We first met Vera Wang in New York in early 2011--and Vera--and her entire team, showed us that Vera is not only a fashion icon--probably the chicest--and fittest, 63-year old fashion designer on the planet--but a "life-style"designer, with a bounty of creativity--and a big heart.
Lives of Style spent a day with Vera and profiled her in 2011--then continued following her through collection after collection that pushed the envelope, revealing new sides to Vera's creativity and prowess.
The woman is a wonder--designing five stellar Vera Wang runway collections a year, her trademark Bridal Collection, and then--in the last decade expanding into fragrance, make-up, jewelry, eyewear, footwear, and home décor, including fine china, silverware and crystal.
In addition--since 2011, her 'White by Vera Wang' bridal collection launched at David's Bridal, and her diffusion line called 'Simply Vera,' continued record sales at Kohl's.
Vera’s done more than 20 people in a lifetime—and yet she makes it look easy.
But it is also the Vera who is loved and revered by her friends, colleagues and an entire industry that we are celebrating as we begin 2013.
Vera's motto--as she expands around the world--seems to be "Do well and do good."
She doesn’t hold back from giving back.
Since 2009, Vera’s been quietly sending fashions from her designer collection—for free—to Philanthropist, the San Francisco store that donates 100% of its profits to charity.
Accompanying the launch of her Lovestruck fragrance in 2012, she designed a T-Shirt—partnering with Leeton Meister—to help DKMS in the fight against leukemia—a cause she’s been involved in for five years.
As a former competitive figure skater, Vera gamely tied on her tried-and-true skates for “Figure Skating in Harlem” to raise money to help empower young Harlem girls, then winsomely offered lunch and a $10,000 shopping spree at her Mercer Street Boutique to help Christie’s Green Auction: A Bid to Save the Earth, crafted a papier-mâché house for auction to help Women in Need (WIN)—which provides housing for the homeless in New York City, created T-Shirts for CFDA’s Fashion for Haiti, and got involved in fashion events to benefit hospitals from the East Coast to Quatar.
It seems that everywhere you turn, Vera’s there—helping others.
Vera is everything she seems to be—and more. An American icon who worked hard for what she has—and makes the world a more beautiful--and a better place.
We proudly celebrate Vera as Lives of Style's Iconic Woman of 2013!
