Sue Wong will be honored as Marymount University\u0092s 2015 Designer of\u00a0the Year at the school\u0092s annual student fashion show, Portfolio in Motion, on April 30 in the Rose\u00a0Bente Lee Center on Marymount\u0092s main campus. The award is presented to a designer who has\u00a0achieved excellence in the field and has captured the imagination of both the fashion industry and\u00a0public. Previous honorees have included Jhane Barnes, Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, Isabel\u00a0Toledo, Eileen Fisher, Tadashi Shoji and the late Oscar de la Renta.<\/p>\n
Wong\u0092s signature style evokes the allure and glamour of various eras such as Old Hollywood,\u00a0Weimar Berlin, 1930s Shanghai and Manhattan\u0092s gilded Jazz Age. While often adopting vintage\u00a0style, every design is decidedly very Sue Wong: exquisite fabrics shimmering with incandescent\u00a0beads, unique embroideries and layered, embellished textures. She personally creates more than\u00a01,500 designs a year that are worn by women of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities. The many\u00a0celebrities who have worn her clothing include Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Tyra Banks and\u00a0Anne Hathaway.<\/p>\n
Wong\u0092s life is a story of determination and hard work. She was born in the remote countryside\u00a0of southern China and lived there until age 6, when her mother bribed a border guard with her\u00a0wedding jewels in exchange for freedom into Hong Kong. A year later they journeyed to the\u00a0United States to reunite with Wong\u0092s father in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
As a child of struggling immigrants, she made her own toys: paper dolls with lavish\u00a0wardrobes. By age 9 she was making her own clothes. In high school, she was chosen from more\u00a0than 300 female classmates to be a member of the May Company Teen Board and landed the\u00a0opportunity to work in various capacities, including modeling, assisting with window displays and\u00a0merchandising.<\/p>\n
While working to earn a fashion degree, she interned under the head designer with the\u00a0resource brand Arpeja after winning first place in a scholarship sponsored by the company. Wong\u00a0left Arpeja to open a one-of-a-kind boutique in Venice, Calif., and later, an upscale boutique in\u00a0West Hollywood. Her signature vintage style was born and solidified during this period.<\/p>\n
Wong took details from garments from the \u009220s, \u009230s and \u009240s, extracted the handmade\u00a0detailing such as beadwork and embroidery, and redesigned entirely new garments. Her\u00a0elaborate creations were displayed and hung from wires suspended from the ceiling to create a\u00a0gallery effect in her boutiques. She attracted a following that included Bianca Jagger and Goldie\u00a0Hawn.<\/p>\n
After two design stints with smaller companies, Wong returned to Arpeja as chief designer for\u00a0the label\u0092s Young Edwardian, where she increased the company\u0092s sales from $2 million annually\u00a0to $52 million within three years.<\/p>\n
Her initial attempt to launch her own line at age 30 was unsuccessful. Five years later, in\u00a01985, she relaunched her brand with an initial collection of Sue Wong day dresses to critical\u00a0acclaim. She introduced more elaborate evening pieces in 1999, a move that firmly established\u00a0her signature style.<\/p>\n
Sue Wong honors the goddess force through her designs–the universal feminine energy that\u00a0allows women to transcend their time and place. When a woman wears a SUE WONG gown, she\u00a0is awakened and transformed into a goddess. Wong’s designs celebrate and stir up genuine\u00a0emotion. Her mantra: BEAUTY ~ MAGIC ~ TRANSFORMATION is built upon awakening and\u00a0embracing one\u0092s true essence (whatever that might be) and transforming into something higher\u00a0than before. Wong has created a unique, one of a kind SUE WONG look, inspired by the old\u00a0Hollywood Golden era. Her designs are transformative gowns of empowerment that allow\u00a0women to get in touch with their feminine Divine\/inner Goddess. Wong creates couture gowns\u00a0with impeccable workmanship available at everyday prices and is a couturier to every woman.<\/p>\n
For more information or to learn more about Sue Wong, visit: Portfolio in Motion is the culminating academic project for Marymount\u0092s fashion design and\u00a0merchandising students. Every aspect \u0096 from the jury-selected student designs to all elements of\u00a0the show\u0092s production \u0096 reflects their academic and creative efforts. After attending the show,\u00a0Wong will review the senior fashion design students\u0092 portfolios and share her expertise and give\u00a0advice as they begin their careers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sue Wong will be honored as Marymount University\u0092s 2015 Designer of\u00a0the Year at the school\u0092s annual student fashion show, Portfolio in Motion, on April 30 in the Rose\u00a0Bente Lee Center on Marymount\u0092s main campus. The award is presented to a designer who has\u00a0achieved excellence in the field and has captured the imagination of both the […]<\/p>\n
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