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May 13, 2024 · Vera Wang was a senior fashion editor at Vogue for 15 years and then a design director for Ralph Lauren. After designing her own wedding dress, she opened a bridal boutique and soon launched...
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Christian Dior was a French fashion designer whose...
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Learn about Vera Wang's life, career, and achievements as a fashion designer and former figure skater. She is known for her wedding dresses, evening wear, and fragrances, and has won several awards and honors.
- Overview
- Early life and education
- From Vogue to wedding dresses
- Activities in the 21st century
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Vera Wang (born June 27, 1949, New York, New York, U.S.) American fashion designer, best known for her elegant and sophisticated wedding dress and haute couture collections. She later branched into other lines, including menswear, jewelry, fragrances, eyewear, and home products.
Wang’s parents immigrated to the United States from China in the 1940s. Her father headed a successful pharmaceutical company, and her mother was a UN translator. Wang was early exposed to fashion by her stylish mother, who often took her to high-end fashion shows. At age six she began ice skating, and she later competed in pairs figure skating. At...
Following her graduation in 1971, Wang began working at Vogue magazine, where she was an assistant to the fashion director. She quickly moved up in the company, becoming fashion editor at the age of 23. In that position she was responsible for the magazine’s editorial fashion spreads. The job was demanding and left little time for her to pursue her dream of designing. Wang eventually left Vogue in 1987 to work at Ralph Lauren. There she designed accessories for the fashion label.
Unable to find a dress for her upcoming wedding, Wang designed her own in 1989. The following year she quit her job at Ralph Lauren and shortly after opened a couture bridal gown store, Vera Wang Bridal House, in New York City. At first Wang only offered dresses from other designers. However, she eventually began selling her own designs, and they proved so popular that the store exclusively sold her creations. Within a few years Wang expanded her collection to include bridesmaids’ dresses and couture evening gowns. She became known for using sheer fabric in her designs.
Wang continued to expand her brand in the 21st century. In 2000 she offered her first ready-to-wear collection, which showcased an elegant draping and layering style combining modern and traditional touches. In 2003 she designed the outfits for the Philadelphia Eagles professional football cheerleading team. Wang opened wedding gown boutiques in the United States, and her designs were also available from high-end retailers throughout the world.
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During this time Wang also released the first of several fragrances as well as a china and stemware line for the British company Wedgwood. In 2006 she collaborated with the department store chain Kohl’s to produce a more affordable collection of clothes, shoes, jewelry, handbags, and other items under the brand Simply Vera. In 2011 Wang partnered with jewelry store Zales to create a line of engagement and wedding rings—as well as other fashion jewelry—featuring diamonds with blue sapphire accents. In 2012 she entered into an agreement with Men’s Wearhouse, a clothing company, to offer tuxedos. The following year she received a lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Learn about Vera Wang, an American fashion designer who created elegant and sophisticated wedding dresses and haute couture collections. Find out how she started her career at Vogue, Ralph Lauren, and the Olympics, and expanded her brand to include other products.
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Learn how Vera Wang reinvented herself from a Vogue editor to a bridalwear entrepreneur and a global lifestyle brand. Read her interview with Alison Beard, an executive editor at HBR, about her career journey and lessons.
Nov 3, 2023 · Learn how Vera Wang transformed from a failed Olympic hopeful to a fashion icon who dressed celebrities, launched spin-off lines and received the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award. Explore her career highlights, from Vogue to ready-to-wear to David's Bridal.
Jun 11, 2018 · Learn about the life and career of Vera Wang, a former Vogue editor and a renowned bridal and eveningwear designer. Find out how she started her own business, created her signature fragrance, and dressed celebrities and Olympic skaters.
May 21, 2021 · Style Vera Wang, 70, models her own looks in at-home photo shoot “I am the sole owner,” Wang says of her business. ( Forbes reported in 2020 that Wang’s net worth was around $270 million.)
