over the last decade have helped to develop the brand in conjunction with partner stores. In addition, rampant sales growth has allowed the corporation the construction of independent boutiques, with dozens of locations in the planing stage across [[East Asia]] and [[Western Europe]].
She was called a [[designer]] who "never panders" by [[The New York Times]], and named to [[Time Magazine]]'s list of this decade's top five fashion icons. Sui also appeared in a special [[CNN]] [[Talk Asia]] interview which was welcomed with top-monthly ratings by the region. Anna Sui continues to design and manufacture her signature collection in her New York City headquarters. There she has ardently fought to keep the fashion industry alive in New York City's fading Garment District. She has also provided the costume designs for the [[anime]] series, ''[[Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo]]''. Sui's designs attract many famous clients such as [[Patricia Arquette]],[[Mischa Barton]],[[Christina Ricci]], [[Cher]], [[Naomi Campbell]], [[Sofia Coppola]], [[Lindsay Lohan]], [[Hilary Duff]], [[Maria Sharapova]], [[Nicole Richie]],[[Liv Tyler]], [[Courtney Love]] of [[Hole (band)|Hole]], and [[James Iha]] of the [[Smashing Pumpkins]]. In early 2007, Anna Sui, [[Twinkle by Wenlan]] and [[Betsey Johnson]] dresses were big sellers in the [[Macy's]] department's new spring fashion line. Additionally, Sui was contracted by [[Samsung]] Electronics Co. to design cellular telephones.
==Cosmetics==
In 1999, Sui launched her signature [[fragrance]] and [[Cosmetics|cosmetic]] line after signing with [[Wella]], of [[Germany]] to develop it. In a three-sided arrangement, Wella shares the Anna Sui beauty business with Japanese cosmetics maker Albion, who holds the Anna Sui color cosmetics and skin care license. Under the agreements, Wella will produce and market Anna Sui fragrances while Albion introduces the Anna Sui color collection to Japan and the broader Asian market. 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 Japan. For Fall 2000, Sui Dreams, the second Anna Sui fragrance, launched worldwide. 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.
==Shoe Line==
In 1997, Anna Sui Shoes premiered on her runway for the fall collection. 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.
==Perfumes==
* [[Flight of Fancy]]
* [[Magic Romance]]
* [[Secret Wish]]
* [[Dolly Girl on the Beach]]
* [[Dolly Girl]]
* [[Sui Love]]
* [[Sui Dreams]]
* [[Anna Sui Classic]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.annasui.com Official Site]
*[http://www.fashionvue.com/directory/anna-sui.htm Anna Sui Bio]
*[http://www.annasui-cosmetics.com/ Anna Sui Cosmetics]
*[http://www.gankutsuou.com/ GanKutSuou Homepage]
*[http://www.fortune.com/fashion/392883/annasui.html Fortune Fashion]
*[http://www.shopzane.com/Anna_Sui_s/27.htm Anna Sui Dress]
*{{style.com|ANNASUI}}
*[http://www.jcreport.com/intelligence/lifestyle/061202/sporting-style Anna Sui's Spring 2003 casual inspiration, JCReport]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sui, Anna}}
[[Category:American fashion designers]]
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Chinese Americans]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Detroit, Michigan]]
[[Category:Parsons the New School of Design alumni]]
[[es:Anna Sui]]
[[ja:アナスイ]]
[[zh:蕭志美]]