Mock Interview with Anna Sui

徐唯曦、王一穎

 

LH: Hello, everyone. Welcome to TalkAsia.  I'm Lorraine Hahn.  Sitting here with me is a woman whose bold styles appeal to women across generations and around the world.  World-class fashion designer, Anna Sui.  Welcome!

 

AS: hello! It's nice to be here!

LH: It's safe to say Anna has always loved designing.  As a young girl, she dressed her brother's toy soldiers and got interested in designing at the age of 4.  Anna went on to attend the Parson's School of Design in New York, but dropped out when she realized it wasn't for her.  Instead, she worked from her small apartment through the 1980's.  Anna held her first major show in 1991, persuading model friends, such as Naomi Campbell, to help her out.  The show was a hit and Anna made it onto the list of "Hot" designers.  Over the past decade, Anna has slowly expanded her product line to include accessories, cosmetics and fragrances.  Today the Anna Sui Corporation is worth over $200 million for her special style of designing.

LH: Well, Anna, how would you describe your style?  I know there have been a number of adjectives used to describe it, from funky to trendy to hip, but how about you?  How would you describe it?

AS: Well, I think there's always rock and roll behind it all.  I have this theory that if Keith Richards and Anita Palenberg don't like it, then it's not cool.  So I always keep it in my mind.

LH: But why?  Why rock and roll?

AS: I guess it』s because they were my idols when I was growing up.  And when I started my business, it was my only goal to dress rock stars and people that would do rock concerts.  It quickly went beyond that but that was my initial reason.

LH: Anna, it took you 10 years to really make a name for yourself.  During those 10 years, was it tough to survive?  I mean you could have just given up, I presume, and could have gone and joined Vogue or some flamboyant magazine or even a fashion house?

AS: Well, I thought about it for many many times.  And I think I would have had a much easier life if I had done something like that.  But there is something about a piece of fabric - when I look at it, I start seeing the clothes it can be made into --I can't help it.  I thought about giving up many times, but if I saw an interesting textile, print, whatever, suddenly I would see a collection.  And I guess that is why I'm here - to do these clothes and to do this whole style of - I guess kind of life style sort of things.

LH: Yeah, I was going to ask you: what is it about fashion that keeps some one like you going?

AS: You know I just love trends; I love to see things and new looks.  Like today I met some people from Singapore: there was this young lady who had beautiful shoes on and I was asking her all about them-I love to see new things.  I'm so excited by it.

LH: When you see people either wear your clothes, your make up, or what ever, how does that make you feel?  Pretty good?

AS: Well, I mean it's such a dream come true.  Because when I was a kid and I decided to become a fashion designer, I really had no idea about what it was.  I just thought it sounded good.  And little by little I figured out what I needed to do.  But to absolutely realize the things that you love-like accessories, make-up, clothing and put together a total look-I mean, that's really a dream.

LH: And when somebody has this look of yours, how would you like them to feel?  Is there a particular feeling that comes with "Anna Sui"?

AS: Well, my whole thing is that I'm kind of like a show-off!  If I'm excited about something - I want to pass on that same thrill.  And I think what the cosmetics allows me to do is to give the same thrill that my dress gives to a customer that maybe can't afford it-or doesn't live the life style to support one of my outfits-she can get the same thrill from a tube of lipstick.  And I think that's really what it's all about.

LH: So how about the fragrances you designed?  They are very popular and smell like a dream.  Do you wear different perfumes or just stick to one?

AS: I never really wore that many different fragrances.  Usually, if there was something I liked, I enjoyed it for many many years.  I may not have been much of a fragrance connoisseur, but I found that each of the fragrances I liked had particular characteristics and, I must admit, they have influenced my decisions in choosing the types of fragrances I wanted to create for my customers.

LH: So, what is the process of creating the fragrance?  What do you incline to express your ideas when creating the fragrance individually?

AS: My favorite smells start with very sweet floral notes.  Fruits add a tanginess and always at the bottom, incense-like, woody, powdery notes.  Emotionally, each fragrance creates a mood and most importantly I believe gives other people a sense of your aura.  I love contrasts and I』ve played on these themes in my cosmetics and certainly my fragrance.

LH: Ok.  So now we all know something about Anna』s ideas in her design.  However, maybe most of you don』t know that Anna Sui is a Chinese girl who grew up in America.  Let』s take a break and we』ll come back in a minute!

LH: Welcome back to TalkAsia!  Here is one of the most famous fashion designers, Anna Sui.  Anna grew up as the daughter of the only Chinese immigrants in her home-town of Dearborn, Michigan.  Anna: what's it like to be a Chinese growing up in that area?

AS: Well, you know at that time, we were the only Chinese family so we weren't any kind of threat, so we were kind of novel, and that made us special.  And I think that that's the way I looked at it.  Everyone knew who I was: everyone knew who my family was and it set us apart.

LH: But do you feel Chinese at all, or do you feel sort of American?

AS: I think I'm a global citizen.  My parents came from China, were educated in France and immigrated to the United States.  And I think that opened up my mind to be able to live and work anywhere.  And in fact I work in Europe.  I worked in Japan, and now I've been spending more time in Asia.  So I think I'm global.

LH: With your parents having met as you said earlier in France, did they actually raise you and your brothers in a very traditional Chinese family or was it again-this sort of very global, open-minded family?

AS: My parents were very westernized.  In fact, I don't think my mother had grown up in a Chinese household either.  My grandfather was a diplomat so they had western furniture, and they saw western films.  So I think again that helped my whole open-mindedness.

LH: Does any of this Chineseness, as you grow older and obviously learn about culture a bit more, creep into your fashion designs at all?

AS: Oh, I think I can't help but have a Chinese vision.  And people say that the color palette that I work with is very Chinese.  I think even the prints that I'm attracted to.  Certainly the peony, which is on the packaging of the skin-care: I think I'm very Oriental.

LH: Yeah and you look very Chinese: you have the China doll hair-style right? (Yes!!) You're not wearing all purple and some butterflies on you...I'm so disappointed! I』m wearing your perfume 「secret wish」 today.  Why - what's the connection here?

AS: Well, I think that maybe I always like being a little different.  To stand out in the crowd I liked the color purple.  It was different than pink - butterflies I think they symbolize kind of a free spirit.  And I guess maybe that's what I'm all about.

LH: oh! Thank you.  We wish you all the very best. Anna thank you very much - appreciate it.  Fashion designer Anna Sui.  And that is TalkAsia this week.