VERA WANG |

ASIAN AMERICAN
REPRESENTATION IN
THE FASHION
INDUSTRY
G R A C E K I M | W I N N I E L I A N G | M I C H E L L E N G U Y E N
A A S T 3 9 4 G A L L E R Y P R O J E C T

"Design is about
point of view,
and there
should be some
sort of woman
or lifestyle or
attitude in one's
head as a
designer."
 Born on July 27, 1949, in New
York City, NY to immigrant
Chinese parents

Both her parents came from affluent

families and immigrated after WWI
Vera Wang’s mother had an
appreciation for high fashion and
introduced her daughter to the world
of couture fashion

H T T P S : / / S U C C E S S S T O R Y . C O M / P H O T O S / P E O P L E / V E R A - E L L E N - W A N G

Wang started competitive ice

skating when she was young and WHO IS
competed in the United States
Figure Skating Championship VERA WANG?
She switched her passions to fashion
when she did not make the US
Olympics team

She earned her degree in art history from

Sarah Lawrence College

While working at the Yves St. Laurent

boutique in Manhattan she lands a job offer
from Frances Patiky Stein, Vogue’s fashion
director
Started as a temporary assistant, but worked to
become one of the youngest fashion editors

Ralph Lauren then hired her as a design

director for accessories
 Wang’s first experience into
fashion design was when she first
designed her wedding dress in
1989

She then launched her first bridal

boutique located in Carlyle Hotel
in NYC which first only had
couture gowns from famous
designers like Christian Dior

She started to sell her own designs in

her boutiques

H T T P S : / / S U C C E S S S T O R Y . C O M / P H O T O S / P E O P L E / V E R A - E L L E N - W A N G

H T T P S : / / W W W . S A W Y E R B E R S O N . C O M / P R O J E C T S / I N T E R I O R - D E S I G N - V E R A - W A N G - M A D I S O N - A V E N U E - B O U T I Q U E /
Today, Vera Wang’s
fashion empire has an
overall retail value of
over $1 billion

She has also collaborated

with Kohl’s, David’s Bridal,
Men’s Wearhouse, and Zales
 C O N T R I B U T I O N
T H R O U G H
R E P R E S E N T A T I O N

"Asians, whose One of the most internationally known

names in designer fashion and
nimber hands have homewares.
for decades sewn
in factories in the
THE AAPI
united states and COMMUNITY
Asia" had now
also "become an She is part of the “Rise of the
emerging force in Asian Designer”
design."
Previously with a presence
-VW
nearly nonexistent in the
Vera Wang designed capsule fashion industry, Asian
collections for a variety of Americans are now thriving at
mass-marketing firms like the beginning of the twenty-
Kohls. first century.

She is a prime example of

Asian American
representation through
fashion, especially in the high
fashion industry, but also
works to make her brand
more affordable

H T T P S : / / W W W . V O G U E . C O M / A R T I C L E / V E R A - W A N G - S I M P L Y - V E R A - 1 0 - Y E A R - A N N I V E R S A R Y - N E W - Y O R K - P A R T Y
 FOR ASIAN
AMERICAN WOMEN

W W W . V O G U E . C O M / A R T I C L E / V E R A - W A N G - S I M P L Y - V E R A - 1 0 - Y E A R - A N N I V E R S A R Y - N E W - Y O R K - P A R T Y

Asian American women “We show women

are seen as quiet and
submissive but Vera Wang they didn’t have
gave women “permission
to experiment and to be
to conform or
free”
dress a certain
“It’s your body, your life way. We really
and your world. That’s why
I don’t think fashion is encouraged
frivolous. It enables every
single individual to express diversity.”
themselves"
- VW
 Creating process behind "Nessa" dress

T H E C A R O U S E L . C O M / B E A U T Y / F A S H I O N / B R I D A L / V E R A - W A N G - C R E A T I V E - P R O C E S S - N E S S A /

A R T W O R K R E F L E C T I N G

INTERGENERATIONAL
DYNAMICS

"I was thinking The dress is a symbolic

connection between those
about the little childhood dreams and the
girl who used to passage into womanhood.

