Joshua Jordan
Sui Dreams
Issue #29
Not just another fashion doll, Anna Sui talks about bringing a little bit of soul and a lot of common sense to the global market
By Jenny Hart
Published: September 1st, 2006 | 12:00am
With her signature Victorian-punk style, Anna Sui has always been a true renegade fashion designer. Her flagship boutique in SoHo feels like it’s operated by a quirky-yet-classy lady who occupies the upstairs apartment and stocks the store at midnight with her latest handmade creations. Sui's collection is sold in more than 300 stores around the world and has 32 of her own Anna Sui boutiques in five countries. In addition to clothing, Sui’s brand includes accessories, makeup, perfume, and — get this — the Anna Sui Boho Barbie Doll.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Sui moved to New York and became part of the ’70s punk scene and always knew she wanted to be a designer. She transitioned from sewing her own wardrobe for an entire year in high school to creating a runway look that is unashamedly bohemian rhapsody set to a punk soundtrack. Her fantastical colors and bold patterns make her a designer of choice for rock stars. Comfort, fun, and fantasy are primary elements of her designs, which allows for an easy runway-to-street transition.
If you look closely at Sui’s clothing you’ll see something near and dear to her heart: touches of cross-stitch and embroidery, and elements of needlework. It seems everything she designs incorporates a look that says, “Someone’s careful hands touched this.”
Here, Sui talks from her New York office about her love for embroidery and commitment to reviving an interest in handicrafts. She offers up solid business advice for aspiring designers, reveals her desire to design dishware, and excitedly talks about what she’d be if she weren’t a designer.
I read that as a teenager you vowed one year not to wear the same outfit twice. What did you learn from that experience?
It was a time when I made a lot of my own clothes, so that made it easy, and it was miniskirt time, so you didn’t need a lot of fabric! (laughs) I learned to sew really well that year because I was making my own clothes. I was voted “best dressed” at my high school, so that was really exciting.
Was it a challenge, or did it feel like it opened you up to endless possibilities?
I think it really opened me up. It got me learning about different fabrics, experimenting with patterns, interchanging them, and I think that’s how I learned a lot about how clothing was made.
I bet it made you really resourceful!
Yeah, you figured out ways to make things look different, which came in really handy when I started designing and doing styling.
You've often said that your look is heavily influenced by the ’70s punk scene in NYC, which you were a part of. Is there someone who was well known for her or his style in that scene who deserves recognition today?
It was an amazing, amazing time in New York. It was very underground. You could see a number of bands every night. And practically every person who became famous in the next couple of years passed through that scene. Plus, you’d see people like David Bowie or Mick Jagger just checking out the music. It was really fun and interesting nightlife. There were a lot of people who didn’t survive that period because there were a lot of drugs, AIDS, and all of that was a result of that period also. One of my best friends was Muriel Cervenka [sister of Exene from the band X], and she died in a terrible car accident. She had the most amazing style. It was kind of like Victorian punk. She would wear great little leather jackets with beautiful Victorian petticoats, and she had jet-black hair. She was a jewelry designer, so she had all this amazing jewelry.
Today, you can just go to a shop or the mall to buy getups that look like they’re readymade punk outfits. I just came back from Tokyo, and I noticed in Harajuku, the kids are still making their own clothing to create their own looks. I imagine that in the 1970s, people were really having to make their own outfits and pull together a look that they couldn’t just buy at the store.
A lot of people wore vintage and thrift-shop clothes, and that was back when it cost $5 (laughs), so it was a different time. There wasn’t a huge explosion of media coverage for all these places so you could look like a movie star for $20. You could just go to a vintage store and find great party dresses and cocktail dresses. Which is what a lot of people wore during that period.
Did you have a moment of catharsis with your career — a moment that felt like a big break or realization that your goals were being realized?
I have important moments, such as my first show [in 1991]. That was probably the most important step that I took. It was a wonderful experience because all of my friends got behind me and really helped me, like my friend Steven Meisel, who insisted I do a show. Linda [Evangelista] and Naomi [Campbell] helped me get all their model friends to do the show, and it was really a difficult decision because, first of all, I really couldn’t afford it. And it was at a time when Chanel and Versace were ruling. So how do you compete against them when they’re the best in the world and have these huge corporations behind them? So it was really, really scary.
You have gone from running your own independent company to licensing your brand to larger companies that handle the manufacturing and distribution of your products, such as makeup and perfume. Has this experience made it more difficult to protect your brand identity and extend it according to your original vision?
