Anna Sui

Contemporary designer Anna Sui helped define American youth fashion in the 1990s alongside Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Tam. Her taste is heavily influenced by the 1960s and 1970s pop culture of her youth; photographer Steven Meisel stated that “music is her muse.” The maximalist world of Anna Sui includes an eclectic mix of references to mod, rock, hippie, surfer, and Victorian aesthetics. Her sensibility exudes femininity, often through her playful baby doll dresses and use of bold colorful patterns, particularly florals. The brand’s customer is youthful and she therefore designs at a price point accessible to her loyal clientele.

Anna Sui is a first-generation Chinese-American born on August 4, 1955 and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Sui wanted to be a fashion designer from a young age and learned how to make clothes by watching her mother. She moved to New York to attend Parsons School of Design, where she met Meisel, her longtime friend and collaborator. Sui worked as a stylist on many of his shoots and as a designer for the sportswear brand Glenora. In 1981, she designed a small collection out of her apartment which was picked up by Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. She left Glenora once the conflict of interest was discovered and used her final paycheck to produce her first full collection. In 1991, she staged her breakout fashion show with the support of Meisel and the models Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington who all walked the runway. The buzz garnered from the show allowed her to move into a studio space in the Garment District that same year. In 1992, she opened her NYC flagship store and won the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s CFDA Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent. In 2009, she was honored with the CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. Sui continues to operate her business and produce her collection in New York as an independent brand.