wear ribbons in Using one of her most iconic

decorations, the grosgrain
her hair, all tied ribbon, the dress shapes the waist
up in a bow—but beautifully but has delicate pleats
that flow like a dancer’s ball
now she’s all gown.

grown up, glowing Using colors, ribbons, and style,

and radiant for Vera Wang shows the growth of a
little girl into a woman through
her wedding day.” her sophisticated but soft bridal
- VW dress
 A A S T 3 9 4

CLASS THEME

ACCULTURATION &
BICULTURATION
H T T P S : / / C E L E B P I E . C O M / V E R A - W A N G S - P A R E N T S - C H E N G - C H I N G - W A N G - F L O R E N C E - W U / V E R A - W A N G S - P A R E N T S - C H E N G - C H I N G - W A N G - F L O R E N C E - W U

Vera Wang was able to

have an appreciation
“I’m proud of for her Chinese
everything heritage and her
American culture
positive about
She can speak Chinese
my heritage, and English and also
French
which is the
desire to work Vera Wang was also
heavily influenced
and better by French culture at
a young age because
oneself” - VW of her mother’s
appreciation for
couture.
 BREAKING MODEL MINORITY
STEREOTYPE & THE GLASS
CEILING

Vera Wang grew up to be a strong leader in the

fashion industry

She started her own company which was something

Asian Americans weren’t seen accomplishing as
they were the least likely to be promoted to a
leadership position

H T T P S : / / W W W . C R F A S H I O N B O O K . C O M / F A S H I O N / A 2 8 1 8 7 9 5 1 / V E R A - W A N G S - P O P - C U L T U R E - I N F L U E N C E /

SECOND GENERATION
ASIAN AMERICAN

As a second generation Asian American, Vera Wang

effectively used both her Chinese background and her
American background to create new designs to the
fashion industry while delicately balancing her identity
to both.
 REFERENCES

Alexander, E. (2021). Vera Wang unveils her debut "attainable" bridal line -
and it's beautiful. Retrieved 30 November 2021, from
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/bazaar-brides/a37596791/vera-wang-
bride-interview/

Editor, F. (2020, September 16). History of Vera Wang. Retrieved

November 30, 2021, from https://www.fashionintime.org/vera-wang-
brand-history/

Feitelberg, R. (2017, November 03). Vera Wang celebrates Chinese heritage

and American upbringing at China Institute's blue cloud gala. Retrieved
November 30, 2021, from https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-
scoops/vera-wang-chinese-heritage-american-upbringing-at-china-
institutes-blue-cloud-gala-11041976/

Hobson, F. (2021). Vera Wang Shares The Design Inspiration Behind The
Dress. Retrieved 30 November 2021, from
https://thecarousel.com/beauty/fashion/bridal/vera-wang-creative-
process-nessa/

Krohn, K. E. (2007). Vera Wang. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century

Books. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from
https://books.google.com/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=xmJ7doZXP0QC&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&a
mp;dq=vera+wang+fashion+designer+asian+american&ots=2IfGVM
3CeZ&sig=pKtneT3gmQauok9liP0I_mpKf5A#v=onepage&q&
amp;f=false
 REFERENCES

Lee, R. (2014). The Routledge companion to Asian American and Pacific

Islander literature (1st ed.). London: Routledge.

Life's work: An interview with Vera Wang. (2019, June 18). Retrieved
November 30, 2021, from https://hbr.org/2019/07/lifes-work-an-
interview-with-vera-wang

Soprano, K. (2021). Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month: Five Changemakers

Who Have Impacted Our Day-to-Day Lives. Retrieved 30 November
2021, from https://career.uconn.edu/blog/2021/05/19/celebrating-aapi-
heritage-month-five-changemakers-who-have-impacted-our-day-to-
day-lives/

Vera Wang. (2021, November 30). Retrieved November 30, 2021, from
https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/fashion-
biographies/vera-wang

X., L. J. (2016). Chinese Americans the history and culture of a people. Santa
Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.