Vera Wang
Before Vera Wang became synonymous with the bridal industry she was a journalist and a professional figure skater. Wang was even inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2009, joining former inductees such as Kristi Yamaguichi, Dorothy Hamill and Tara Lipinski. She spent 15 years at Vogue and became senior fashion editor at the age of 23. First hired at the company as a temporary assistant, Wang pushed her way through the competition. It wasn’t until 1990 that she began her foray into the bridal world and opened Bridal House Ltd., on Madison Avenue in New York City. She was 41. She introduced her first ready-to-wear collection in 2000 at age 51. In an interview Wang talked candidly about the art of her business and partnerships saying, “You are there to grow a business together [and] you have a brand to protect. You have to be able to strike that business relationship where they don’t feel it’s us against them or them against us. We are all trying to come together with something that works financially, artistically, and is mutually beneficial.”
