Vera Wang

Vera Wang had a career in fashion long before she became a designer. She was a senior fashion editor at Vogue for 15 years and the design director for Ralph Lauren. In 1989 Wang planned her wedding but quickly learned that the selection of bridal gowns was slim and lacking. She designed her own dress and commissioned a dressmaker to help her create it. She then opened her first bridal boutique on Madison Ave in NYC, and the Vera Wang Bridal House initially offered couture gowns by the famed designers Guy Laroche, Arnold Scaasi, Carolina Herrera and Christian Dior. Wang has since expanded her brand to evening wear and perfumes. In recent years the designer has worked in philanthropy and healthcare to raise awareness for breast cancer and received the Sandra Taub Humanitarian Award by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.