Vera Wang

Vera Wang was born in 1949 in the city of New York; Vera Wang is the daughter of affluent Chinese immigrants. Her mother was a UN translator whilst her father was an oil and pharmaceutical tycoon. As a young girl Vera’s mother would take her to Paris fashion shows, however, she began as a talented figure skater. Wang competed professionally throughout her teens. At the age of 20 Vera studied theatre at Sarah Lawrence College but switched to Art History when she realised that an Asian woman, in the early 1970s, was unlikely to be successful as an actress.

After she had graduated, Vera Wang had started to work for Vogue magazine and soon enough at the early age of 23, she was promoted to senior fashion editor. This is where Vera learnt many concepts in the fashion industry and after 15 years she left the magazine and began working for Ralph Lauren as the design director for accessories.

Whilst working at Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang found more time for her personal life and she met Arthur Becker at a tennis match and they fell in love. After several years the pair decided to get married. Vera went on a search to find the perfect wedding dress. During the search for her perfect wedding dress she found a "sameness to everything." She told Jane Sharp of Biography Magazine, "I wanted something more elegant and subdued, but there wasn't anything. I realised the desire to fill that niche."

Vera Wang sketched her own design and hired a tailor to make the gown for $10,000. The next year Vera Wang opened up her first Bridal boutique in the upscale Carlyle Hotel on Madison Avenue, New York City. She began catering to celebrities and made couture gowns, after a few years Vera Wang refined her skills as a fashion designer and launched a signature collection of streamlines and sophisticated bridal wear.

Vera Wang began to grow and expanded her company further beyond wedding dresses. Vera Wang wrote her first book titled ‘Vera Wang on Wedding’ which was released in October, 2001. Her signature fragrance was launched in 2002, followed by the launch of a men’s fragrance in 2004. The following year she brought out another fragrance called ‘Sheer Veil’.

In more recent years Vera Wang has launched fragrances such as, Vera Wang Princess, Truly Pink, Bouquet, Flower Princess, Look, Rock Princess and Glam Princess.

Vera Wang has had many great successes and has become a high-profile figure in the fashion world.

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