Few have endured the ups and down of a life in fashion like Anna Sui, who founded her namesake label in 1991 and never looked back. The Daily recently sat down with the iconic New York–based designer to reflect on her remarkable staying power, find out who her current muses are, and whether she has any plans to hang up her always stylish hat.
You’re one of the longest-running designers who’s still showing in New York. How does that feel when you take pause and look at that?
It’s truly amazing. If it wasn’t for my nieces still loving my clothes and going to their mom’s closet and showing up at Christmas dinner wearing something from the ’90s telling me I have to do that again, those things are so encouraging. The fact that retailers like Ssense and [previously] Opening Ceremony and Marc Jacobs, who brought back his grunge collection and invited me to re-create pieces that he picked out of my grunge collection, all those things are encouraging and add to the relevance of what we did. So many people say this could be today and that feels so good. We work in such a tunnel for so many years. Showtime, production, shipping, showtime, production, shipping… It was a never-ending thing. There was no time to reflect.
Anna Sui
Are you a reflective person?
I’m a nostalgic person. Definitely. I love that past and research. I love all that. When it came to designing, I never even looked at pieces from past seasons until we did the museum exhibition. The curator at the Fashion and Textile Museum [in London] came up with this idea of archetypes. He grouped it all together and selected different examples of an archetype, and we had to go into our archives to see if we even had those pieces. It was the first time I had seen so many of those pieces since the show. It was so exciting to see again. We were on a treadmill for many years; we never had time to be reflective.
Are your nieces now your muses?
In many ways! Definitely. They’re interested in clothing. That was the most fun thing for me…to have them come visit and take them shopping or travel with them and take them shopping. I love any excuse to shop! I’m living vicariously through them; they can wear the new styles. I love all that! Now they love to come and go through my closet and see things I’ve never worn or things with the price tag still on them and they want to take them. I love that.
Sui with models wearing her designs
What are you like as an aunt?
[Sui’s niece and Director of Operations Isabelle Sui, who is sitting next to her during the interview, answers] She’s such an inspiration. It’s amazing to have such a talented female figure growing up your whole life. It’s taught us all to follow our dreams and know we can do whatever we want to do. We’re so lucky to have someone so inspirational to grow up with our whole life.
Anna, how does it make you feel to hear that from your niece?
You can’t ask for more! When I was growing up and had this determination to be a designer since I was a kid, everyone thought I was kind of crazy. People asked why I don’t become a doctor or lawyer. Even when I first started working in the garment center, all my bosses were men. A lot of the designers were men, too. The women were in the background as design assistants who were draping or sewing or making the patterns. It was just at that moment when women were coming into their own. I’m not a feminist. I never thought about “I am a woman, I have to do this.” I’m Anna and I want to be a designer. I never thought of gender as a barrier, but when I look back and think about how it was back in the day, it was a men’s industry.
Bella Hadid, Sui, and Gigi Hadid backstage
What have been some of the proudest moments for you over the years?
My first show. I remember when I came back from Paris to see the collections there for the first time with Steven Meisel. We got back and we were at my house and Paul Cavaco came over and they both turned to me and said, “We’ve decided. It’s time for you to have a show.” I was like, “How is that even possible? There’s no way!” They said they would help, and help me they did. I knew Linda [Evangelista] and Christy [Turlington] socially and occasionally I would do styling for Steven and I would meet some of the models at photo shoots. But I never worked with them with my own clothes. They said to talk to Linda and Naomi and they’ll help me get all the girls. You can work with Garren, you can work with François Nars, they’ll do the hair and makeup, and I was like, “Really!?” We even got the space for free. There were so many people who pitched in to make it happen. That’s unheard of at this point, that all of that would come together for someone’s first show. I was really lucky.
What did you think of The Super Models documentary on Apple TV+?
