Masai Ujiri (born ca. 1970) is the general manager of the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. A native of Zaria, Nigeria, he is the first African-born general manager for an American major league sports team.^[1][2]

The son of a doctor and a hospital administrator, Ujiri originally played soccer as a youth before focusing on basketball. He admired Hakeem Olajuwon, an NBA star who was born in Nigeria. Ujiri played college basketball in the United States at Bismarck State College, then transferred to Montana State University-Billings, though he left the latter school after one semester. He spent six years playing professionally in Europe,^[3] then, with the help of David Thorpe,^[4] became an unpaid scout for the NBA's Orlando Magic. The following season, the Denver Nuggets offered him a paid scouting position,^[3] and after four seasons there, he joined the Toronto Raptors as their Director of Global Scouting. He became the Raptors' assistant general manager in 2008,^[4] and returned to the Nuggets in 2010, when he accepted his current position.^[3]

Ujiri has also been the director of the NBA's Basketball Without Borders Africa program, which promotes basketball throughout the continent.^[5]

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008)

The Association
The group in 1968. Top row, from left: Jim Yester, Brian Cole, Ted Bluechel; bottom row, from left: Russ Giguere, Larry Ramos, Terry Kirkman
Background information
Origin	California, United States
Genres	Sunshine pop, baroque pop, folk rock, psychedelic folk
Years active	1965–1978; 1979-present
Labels	Jubilee, Valiant, Warner Bros., Columbia, Mums, RCA, Elektra
Website	The Association Official website
Members
Russ Giguere Larry Ramos Jim Yester Bruce Pictor Del Ramos Jordan Cole
Past members
Jules Gary Alexander Terry Kirkman Brian Cole Ted Bluechel Jr

The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival. As of 2011^[update], they are still performing.

History[link]

Beginnings[link]

Jules Alexander (born September 25, 1943, Chattanooga, Tennessee) was in Hawaii in 1962 serving a stint in the Navy when he met Terry Kirkman (born December 12, 1939, Salina, Kansas), a visiting salesman. The two young musicians jammed together and promised to get together once Alexander was discharged. That happened a year later; the two eventually moved to Los Angeles and began exploring the city's music scene in the mid-1960s. (Kirkman played in groups with Frank Zappa for a time before Zappa went on to form The Mothers of Invention). Eventually, at a Monday night hootenanny at the LA nightclub The Troubadour, in 1964, an ad hoc group called The Inner Tubes was formed by Terry, Jules and Doug Dillard, whose rotating membership contained, at one time or another, Cass Elliot, David Crosby and many others who drifted in and out. This led, in 1965, to the forming of The Men, a 13 piece folk-rock band. This group had a brief spell as the house band at The Troubadour.

After a short time, however, The Men disbanded, with six of the members electing to go out on their own (some of the remaining players continued on as Tony Mafia's Men, one of the others, Mike Whalen, joined The New Christy Minstrels). At the suggestion of Kirkman's then-fiancée, Judy, they took the name The Association. The original lineup consisted of Alexander (using his middle name, Gary, on the first 2 albums) on vocals and lead guitar; Kirkman on vocals and a variety of wind, brass and percussion instruments; Brian Cole (born September 8, 1942, Tacoma, Washington) on vocals, bass and woodwinds; Russ Giguere (born October 18, 1943, Portsmouth, New Hampshire) on vocals, percussion and guitar; Ted Bluechel, Jr. (born December 2, 1942, San Pedro, California) on drums, guitar, bass and vocals; and Bob Page (born May 13, 1943) on guitar, banjo and vocals. However, Page was replaced by Jim Yester (born November 24, 1939, Birmingham, Alabama) on vocals, guitar, and keyboards before any of the group's public performances.

The new band spent about five months rehearsing before they began performing around the Los Angeles area, most notably a regular stint at The Ice House in Pasadena and its sister club in Glendale.^[1] They also auditioned for record labels but faced resistance due to their unique sound. Eventually, the small Jubilee label issued a single of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (a song originally recorded by Joan Baez, later popularized by Led Zeppelin) but nothing happened. Finally, Valiant Records gave them a contract, with the first result being a version of Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings".

The Men were first managed by Doug Weston, owner of the Troubador, before switching to actor Dean Fredericks, who remained onboard when the Association was formed and helped get them the Valiant deal. In 1966 Fredericks turned the reins over to Pat Colecchio, who managed the group for the next eight years.

