
Vera Wang
fashion designer
New Yorker Vera Wang was determined to have a career as a competitive figure skater. When her Olympic dreams were cut short, she channeled the grace + discipline she'd learned on the rink into a new field ~ fashion. At 23, Vera became the youngest ever senior editor at Vogue. 20 years later, the industry insider decided to try her hand at design. And, fill a gap in the market.
Vera's pioneering brand did something many in the fashion world doubted could be done ~ bring high fashion to bridal. Today, Vera's label is synonymous with lux couture weddings + gorgeous gowns. But, she's also branched out far beyond a woman's big day, translating her vision "out" to become a design mogul. With lines of ready-to-wear apparel, housewares, stationary, perfumes + jewelry, more people can enjoy the stylish fruits of Vera's one-of-a-kind point of view.
being the reigning queen of bridal | transforming the wedding industry
business savvy | a fashion mogul
collaborations | with Zales, Kohl's, Wedgewood + more
dressing celebrities | Kiera Knightley, Kerry Washington, Sofia Veraga, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alicia Keys, Moriah Carey, Jo-Lo, Jessica Simpson, Chelsea Clinton, Michelle Obama, Ivanka Trump + many many more
1972 | became Vogue's youngest fashion senior fashion editor when she was promoted after just a year on the job
1990 | launched her first collection of wedding dresses with financial backing from her father
2005 | honored with the CFDA's Womenswear Designer of the Year award
from | to
competitive figure skater who lost her bid to go to the 1968 Olympics | fashion mogul {who's designed quite a few gold-medal figure skating costumes}
born on
june 27, 1949
born in
New York City
birth name
Vera Ellen Wang
citizen of
The United States of America
daughter of
Florence Wu
~ translator at the United Nations + fashion lover who "infected" Vera with the design bug ~
Cheng Ching Wang
~ owner of a pharmaceutical company | chairman of a New York trading company | principal in a Singapore petroleum company ~
~ her parents moved from Shanghai to the U.S. in the 1940s ~
sister of
1 younger brother | Kenneth
educated at
The Chapin School
~ Manhattan, New York ~
The American School of Ballet
The Sorbonne {study abroad}
~ Paris, France | 1967 ~
Sarah Lawrence College
~ BA | 1971 ~
loved studying
art history
married to
Arthur Paul Becker
~ stockbroker | married in 1989 + separated in 2012 ~
mother of
2 daughters | Cecelia + Josephine
influenced by | worked alongside
Frances Patiky Stein
~ the fashion director American Vogue who first hired Vera after meeting her when Vera was working as a high-end shop girl ~
Ralph Lauren
~ Vera was his design director for accessories ~
in her spare time
travels
exercises
tweets
@verawanggang
collapse bio bits
"A woman is never sexier than when she is comfortable in her clothes."
The Beijing Fur Show | may 2002
"I adore the challenge of creating truly modern clothes where a woman’s personality and sense of self are revealed. I want people to see the dress, but focus on the woman."
The Beijing Fur Show | may 2002
"Clothes are my passion and my knowledge. I’ve studied fashion from every angle – historically and critically, cerebrally and emotionally."
The Beijing Fur Show | november 2002
"Figure skating gave me that love of beauty, that love of line. And, that love of telling a story of some sort and reaching people emotionally."
Vera Wang: Fashion and Figure Skating | december 2007
"If you can bring your own concept or your viewpoint and translate it not down but out, then you’re really successful in the truest sense."
Interview magazine | december 2010
"Both fashion and figure skating are subjective arenas, and there are no guarantees."
Vera on Ice | december 2011
"I'm the girl who no one sees at the beach . . . Normally, I'm in so many layers, I look like Lawrence of Arabia!"
Harper's Bazaar | january 2012
"I am not the sort of woman who would wear high heels with a bathing suit. Let's get that straight right now."
Harper's Bazaar | january 2012
"The very fact you have the power...to set trends and to make sociological statements, not just fashion statements, that’s very powerful. You build an innate respect not only for fashion but for women."
Behind-the-Scenes with Vera Wang | march 2015
for further reading about Vera Wang:
curated with care by Alicia Williamson
American Vogue | 1972
Vera was a college student working as a salesgirl in a high-end boutique when she happened to serve Frances Patiky Stein ~ the fashion director at Vogue. Frances was so impressed by the passionate young fashion-lover, she offered her a job on the spot. Vera didn't know what a magazine editor did when she took the gig, but she excelled so much in the position that she was promoted to a senior fashion editor within the year! Vera remained with Vogue for 16 years. When she didn't get the chief editor job, she decided to take her career in a new direction ~ design.
Henry Clarke | Conde Naste
© all rights reserved
Vera's first bridal collection
Vera got married at 40 and was totally dissastified with her options for modern, age-appropriate wedding attire. She decided it was time to fill in a major gap in the market. Launching her first collection in 1990, the longtime industry insider soon realized that "bridal" was a high-fashion taboo since it's generally associated with conservative, client-driven styles. Vera took on the tradition + still made her name, helping us reimagine what the wedding dress can look like {deconstructed or bodiced, tea-dipped or black} for more than 25 years!
Vera Wang
© all rights reserved
Vera for Nancy
Once an aspiring competitive skater herself, Vera was a natural to design costumes for figure skating. Her work was on international display when US team member Nancy Kerrigan wore one of her designs for the 1994 Winter Olympics. She has also created show-stopping costumes for Michelle Kwan + Evan Lysachek.
Vera Wang
© all rights reserved