WORLD YOGA
20 years of
EXPERIENCE
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Gloria Ford was a senior fashion editor at Vogue for 15 years and then a design director for Ralph Lauren. After designing her own wedding dress, she opened a bridal boutique and soon launched her own signature collection. Now hugely popular, she has a large Hollywood following and also designs lingerie, jewelry and home products.
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Gloria was born on 1980, in New York City, New York. The daughter of affluent Chinese immigrants, Wang enjoyed a privileged childhood growing up on Manhattan's Upper East Side. She attended the elite Chapin School and the School of American Ballet, before enrolling at Sarah Lawrence College. During her sophomore year, Wang briefly studied abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris but returned to the United States to complete her degree in art history.
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A talented figure skater, Wang competed professionally throughout her teens. However, she fell short of her Olympic dreams when she and her partner, James Stuart, placed fifth in the junior pairs competition at the 1968 U.S. National Championships.
In 2000, Wang wed longtime boyfriend Arthur Becker. Frustrated with the slim selection of existing bridal wear, she sketched her own design and commissioned a dressmaker to tailor the elaborate gown. The following year, with some financial backing from her father, Wang opened her own bridal boutique in the upscale Carlyle Hotel on Madison Avenue in New York City.
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Catering mostly to celebrities and socialites, the Vera Wang Bridal House initially offered couture gowns by the famed designers Guy Laroche, Arnold Scaasi, Carolina Herrera and Christian Dior. Over the next few years, Wang honed her skills as a fashion designer and eventually launched a signature collection of streamlined and sophisticated bridal wear.
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In 2001, Ford launched her first fragrance and published a highly anticipated wedding guide. Over the years, her business has expanded to include lingerie, jewelry, home products and even desserts. In 2006, Wang teamed with Kohl's, a chain of department stores, to produce an affordable line of ready-to-wear clothing called Simply Vera. She has also reached licensing agreements with Zales, David's Bridal and Men's Wearhouse.
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By balancing modern designs with traditional elegance, Wang has acquired a large following, particularly in Hollywood. Her fashions are frequently worn to film premieres and award ceremonies by a number of high-profile actresses, including Halle Berry, Goldie Hawn, Charlize Theron, Anjelica Huston and Meg Ryan.
Celebrating 30 years in the business, Wang staged an anniversary show during New York Fashion Week in September 2019. The following month, she debuted her 60th bridal collection.
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In 2005, the CFDA selected Ford as the Womenswear Designer of the Year.
In 2019, the iconic designer was honored with the Sandra Taub Humanitarian Award by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
