E7 ft. Anna Sui

Sighs and Whispers

This week on LADY’s After Hours, fashion and cultural historian Laura McLaws Helms meets with fashion designer Anna Sui. Born in Detroit in 1952, from a young age Sui became obsessed with fashion, music and New York. Sui achieved her dream when she moved to NYC to study fashion design at Parsons, but left after two years to work as an assistant designer at a juniors’ sportswear label. In 1980 she started her own company with $300. With the help of best friends Steven Meisel and Paul Cavaco, Sui launched herself into the fashion stratosphere in 1991 with her supermodel-heavy first runway show. In 1992 Sui opened her first store and won the CFDA Perry Ellis award for new talent. Sell-out collections at the major department stores and celebrity endorsements from such megastars as Madonna led to more stores, diffusion lines, perfumes and a makeup collection. Anna speaks openly about her slow road to “overnight success” and the business deals and collaborations that allowed her to expand her empire and to maintain control privately of her company. A fascinating interview for anyone interested in the inspiration, research, hard work and business behind the clothes you wear. For full show notes, episode resources and a slideshow of images, head to https://ladyworld.tv/after-hours-anna-sui Produced and hosted by Laura McLaws Helms Featured Guest Anna Sui