Vera Wang

Vera Ellen Wang (born June 27, 1948)[2] is an American fashion designer. Wang initially pursued a career in figure skating before transitioning to fashion. She got her start working for Vogue and Ralph Lauren before launching her own bridal gown boutique in 1990.

Wang has gained international recognition for her wedding gowns, which have been worn by numerous celebrities.[3][4][5] She expanded her namesake brand to include ready-to-wear fashion, accessories, fragrances, and home goods. In 2024, Wang sold the brand to WHP Global.

Early life

Vera Ellen Wang was born June 27, 1948,[6] in New York City to Chinese parents who immigrated to the United States in the mid-1940s. Her mother, Florence Wu (Wu Chifang), worked as a translator for the United Nations, while her father, Cheng Ching Wang (Wang Chengqing), a graduate of Yanjing University and MIT, owned a medicine company, and held the following positions: Director, Singapore Petroleum Company Pte. Ltd., Chairman & President, Oceanic Petroleum Corporation, Chairman & President, Oceanic Petroleum (Asia) Corporation, Chairman & President of Summit Group of Companies (now U.S. Summit Company), Chairman of the Vera Wang Group 1990-1998.[7] Wang has one brother, Kenneth, who is a life member of MIT Corporation, a board of trustees that governs the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[8][9]

Wang began figure skating at the age of eight, training under Peter Dunfield and Sonya Klopfer in Denver during the summers and with the Skating Club of New York during the rest of the year.[10][11] While in high school, she trained with pairs partner James Stuart, and competed at the 1968 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She was featured in Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd in the January 9, 1968 issue.[12] When she failed to make the U.S. Olympics team, she said, "I was devastated when I did not qualify for the Olympic team."[13] Then she entered the fashion industry.[14] Wang continues to enjoy skating, saying it is “multidimensional.”[10]

Wang attended Friends Seminary,[15] graduated from Chapin School in 1967, attended the University of Paris, and earned a degree in art history from Sarah Lawrence College.[16] In 2013, she was the keynote speaker at Sarah Lawrence’s 85th commencement ceremony.[17][18]

In 1968, Wang was presented as a debutante to high society at the International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf Astoria New York.[19]

Career

Wang was hired to be an editor at Vogue upon graduation from Sarah Lawrence College, making her the youngest editor at that magazine. She stayed at Vogue for 17 years, leaving in 1987 to join Ralph Lauren, for whom she worked for two years. At 40, she resigned and became an independent bridal wear designer.[20]

Wang has made wedding gowns for public figures such as Hayley Williams,[21] Vanessa Hudgens,[22] Chelsea Clinton,[23] Karenna Gore,[24] Ivanka Trump,[23] Campbell Brown,[25] Alicia Keys,[23] Mariah Carey,[23] Victoria Beckham,[23] Sarah Michelle Gellar,[26] Avril Lavigne,[23] Hilary Duff,[23] Khloe Kardashian,[27] and Kim Kardashian.[28] Wang started off as being best known for her elegant wedding dresses. Wang's evening wear has also been worn by Michelle Obama.[29][30]

Figure skaters who have worn costumes designed by Wang at the Winter Olympic Games include Nancy Kerrigan (1992 and 1994), Michelle Kwan (1998 and 2002), Evan Lysacek (2010), and Nathan Chen (2018 and 2022).[31][32] Wang was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2009 for her contribution to the sport as a costume designer.[33] She designed the uniforms worn by the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders.[34]

On October 23, 2001, her book Vera Wang on Weddings was released. In June 2005, she won the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Womenswear Designer of the Year. On May 27, 2006, Wang was awarded the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Wang's evening wear has been worn by stars at many red carpet events, including Viola Davis at the 2012 Academy Awards,[35] and Sofia Vergara at the 65th Emmy Awards.[36]

She was awarded the Council of Fashion Designers of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.[37][38]

In 2006, Wang reached a deal with Kohl's, a chain of department stores, to produce a less expensive line of ready-to-wear clothing exclusively for them called Simply Vera.[39]

Forbes placed her the 34th in the list America's Richest Self-Made Women 2018, her revenues rising to $630 million in that year.

On September 10, 2019, after a sabbatical of two years during which she had presented her collections only via films,[40] Vera Wang returned to the New York Fashion Week runway for her Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of her brand.[41] The show received very positive reviews, with Godfrey Deeny describing it as a "notable collection by one of the few New York designers with a truly distinctive fashion DNA",[42] while Bridget Foley presented Wang's creations as "Beautiful, seriously designed clothes, presented with gutsy panache".[43] However, the show was marred by several major footwear malfunctions,[44][45] especially during the finale when four models fell down,[46] including Fei Fei Sun, who fell twice in a row,[47] leading chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman to state that "In 2019, no woman should be tortured by what she wears".[44]

In December 2024, WHP Global, a brand management firm based in New York, announced an agreement to acquire the IP of the Vera Wang fashion brand.[48][49] As part of the transaction, Wang agreed to continue in the role as Founder & Chief Creative Officer, joining WHP Global as a shareholder.[50]

Retail

In 1990, Wang opened her first design salon in the Carlyle Hotel in New York City that features her trademark bridal gowns.[51] She has since opened bridal boutiques in New York, London, Tokyo, and Sydney and has also expanded her brand through her fragrance,[52] jewelry, eyewear, shoes, and homeware collections.

"White by Vera Wang" launched on February 11, 2011, at David's Bridal. Prices of the bridal gowns range from $600 to $1,400.[53] In 2002, Wang began to enter the home fashion industry and launched The Vera Wang China and Crystal Collection,[54] followed by the 2007 release of her diffusion line called Simply Vera, which are sold exclusively by Kohl's.[51]

In spring 2012, Wang teamed up with Men's Wearhouse to offer two tuxedo styles available in both the retail and rental areas of their inventory.[55] In June 2012, she expanded in Australia with the opening of "Vera Wang Bride Sydney" and her first Asian flagship store "Vera Wang Bridal Korea", helmed by President Jung Mi-ri, in upmarket neighborhood Cheongdam-dong in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.[56]

In a 2013 interview with CBS, Wang described her transition from journalist to businesswoman as "painful, and not only that, I have no choice. So I think when you start there's a certain innocence because of that freedom, and as you evolve you begin to see the parameters of what you can and can't do. So I make decisions that are very tiny that will affect an hour of work, I make decisions that will impact the lives of the people that work for me. It's in fashion as well, micro work, a centimeter of proportion and then it's macro to see what a vision is on the red carpet."[57]

Personal life

In June 1989, Wang married investor Arthur P. Becker in an interfaith Baptist and Jewish ceremony.[1] They have two daughters, both of whom were adopted.[58] In July 2012, the couple announced their separation.[59]

In popular culture

Several movies and television shows have featured Wang's works, including The West Wing, The Newsroom, Gossip Girl, Sex and the City,[60] Revenge,[61] The Simpsons, and the film Sex and the City.[62]

Wang appeared in a cameo in season 5 episode 11 of the TV series Gossip Girl and as herself in the second season of Ugly Betty in episode 2.07.

Filmography

Books

• Vera Wang, Vera Wang on Weddings, HarperCollins, October 2001 (ISBN 9780688162566).

Recognition

She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2021.[63]

In 2023, she received the Board of Directors' Tribute at the 2023 CFDA Fashion Awards for her Bridal impact.[64]

See also

• List of fashion designers

External links