Vera Wang
56, Designer and CEO, Vera Wang
By Nadia Mustafa
Fall 2005 Style & Design
When Vera Wang married businessman Arthur Becker in 1989, she gained
more than a husband: she found a calling. Frustrated by her search for a
fashion-forward wedding dress, the aspiring designer launched her own
collection the following year. Today she is one of the world's
best-known bridal-gown designers and the Council of Fashion Designers of
America's reigning Womenswear Designer of the Year. She also presides
over a $300 million company, which she's expanding into ready-to-wear,
fine jewelry, eyewear and home décor.
The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Wang grew up on Manhattan's Upper
East Side. She summered in Paris, attending fashion shows with her
mother. "We were one of Saint Laurent's best clients," she says. While
in college she took a job at YSL's Madison Avenue boutique, where she
met an editor from Vogue, leading Wang to a 16-year stint as an editor
at the magazine. Eventually she realized her love "wasn't just
photographing clothes but creating them." So in 1985 she joined Ralph
Lauren as design director. Five years later, she went solo.
Managing a business while designing has been hard. "At times it has
sapped my enthusiasm," she admits. But she plans to continue broadening
her reach, including targeting a new clientele. Says Wang: "I hope to
bring a certain level of taste and style to clothing that is more
[financially] attainable."
|
Premium Content