Sue Wong

Sue Wong is a study in contrast: she appears petite yet possesses a commanding presence and grand energy that fills an entire room. While there is power and strength in her designs, there is a romantic fantasy and poetic lyricism that informs her work. The elegant economy of her gestures belies the strength and determination with which she has managed her business for over three decades. This collision of opposites creates the frisson that fuels Sue’s gorgeous designs and has established the Sue Wong signature style over the course of decades.

Born into humble circumstances the remote countryside of Southern China, Sue left her ancestral home at five, journeying to the United States with her mother to reunite with her father in Los Angeles. Sue’s creative tendencies drew her to art, and she would create paper dolls with entire lavish wardrobes, practicing her nascent interest in Fashion Design and soon making her own clothes at the age of nine. In high school, she was chosen from over three hundred classmates, landing the opportunity to work in various capacities including modeling, window display and merchandising. While working towards a Fashion degree, she interned with the resource brand Arpeja, after winning first place in a scholarship and apprenticeship under the head designer.

Sue left Arpeja to open a one-of-a-kind boutique shop in Venice, California, and later, another upscale boutique in West Hollywood. It was during this period that her signature vintage style was born. After two design stints with smaller companies, she returned to Arpeja as Chief Designer for the label, Young Edwardian. Sue became an immediate stellar success, bringing the company’s sales from 2 million dollars in revenues to over 52 million dollars within a three-year period, an unprecedented success for the times.

Sue next launched her namesake brand, rolling out an initial collection of Sue Wong day dresses and separates to critical acclaim in 1985. Eventually, she introduced more elaborate evening pieces in 1999, a move that would firmly establish her signature style of haute glamour, femininity, and romantic vintage sensibilities.

With each new collection, Sue never fails to astonish, employing the revered age-old couture techniques implemented by the finest Couture houses in Europe. While often adopting vintage style, every design belongs in the now and is decidedly very Sue Wong; exquisite fabrics shimmering with incandescent beads, unique embroideries and layered textures embellished with passementerie and soutache combine to create works of art that are graceful, elegant, unique, and timelessly beautiful.

Sue truly captures and embodies through her work, her mantra of Beauty. Magic. Transformation. It is the Eternal Feminine Goddess energy that Sue Wong aspires to honor in every woman, creating beauty and sorcery that both enchants as it empowers, leaving a trail of wistful romantics speechless in its wake.