During her Ralph Lauren job, she married, at forty years old, to her long-time boyfriend. It was her own personal experience of trying to find the perfect wedding gown for herself that guided her to where she is today. In 1990, she opened a small bridal boutique in New York with the help of a large financial investment made by her father. She took her passion and talent and found success.

Initially Wang carried bridal gowns by top designers, but quickly found herself sketching her gown designs. Her own line came out in 1992 in two categories: ready-to-wear gowns and made-to-order dresses for women who wanted a truly original creation. Gowns ranged from $2,000 to $10,000 for a dress off the rack and as much as $30,000 for a custom dress. Stars such as Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Garner and Sharon Stone have worn Vera Wang wedding gowns for their special days.
 
In 1993, Wang began designing eveningwear, which became available at upscale department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, and Bergdorf Goodman. In 2001, she introduced a line of fragrances and she has also branched out into eyewear, footwear, fine jewelry, and even a home collection. Today, Vera Wang’s company employs two hundred people. Today, Vera Wang is much more than just a bridal couture designer. She is a brand. Customer appeal is high and is driven by an artistic, modern and luxurious style with a high level of customer service. Vera Wang will always be known as a fashion icon. And for entrepreneurs everywhere, and especially those of us in the wedding industry, she is an inspiration of a woman who found success simply doing what she loved.

Design Philosophy: Simple and Elegant.
Future Dream: For her two daughters to join the business.
Most Creative Time:  11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Favorite Place to Sketch Ideas:  In bed.
Honors: Girl Scout Council of Greater New York's Women of Distinction (1994), Womenswear Designer of the Year by CFDA (Council of the Fashion Designers of America) (2005), Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award (2006).



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"Vera Wang: Fashion Icon" Vera Wang, simple elegance, sophistication and weddings are virtually synonymous. She is one of the most influential fashion designers today, most especially famous among both the fashion and wedding industries for her elegant wedding collections. Born in New York City to wealthy Chinese parents who came to the United States during World War II, Wang grew up in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and today continues to reside on Park Avenue with her husband and two adopted daughters.

Wang's parents instilled in her a deep respect for academics and athletics and a strong love for fashion.  Her parents taught her to set goals and work hard to achieve any dream. Her first dream was to become an Olympic pairs figure skater. As a young girl, Wang trained as a figure skater up until the age of twenty and competed at the 1968 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Her partner decided to abandon pairs in favor of singles, leaving her without a partner for the pairs competition. It was then that she turned to her second passion: fashion. Her mother often took her to fashion shows in Paris and shopped Parisian and American couture.

Wang was hired at Vogue magazine as a lower level assistant – basically, she ran errands and did whatever she was asked to do. But by 1972, when she was twenty-three years old, Wang was promoted to senior fashion editor, the youngest person to ever hold this position. For the next fifteen years she made a name for herself in the fashion industry. After a sixteen-year tenure at Vogue, Vera Wang moved to a Design Director position with Ralph Lauren. While working at Ralph Lauren, Wang learned what was more important than having talent was being successful. You had to be concerned with how to get the product made, shipped on time and sold.