I think that’s made it easier, because I have such identifiable things about my brand, my products, the look of it ... so all the licenses that we’ve signed, it was because they got it. They knew what the secret was behind the name. It wasn’t like they were trying to make me something else, or I wouldn’t have signed the contract! That’s really what has been the success of all the Anna Sui products.
In the spring of 2005, you had an enormous embroidery hoop in the window of your SoHo shop. [Readers, check it out at sublimestitching.com/images/suidreams.jpg]. I’m an embroidery artist ...
Oh! We were wondering why you were so interested in that embroidery hoop! That makes sense now. (laughs)
Yeah! I started a company five years ago called Sublime Stitching, so I’m all about anything embroidery. And when I saw that giant embroidery hoop in your window, it stopped me dead in my tracks. I thought it was so great — I just wanted to know the inspiration behind it and how it got made.
Jerry Schwarz does my windows, and he’s an incredible set designer. We’ve worked together for a long time now. We always have a meeting or long discussion about what the inspiration is behind each collection. And one of the things that I’m constantly attracted to and trying to feature in my collections is handicrafts. I think that people don’t do enough of them anymore; it’s really sad that it’s disappearing. I want to preserve it as long as possible. I try to make it stylish so that people will maybe pick up a needle and do their own embroidery, or knitting, or get more involved with handicrafts. Jerry had the idea to do this giant embroidery hoop, and he actually did the embroidery on it.
When I stepped into your shop that year, I noticed that a lot of clothing featured cross-stitch. Do you decide to focus one year on cross-stitch, then embroidery another — maybe feature tapestry and needlepoint with another line?
Not really. Every season we try to incorporate handicrafts. One of the big problems in the clothing industry in this country is the fact that it’s not being supported at all. And there are so many factories that are going out of business. I try to work with as many people who can do the old-fashioned techniques as possible. Like Bonnaz [rodeo-style embroidery] and Schiffli [eyelets] embroidery. It looks like hand-embroidery, but it’s actually done on a machine. So every season we make a point of using all of those resources.
What do you make of the DIY movement? Do you think the runways are being influenced by the new wave of DIY designers?
Yeah, I think to some extent it is. But I also think designers tend to love handicrafts. It’s something that we all love. There’s nothing more beautiful than to know that someone has touched it, that someone has spent time doing it. So I think that’s what the designers really appreciate.
You have clothing, accessories, perfume, and makeup. What else would you like to do with the Anna Sui brand? Is there something you haven’t done that you’d like to do?
I really love home design. So many people want to buy the furniture in my store — the purple and black chairs. And I’ve always been interested in designing interiors. My apartment has been photographed a lot, so I think that’s the next step. I want to do things for the home, like sheets and towels, dishes, and even furniture.
What do you enjoy most about being a fashion designer? Designing? Seeing your clothes on the runway? Seeing your clothes on the street?
There are so many levels of it. The creative part is the most rewarding; the business part is really tough. Seeing somebody wearing my clothes is really exciting. One time I was sitting next to somebody on the plane and they happened to be wearing one of my tops, and I was just so excited. But I wasn’t sure if I should say, “Oh! That’s my top!” (laughs) I just get really excited that people enjoy the clothes and that it makes them feel good. That’s one of the things behind my design — I’m trying to pass on the thrill I get from clothing to my customers. It’s exciting to see them getting that thrill.
You mentioned that the business aspect is really tough. And that’s where I am with my business: growing it, dealing with business advisers, looking for management. What was the biggest challenge you encountered in growing your business? What is your biggest challenge today?
It’s always the same thing: money. No matter what level you’re at, money is always the big thing you have to be aware of. Understand that what you’re doing is a business. You’re not an artist. You have a customer, and you have to satisfy that customer. It’s something that you always have to keep in mind.
Do you have any words of financial wisdom for starting-out DIY designers?
Well, it’s a business. If you want to be an artist, be an artist. But you have to realize that if you’re making clothing, you have a consumer that you have to satisfy. As far as financial advisers or whomever you have — depends on the type of person you are. Some people work very well with partners and some work very well with backers. But you have to understand what you’re getting involved with. One of the biggest traps that designers fall into is that they get somebody to back their collection, but then they end up losing their name because the person either pulls out or takes the business. I think you have to realize what you’re getting involved with: when somebody gives you money, they expect money back. All those things are age-old problems, not only for designers but also with people in business in general. You have to reinvest in your business every season. I know so many designers who have sold a collection and then taken the money and gone on vacation! And then I’m like, “Well, how are you going to pay for your next collection?” (laughs)
Do you ever feel like you have to find a balance between satisfying your inner artist and working within the confines of a business?
