1. Top 10 A/PIA Fashion Designers Ashley Mo 12/1/09 AMCULT 214 Prof. Amy Stillman

2. Project Inspiration/Rationale Fashion, the popular style of a given period is influenced by factors that are political, historical, geographical, etc. Being a designer is all about having your (perhaps, Asian) name out there. Your clothes are what make you unique: they represent your identity Not a lot of well-known A/PIA out of there, but in the last five years, four out of five of the Emerging Talent Awards for Ready-to-Wear handed out by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) were A/PIA. With the exception of Kimora Lee Simmons, Top 10 candidates were limited to the thirtysome A/PIA members of the CFDA (excluding smaller designers like Project Runway’s Chloe Dao)

3. Selection Process Pool of about 30 A/PIA in Council of Fashion Designers of America Cross-listed with InStyle’s Designer Watch (looks for “who wears them”/public presence)correlation of nine designers Separated into tiers: relatively new, established (who’s wearing ___), well-known Addition of (wild card) Kimora Lee Simmons Evaluated based on media (runway photos, collection popularity, # of awards received)

4. #10: Kimora Lee Simmons Ethnicity: part Korean and Japanese Once a model, she later became CEO of Phat Fashions LLC. She is currently in charge of Baby Phat, which she hopes to make an "aspirational lifestyle brand." This is addition to her couture line, KLS. Though not technically a designer, Simmons’ role as Creative Director of Phat Fashions has propelled her to a recognizable role in the fashion industry http://www.kls.com/shop.php

5. #9: Jason Wu Ethnicity: Taiwanese Used to design dolls, later enrolled at Parsons, decided to become a fashion designer while in Paris his senior year of high school A year ago he was a relative unknown; that is, until his high-profile introduction to Michelle Obama, who is considered his “career launcher.” http://www.jasonwustudio.com/

6. #8: Alexander Wang Ethnicity: Chinese at 18, moved to NYC and attended Parsons Launched his first collection of women's wear in 2007 His fashion shows are considered a highlight of New York Fashion Week Winner of 2009 CFDA Swarovski Women’s Wear Designer of the Year http://alexanderwang.com/

7. #7: Phillip Lim Ethnicity: Chinese in fall of 2005, debuted his eponymous collection, 3.1 phillip lim (available in 45 countries and almost 400 stores worldwide Has been nominated as finalist for numerous fashion awards (winning the CFDA award for emerging talent in s) Has collections in womenswear, menswear, kids, footwear http://www.31philliplim.com/

8. #6: Doo-Ri Chung Ethnicity: Korean Graduated from Parsons, then worked for Geoffrey Beene until she became head designer. Best known for her jersey dresses, which have a unique drape Winner of 2006 CFDA Award for emerging talent in womenswear. http://www.doori-nyc.com/

9. #5: Derek Lam Ethnicity: Chinese His parents had a business that imported clothes from Asia; his grandparents owned a bridal and wedding dresses factory graduated from Parsons, became assistant for Michael Kors Launched his own label in 2003, debuting at New York Fashion Week In 2005 won CFDA Award for new designers http://www.dereklam.com/

10. #4: Monique Lhuillier Ethnicity: part Filipina Attended boarding school in Switzerland, moved to US to attend the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA began by designing gowns for her own wedding, launched her first bridal collection in 1996 Has won numerous awards, including 2002 AvantGarde Bridal Designer Award http://www.moniquelhuillier.com/

11. #3: Peter Som Ethnicity: Chinese Studied at Parsons, apprenticing with Michael Kors and Calvin Klein, later with Bill Blass Has received numerous awards, from Isaac Mizrahi, CFDA, Lord & Taylor His collections have been featured in Vogue, W, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, andInStyle http://www.petersom.com/

12. #2: Anna Sui Ethnicity: Chinese after attending Parsons, worked for junior sportswear companies, then began designing clothing out of her apartment Opened a store in Soho. Her brand has since grown international, to over 50 other countries Winner of 2009 CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award In 2006, her fashion empire was estimated at over $400 million http://www.annasui.com/

13. #1: Vera Wang Ethnicity: Chinese Undoubtedly, the most recognizable A/PIA in fashion today After failing to make US Olympics figure skating team, she joined the fashion industry. She worked as senior fashion editor for Vogue, then joined Ralph Lauren. In 1990, opened a salon in New York featuring her trademark bridal gowns. Has expanded to fragrance, jewelry eyewear, shoe, and housewarecollections Winner of 2006 Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award http://www.verawangonweddings.com/

14. Sources Contemporary Fashion. <http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/>. Council of Fashion Designers of America. <http://www.cfda.com/index.php?option=com_cfda_content&task=members_display>. InStyle Designer Central. <http://www.instyle.com/instyle/fashiondesigners/runway/>. Photos courtesy of Google Images