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Anna Sui Profile

Website: www.annasui.com

Anna Sui was born in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, USA in 1955 the daughter of Chinese immigrants. When she was a teenager, her parents sent her to New York. She studied at the Parsons School of Design in New York.

After graduation, she worked for a number of sportswear companies and acted as a stylist for photographer Steven Meisel. In 1981, she started designing under her own name, but it was not until 1991 that she became well-known when her romantic pirate look came out.

Drawing on a variety of cultural influences and with considerable flair and humour, Sui gives a contemporary twist to many vintage styles such as Baby doll dresses, Flappers of the 20's, and 60's fashions. She keeps 40 years of magazine cuttings stored away in what she calls her "genius files" to help her with inspiration.

She also creates witty accessories.

In addition to her own store, the Sui collections are now available in over 200 department stores in the US, Canada, Japan and Europe. In 2000 she launched her online boutique which can be found at www.annasuibeauty.com.

Spring/Summer 2001 found Anna Sui showing her collection against the backdrop of a Zoe Cassavetes film which captured the frenzy of a dance-till-you-drop fabulous party.

Spring/Summer 2003

• Anna Sui presented her Spring/Summer 2003 collection at the New York Fashion Week in September 2002, which was greeted with aclaim.

Autumn/Winter 2003 Ready-to-Wear
New York - February 2003

• Sui zeroed in on the end of the 1960's mod esthetic this season specifically the London boutique BIBA and art deco motifs. She sent out sweet little lace dresses and printed chiffons with fluttery handkerchief hems, popcorn-knit sweaters and slim harlequin-patterned jerseys. She also tossed in another decade - the 1970's - in patchwork quilted parkas and ski pants paired with beaded chiffon tops. It made a cheerful noisy fun collection.

Spring/Summer 2004

• Anna Sui's collection for this season was shown during New York Fashion Week in September 2003.
• She went for mad mixes of colour, flower prints, girlie clothes and scuba diving sportswear. Giant starfish earrings reminded of the seashore. It was surfer girl meets beach babe. Beach cover-ups of chiffon could be easily transformed into evening wear for a sexy St. Tropez look. Her happy face collection sent her audience out smiling.
  

Fall/Winter 2004

• The Sui Fall collection was shown during New York Fashion Week in February 2004. Anna's show is always a success, because she seems to be having so much fun. She gets the best models to walk her runway like Liye Kebede shown here, and the audience is always smiling. For Fall she was inspired by the 60'70s London boutique of Biba, crimping models' hair, and dressing them in brightly printed tights and colourful cardigans and flared skirts.

Spring/Summer 2005

• During New York Fashion Week in September 2004, Anna Sui presented her Spring collection.
• Anna was inspired by cowgirls and wild wild west. Ralph Lauren might have been here before with his prairie look, but Anna Sui did something much more hippie and chic. Cowboys, Indians, settlers, soldiers, all in a modern moment. Rhinestone-bedecked rodeo girls and lots of Victoriana, sweet pintucked blouses, full petticoat skirts, and lots of embroidery and accessories were mixed up in a lovely collection. The wild west never looked so good.

Perfumes

• 1999 - Anna Sui (W)
• 2000 - Dreams(W)
• 2002 - Sui Love (W)
• 2003 - Sui Dolly Girl (W)
• 2004 - Ooh la Love (W)