First success[link]

Their national break would come with the song "Along Comes Mary", written by Tandyn Almer.^[1] Alexander first heard the song when he was hired to play on a demo version and persuaded Almer to give The Association first crack at it. The recording went to #7 on the Billboard charts, and led to the group's first album, And Then... Along Comes the Association, produced by Curt Boettcher. A song from the album, "Cherish", written by Kirkman,^[1] would become The Association's first #1 in September 1966.

The group followed with their second album, Renaissance, released in early 1967. Somewhat surprisingly, the band changed producers, dumping Boettcher in favor of Jerry Yester (brother of Jim and formerly of The Modern Folk Quartet). The album did not spawn any major hits (the highest charting single, "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies" stalled at #35) and the album only reached #34, compared with a #5 showing for its predecessor.

Changes[link]

In late 1966 Warner Bros. Records, which had been distributing Valiant, bought the smaller label (and with it, The Association's contract). In 1967, Jules Alexander left the band to study meditation in India and was replaced by Larry Ramos (born Hilario Ramos on April 19, 1942, Waimea, Kauai, Hawaii) on vocals and guitar. Ramos had previously performed with The New Christy Minstrels and recorded solo singles for Columbia Records. He would later sing co-lead (along with Russ Giguere and Terry Kirkman) on two of The Association's biggest hit singles, "Windy" and "Never My Love".

With the lineup settled, the group returned to the studio, this time with Bones Howe in the producer's chair. The first fruits of this pairing would be the single "Windy" ( sample (help·info)) written by Ruthann Friedman, topping the Hot 100 in July 1967 and preceded by the album Insight Out, which reached #8 in June. On June 16, 1967, The Association had the unique honor of being the first act to perform at the Monterey Pop Festival. (The Criterion Collection DVD of the festival includes their performance of "Along Comes Mary" on disc 3.)

The group's winning streak continued with their next single, "Never My Love", written by Don and Dick Addrisi; it went to #2 in Billboard and #1 in Cash Box in October 1967. It became the group's only double-sided charted record as its B-side, "Requiem For The Masses", made a brief showing on the Billboard chart. Like "Cherish" and "One Too Many Mornings", "Never My Love" had a vocal arrangement that was provided by Clark Burroughs, a former member of the Hi-Los.

"Never My Love" has been accredited by BMI as the song with the second most US airplay in the 20th century.^[2]

After rejecting the recording of an entire cantata written by Jimmy Webb, which included the song "MacArthur Park", the group, in early 1968, produced its fourth album, Birthday, with Bones Howe again at the controls. This album spawned "Everything That Touches You", the group's last Hot 100 top 10 hit, and the more experimental "Time for Livin'", the group's last Hot 100 top 40 hit. Later that year, the group released a self-produced single, the harder-edged "Six Man Band". This song would also appear on Greatest Hits, released in November.

Comings and goings[link]

In early 1969, Jules Alexander returned to the group, which now made The Association a seven-man band (they acknowledged by changing the title and lyric of "Six-Man Band" to match.) The first project with the seven-piece band was music for the soundtrack of Goodbye, Columbus, the film version of Philip Roth's best-selling novel. The title track, written by Yester, rose to #80. John Boylan, one third of the unknown Hamilton Streetcar, and who would become one of the most important record producers of the '70s and '80s, worked with the group on the soundtrack and stayed on board for the next album, The Association. Not surprisingly, many of the tracks have a decidedly country-rock feel. None of the singles made any impact, so the group re-teamed with Curt Boettcher for a one-off single, "Just About the Same", a reworking of a song Boettcher had recorded with his group, The Millennium. This failed to hit as well.

Despite all this, the band remained a popular concert draw and on April 3, 1970, a Salt Lake City performance was recorded for The Association Live. In 1971 Russ Giguere left the band; he would release a solo album, Hexagram 16, that same year. The Association replaced him with keyboardist/singer Richard Thompson (no relation to the English singer-songwriter/guitarist), who had contributed to previous albums and would go on to be known primarily in jazz circles. 1971 also saw the release of Stop Your Motor. Despite some good tracks (notably a cover of Jimmy Webb's "P.F. Sloan" with Brian Cole imitating Roy Rogers in the bargain), the album was their worst selling to date, reaching only #158 on the Billboard chart.

Stop Your Motor also marked the end of The Association's tenure at Warner Bros. In early 1972, they resurfaced on Columbia with Waterbeds in Trinidad!, produced by Lewis Merenstein (best known for producing Van Morrison's Astral Weeks). The album fared even worse than Stop Your Motor, reaching #194, while a single of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Darlin' Be Home Soon" failed to break the Hot 100.