I watched a little but didn’t finish. It’s incredible that all those stories are coming out. It was such a daunting thing to work with those supermodels. There was a reason why they were called supermodels. They were such powers and iconic women—so beautiful and each had her own personality. It was scary during fittings or having them come into your studio and try on your clothes. It was a different moment. It changed so much over the years, especially during the waif period. The girls weren’t so aware. The supermodels would come in and run for the Polaroid board and say, “How come she has three outfits? Don’t you think I’d look better in this than her?” They would take over. It was a scary time!
Why do you think your brand has lasted for three decades?
I had a lot of good luck as far as how my business was structured. When I started showing was the beginning of globalization. There were buyers from all over the world coming to New York, especially from Japan. Japan was interested in New York designers. I got a lot of offers from different Japanese companies, from manufacturing to backing to retailers. I ended up signing with Isetan because they had so many stores. Part of the deal was they brought along licenses. One of the licenses was cosmetics. At the same time I got approached by a German company and they offered me a perfume license. Those licenses, as Coco [Chanel] said, are what carry you through. Coco made her fortune on the fragrance. It’s so important to have that behind you supporting you. There’s always that income coming in. It’s hard to make money making clothes.
Do you think you could do today what you did back then, in terms of starting the business?
No. It’s a different game now. It’s such a corporate structure at this point that you need the backing of a corporation. Back in the day, it was so much more innocent. I didn’t pay people to come to my show. I didn’t give them clothes to wear to the show. It was just me running into someone at a party and telling people I was having a show and asking them to come or one of the models was dating a rock star and asked if they could bring their boyfriend to the show. We had every major star at the shows, but that was because it was a social thing. It’s not like today where it’s so fragmented.
What do think of New York City today? Do you wish it was different for the younger generation?
A lot of times when I talk about those days, everyone is surprised that it was so congenial. You would see everyone at Balthazar or The Odeon. I don’t feel that anymore when I go out. Maybe you’ll run into one person, but it’s not like your head is snapping because there are so many famous people in the room. As I always say, I think the investment bankers won and took over!
Your generation seems to support one another. Marc Jacobs, Debbie Harry, and Sofia Coppola are always at your shows. You have a fan club!
It means so much to me! They’re so much a part of my life, and we all share our struggles with one another as well. We’re from back in the day when the shows were much more organic and if you ran into somebody, you would invite them to your show. It was more that than the corporate way where people are trying to get endorsements from influencers or a celebrity and buying that endorsement. I can’t compete with that, so it’s more my friends or family who come and support me.
What’s your take on influencers in fashion?
There’s always been that factor. I don’t know if it will continue. I feel like it’s changing a bit. It’s not something we had the budget to curate, but what’s been exciting in the past year and a half is so many celebrities wearing our clothes. We’ve had everyone from Olivia Rodrigo to Ariana Grande to Zendaya to Suki Waterhouse wear our looks. It’s been exciting to see this whole new generation that is into the clothes. I’m such a creature of pop culture. I love pop culture and knowing what the latest thing is. Our dinner conversation the other night with a lot of my nieces and nephews was about cheugy and brat and the definition and who was cheugy and who was brat. I love learning about that stuff. I love following the latest gossip! I like going to stores on Orchard Street and see who is shopping there.
What do you think of New York Fashion Week right now?
I’m sorry there has been so much criticism of it. Everyone is going through this economic downturn and this struggle to get back on their feet after COVID. We should be supportive of one another. It’s disheartening to hear “It’s not as exciting as it used to be!” What is? Everyone is trying to get back on track.
When are you showing this year?
I’m probably not showing until November. I want to do it in conjunction with my new fragrance launch.
You’re receiving our lifetime achievement award. How do you feel about your life when you look back?
I’m so lucky. Since I was a little girl, a flower girl at my uncle’s wedding, I went home after and said, “I’m going to be a fashion designer in New York.” And having spent my childhood and early teen years thinking about how I was going to make that happen, it happened and I’m still doing it. I’m so blessed to be able to continue. I had no business plan. I had no idea how I was going to do it. But I had so many good friends and so much support and this strong work ethic that I learned from my parents. Somehow it carried me through.
All images: Courtesy of Anna Sui
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