In his role as creative director for the Gucci Group, designing collections for both Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford was central to early twenty-first-century fashion. Under Ford's direction, creativity and innovation shared equal value with marketing and promotion in the positioning of the brands. Born in 1962 and raised in San Marcos, Texas, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ford first began his career as a model for television advertisements before studying interior design at Parsons School of Design in New York City. In his final year of school, he changed his focus to fashion design. As a freelance designer on Seventh Avenue, he first worked for Cathy Hardwick and then in 1988 in the jeans department of Perry Ellis, under the short-lived direction of Marc Jacobs. Today he designs everything from shoes, clothing, bags, and sunglasses. O'Neill, Alistair. "Ford, Tom." The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, 2005. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. .

"Evening Ensemble." The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. .

Marie, Cassee. Lessons From Tom Ford To An Unlikely Fashionista. Writing in Style Living in Elegance Blog. 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

Marie, Cassee. Lessons From Tom Ford To An Unlikely Fashionista. Writing in Style Living in Elegance Blog. 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

Marie, Cassee. Lessons From Tom Ford To An Unlikely Fashionista. Writing in Style Living in Elegance Blog. 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

Marie, Cassee. Lessons From Tom Ford To An Unlikely Fashionista. Writing in Style Living in Elegance Blog. 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

Anna Sui is one of the most successful in the East Asian markets among all the East Asian designers, with thirty boutiques in five countries, and her collection is sold in three hundred stores in over thirty countries. She moved from Detroit to New York to study at the Parsons School of Design. In 1980, Sui presented six original pieces at the Boutique Show and immediately received an order from a major New York department store, which featured one of her designs in a New York Times advertisement. That same year, Sui launched her own business, which operated out of her apartment and continued throughout the 1980s. Her business growth was gradual, yet very steady and solid. In 1991 she premiered her first runway show, and the following year she opened her first flagship store on Greene Street in Soho. In 1999, her signature fragrance, Anna Sui, and cosmetic line were launched. She has five fragrances: Sui Dreams launched in 2000, Sui Love in 2001, Dolly Girly in 2003, Dolly Girl Ooh La Love in 2004, and Secret Wish in 2005. Kawamura, Yuniya. "East Asian Fashion Designers in Local and International Markets." The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, Sept. Web. 21 Jan. 2013. .

Kawamura, Yuniya. "East Asian Fashion Designers in Local and International Markets." The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, Sept. Web. 21 Jan. 2013. .

A pair of stockings designed by Anna Sui circa 1994. Pair of stockings." The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013. .

Supermodels at the Anna Sui 1993 show. Adamson, Celeste, "Anna Sui Releases New Book" January 17, 2011. Celeste Adamson. January 20, 2012.http://celesteadamson.tumblr.com/post/2793630446/anna-sui-releases-new-book. Naomi Campbell in Anna Sui circa 1992

Adamson, Celeste, "Anna Sui Releases New Book" January 17, 2011. Celeste Adamson. January 20, 2012 http://celesteadamson.tumblr.com/post/2793630446/anna-sui-releases-new-book.