Anna Sui Appeals To Emma Watson

ANNA SUI may be a mainstay of New York Fashion Week, with a celebrity following that includes Alexa Chung and Olivia Palermo, but there are still a few stars that she wants to impress.

"I've never dressed Emma Watson, and I've never dressed Adele, which I'd like to," she told us. "Also, I just reintroduced menswear and the first men's customers I ever had the first time round were Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran and Mick Jagger, when he had just hosted Saturday Night Live. Hopefully, this new collection will attract the new generation of rock stars."

Sui set up her label in 1981, having wanted to be a designer since she was four years old. Ahead of many of her design peers, she embraced the lucrative Far East market in the late Nineties - a decision that boosted the brand's expansion.

"It's such a global world now and I'm so honoured to be a part of all that," she said. "Having a foothold in Asia early on was so good for us, as it's a part of the world that everyone's so interested in now, and it's booming. Europe and the United States are established fashion centres, but now there are so many countries that are growing. I think that fashion world domination is going to change a lot in the next few years."


Although she is best known for her ready-to-wear, Sui's empire also includes beauty, accessories and footwear - which are sold in 65 shops around the world. Earlier this month, Sui launched her beauty range in the UK for the first time on Asos.com, bringing her name to an even broader market. Despite such international success, her enthusiasm and thirst for what's new show no sign of waning. For her autumn/winter 2013 collection, which was inspired by French New Wave cinema, she watched over 70 films in order to "discover a new world".

"I have the best job in the world, because anything I'm doing, anything I'm excited about, anything I'm obsessed with, I can put into my work, and I do in my shows," she said. "And that's why I think the Anna Sui world is so eclectic - there's such a mix of eras and influences and inspiration. It gives me an excuse to learn more about it and research it."