Exclusive: Anna Sui on Representation, Rock N’ Roll and the Power of Fashion Friendships
For Anna Sui, friendship is always top of mind. It’s a value the fashion designer has held at her namesake womenswear brand, which she’s independently owned and had full creative control over for 43 years.
“All the people I was hanging out with were coming to my shows, and we all just got to be really close friends. It wasn’t something that anybody planned — it was just organic,” Sui exclusively tells FN, reflecting on her longtime friendships with fellow fashion stars like Marc Jacobs, Sophia Coppola and Steven Meisel.
“There’s a bunch of us that really stay in touch, like Linda [Evangelista] and Marc [Jacobs] and Pat [McGrath], and we have this little group text — so whenever there’s news or anything, we share the news.”
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Indeed, Sui’s relationships have elevated her brand through the years, leading to collaborations with Jacobs, Opening Ceremony, Kipling and her own popular fragrance line — and even her first show, which Evangelista and Naomi Campell helped gather models for. However, her relationships with Gen Z — which nieces Chase Sui Wonders, Jeannie Sui Wonders and Isabelle Sui provide her a front-row seat to — have also led to success, particularly when reviving her vintage designs.
“I have my nieces that are all in their 20’s, and whenever they go home they raid their mom’s closet,” Sui recalls. “For Christmas, all of a sudden I see all these outfits from the ’90s…they’re like, ‘You should make this again, everybody wants these kind of things.’ It’s been fun — who would have figured that something like that would happen?”
It would be impossible to talk about Sui without mentioning her longtime love of rock n’ roll. Though Sui’s relationship to rock musicians is diverse and deep — from Madonna wearing her clothes in Paris to Courtney Love shopping in her L.A. boutique — one of her favorites is Dave Navarro (who virally walked in her spring 1997 show), who she met by chance at a music festival.
“I came down in an elevator, and when the doors opened I went, ‘Oh! Dave Navarro!’ because he was standing right there, and he went, ‘Anna Sui!’ Then we both ran in different directions,” Sui remembers.
“I thought, ‘Oh, that was stupid. I should have talked to him.’ That night, there was a big party and I saw him, so I went over and we started talking. I said, ‘Would you ever walk in my show?’ and he said, ‘I would if there was lingerie involved.’ So that’s how it happened — it was kind of his idea. He came to New York, walked into my studio, took off all his clothes and said, ‘I’m clay, you’re the artist. Mold me.’ All my pattern makers, everybody’s like, ‘Ah!’, and so we made outfits for him.”
Sui’s collaborative spirit is certainly one that’s been an identifier of her brand. It’s one she’s always held, aims to bring in all of her upcoming projects — including her new resort 2024 collection, secret upcoming collaborations and the future return of her “World of Anna Sui” retrospective exhibit — and wants to impart on young designers today.
“The playing field has changed so much, especially recently…you can’t be complacent. You have to just be really on top of it and learning all the time and adapting all the time,” Sui says, advising young designers to build an identifiable brand, expand into licenses and stay relevant. “I want especially young designers to understand: there’s one name on the label, but there’s a lot of people behind it…they have to build these relationships and they’re so valuable.”
As she reflects on her decades as both a prominent female and Asian American designer, Sui hopes that — above all else — her work inspires others to dream.
“I’m the ultimate optimist. We need to dream, we need to really explore all the possibilities,” Sui says. “I think that’s something, especially these days, that we really could use because things are dark and there’s a lot of scary news out there. I’m always thinking about that silver lining, everywhere.”
About the Author:
Aaron Royce is the Assistant Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on celebrity style, brand collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. As a day-to-night dresser, he favors boots, loafers and vintage-inspired denim that can be worn from the office to any number of after-hours soirées — particularly with a ‘90s grunge or punk rock-inspired twist. In his spare time, Royce enjoys reading, discovering New York’s secret gardens and hunting for the perfect pair of combat boots.
