#NewSchoolGrad 2017: Anna Sui’s Advice for Design Graduates

Anna Sui will receive an honorary degree and give remarks at The New School’s annual Commencement Exercises on May 19, 2017.

What’s your favorite part of designing a collection?

“The research; I am always inspired by the process and looking at the fabrics we source from all over the world. And at the same time, I’m usually reading a book or inspired by a painting or something I’ve seen or a mood I want to create. I learn as much as I can before I begin designing a collection. There’s always something behind beautiful art or design. Even the great innovators were responding to something — or somebody else — who came before.”

What piece of advice would you give graduates?

“I’d remind designers to be open to change. You have to change or you get stuck. I can’t get the materials today that I used to create ten years ago — the washed velvet that I once used to evoke the feel of the Victorian period isn’t available anymore. I love the look of vintage velvet, and today we simulate it by washing velvet with a little Lycra in it. The industry has evolved — and you have to evolve too. This kind of change is not new; materials are always changing and even what’s in fashion for a woman’s body type has changed with the interest in fitness and health. Things are always changing; you have to have an open mind.”