I do what I want. I create the collection the way my imagination pictures it. I never wanted to be an artist. I wanted to be a fashion designer. So the clothes that I imagine are the clothes I create. I never really feel a conflict.
So you never feel a disconnect between your vision and the actual product that gets produced?
Again, you’re mixing being an artist with being a clothing designer. If I wanted to use $1,000-per-yard fabric but it doesn’t sell to my customer ... that’s just not part of what I do.
So you’re saying you bring those considerations into your creative process.
Yeah, it has to be. You have to understand what your business is, who you sell to, what people want, what they can afford, and what their limitations are. Again, if I wanted to be an artist, I’d be an artist, but it’s not what I set out to do.
What inspires you outside of the design world? Is there a non-designer — such as an actor, musician, or writer — who inspires you? Or perhaps it’s a book, movie, or song? What or who inspires you most?
All of those things: I have the best job in the world. Everything that I’m interested in and everything I’m obsessing about I can put into my work. Even if I go on a vacation, something will filter down to a collection: something that I learned, a color I saw, textures that I’ve seen, just different things that will inspire me. Even everyday life inspires me. You just never know. You could be walking down the street and see something that just sparks something in your brain. Every designer draws from all those things.
What fashion trend are you totally over, and what can’t you get enough of?
That’s my whole dilemma with fashion: I love everything that’s new, but I also love everything that’s old. Now everyone is saying it’s the new minimal, and the ethnic and romantic look is gonna be gone ... but I love all that stuff. So it’s always the big dilemma every season. But I have to ask, “What does my customer like?” I mean, I’m not going to make a tailored suit with a shirt and vest — it’s not my look. You have to keep all those things in your mind as you’re designing. How will this translate to the customer?
Is there one item of clothing you refuse to design and/or wear? A dickey perhaps?
Again, never say never. Every fashion rule, everything that was taboo or wrong is happening right now. It’s all flipped. A great example is deconstruction. When you’re training and learning about the construction of clothing, everything has to be so perfect that you can wear it inside out, because it’s done so beautifully. And now with deconstruction, it kind of broke that rule. So you can’t close your mind to anything. But you also have to go with your instinct of what looks right and what looks wrong for the moment. But the following season, it might just flip. That’s what fashion is about.
What other designers’ clothes do you love to wear?
There’s lots of designers I like to wear! I love clothes. I love Marc Jacobs and Marni, and I love vintage, too. So I’m always mixing all of that stuff.
In your opinion, what city has the best street style?
I think Japan is the last bastion of real street style. People have a very different take on dressing up there. I think it’s a result of economics and lifestyle. Most young people live at home until they’re married, and they don’t marry until they’re well into their 30s, so they have all this money they can spend on themselves. They don’t spend it on their home; they spend it on what they put on their back. Another thing the Japanese love to do is research, so they research what they’re going to buy, and they’re the most educated consumers. When they go shopping, they know exactly what they want and they search out the real deal. They don’t buy imitation Chanel. They buy the real Chanel handbag. They’re just that obsessive about fashion.
What piece of advice do you wish someone had given you?
One of the key things is realizing what your strengths and weaknesses are. Those realizations help you figure out where you fit in. When you care about a job, you don’t jump at it just because it’s a job — you consider it because it’s really what you want to do and it will take you toward your goal. I think that really learning your craft is so important. There are so many kids that come out of school that don’t know how to make clothes. I think those two key things will take you very far. But it’s so hard for somebody to be realistic about what they’re good at and what they’re not good at. Where their talent lies. And maybe they don’t want to zero in on it. Maybe they think they can do everything, but no one can do everything. And if you consider every great designer, you see exactly what their strength was. I think that’s really the key. Some people are really great at technical stuff; some people are great at trimmings. I think you really have to do some soul searching when you’re deciding what your first collection will be and what kind of designer you’re going to be.
If you could choose any career other than fashion design, what would it be?
Archeologist! I always like to understand where things come from, how they came about, what was behind it, and how did it end up where they are. I really think that’s getting to the source. I think that would be fascinating. I just got back from Turkey and Greece. We went to a lot of sites and it was just fascinating.
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