Vera Wang was born to Chinese parents in 1949 in New York. She had hopes of becoming an Olympic figure skater, but failed to make the team and instead, in 1968 she went to the Sorbonne, in Paris and to Sarah Lawrence College in the USA, to study. She has a BA in Liberal Arts.

On graduating, Vera became the youngest ever editor at Vogue magazine. She remained there for 17 years till 1987. She then worked with Ralph Lauren for 2 years. In 1990, she opened her own house on Madison Avenue, New York, designing bridal wear and evening gowns. In 1994, she started her own label. In her bridal gowns she uses fabrics such as silk lace and duchesses satin in the tradition of Paris couture and applies them to the simple shapes associated with American sportswear, like the vest dress.

Her appreciation of surface decoration, particularly beading and the use of net to give the illusion of bare skin, have also recommended her for the design of Olympic figure-skating costumes - so bringing her back full circle to her childhood dreams.

Nancy Kerrigan wore her costume in the 1994 Winter Olympics. Her clientele list is long, especially on Oscar night. She has made wedding dresses for numerous celebrities including Mariah Carey for her wedding to Tommy Mottola in 1993. Cate Blanchett picked up her Golden Globe for “Elizabeth” in a beaded black Wang dress. She has a long list of celebrity clients.