Breakup and re-formation[link]

For their 1972 tour, the group expanded to nine members, bringing in session players Wolfgang Meltz and Mike Berkowitz on bass and drums respectively to add more musical versatility on stage and free up Brian Cole and Ted Bluechel to concentrate on singing only. But on August 2, 1972, 29-year-old Cole was found dead in his Los Angeles home of an overdose of heroin. For the rest of the 1970s, The Association was in a state of flux, releasing singles now and then along with sporadic touring.

At the end of 1972, Kirkman departed, as did Meltz and Berkowitz. The group was then moved over to the CBS distributed Mums label (which had been formed by Bobby Roberts^{[disambiguation needed ]}, formerly of Dunhill Records) and put out a new single "Names, Tags, Numbers & Labels". It failed to make much of an impression, though, and Mums folded by the end of 1974.

Thompson left at the beginning of 1973 and the remaining foursome of Alexander, Bluechel, Yester & Ramos brought in new members Maurice Miller (vocals, drums, percussion), Art Johnson (vocals, guitar) and David Vaught (vocals, bass, and later a member of the Lopez Beatles) and continued touring. Jim Yester was briefly replaced by his brother Jerry later this same year, only to return in 1974. When Jules Alexander left soon after to join Russ Giguere in a new vocal outfit, Bijou, Jerry again came in to play with the group until the end of that year.

1975 saw the band now on RCA and they put out another single, "One Sunday Morning". An album called The Association Bites Back was to follow but never got released. Membership was a bit fluid in 1975-1976. Dwayne Smith (vocals, keyboards) joined and appeared on the above single but was replaced by Andy Chapin by the end of 1975. Ramos departed as well in mid-1975 and was replaced by Larry Brown (vocals, guitar), who came in for three years. Art Johnson stayed onboard for a short while longer but was likewise gone by the end of 1975. The increased tour schedule led to Chapin's departure in 1976. (He later played for artist Rick Nelson and perished along with Nelson and his band when his plane crashed on December 31, 1985.) Chapin was replaced, first by Jay Gruska, who had just finished a stint with Three Dog Night, and then by David Morgan in mid-1976.

During this period the band was offered a production deal with Mike Curb who wanted them to record a disco version of the prior hits, "Cherish", "No Fair At All" and an original song which Larry Brown wrote and sang entitled "It's High Time To Get High". Reportedly, Curb was dissatisfied with the drum tracks and wanted to bring in session drummer Jim Gordon to play and the band refused, sinking the deal.

In 1978 Brown left to concentrate on session work and was replaced by Cliff Woolley. However, the prime gigs were fewer and far between by this time and Yester left, leaving Bluechel as the only original member. Keyboardist Ric Ulsky stepped in at this point and the group had two keyboardists for a short time. Russ Levine (who had played with Bobby Womack, Donna Summer and Ultimate Spinach) also arrived to replace Miller on drums but the band then dissolved shortly afterwards, leaving Bluechel with a huge debt. To help clear away some of it, on November 1, 1978, he leased the group's name to another company who put a fake Association out on the road.

In 1979 the surviving key members: Terry Kirkman, Jules Alexander, Russ Giguere, Ted Bluechel, Jim Yester & Larry Ramos, along with Richard Thompson and new bassist Joe Lamanno, reunited at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles for an HBO special called Then and Now (Kirkman was working for HBO at the time) and a charity show hosted by Ed McMahon in Dallas called Ed McMahon and Company. This led, in the early '80s, to a few singles on Elektra Records (one of which, "Dreamer", made the Hot 100 with virtually no promotion) and more touring.

In 1980 the originals (with Ric Ulsky returning in place of Thompson and Alexander taking over the bass) went back on the road for a concert tour. With the genuine article back out touring, the bogus band was eventually put out of business.

Jim Yester left again in 1983 and the group added Keith Moret (bass, backing vocals) as Alexander went back to playing guitar. Moret stayed only briefly until Joe Lamanno returned in 1984. That same year the group was invited to appear on the Happy Together Again tour, a multi-bill of 60s acts produced by David Fishof, headlined by the Turtles, and also including Gary Puckett and Spanky McFarlane of Spanky & Our Gang. Gary's brother, Brian Puckett, played drums in the show for Gary and Spanky and likewise joined the Association for their set as well. But by the end of the year, there was a mass exodus as Kirkman, Bluechel, Ulsky, Lamanno, and Brian Puckett all departed.

In 1985 the band carried on as Alexander, Giguere, and Ramos recruited new members: Paul Beach (vocals, bass, who'd also played in the Happy Together Again show band), Bruce Pictor (vocals, drums, percussion) and Donni Gougeon (vocals, keyboards). Gougeon was briefly replaced in 1986 by Chris Urmston, but was back by the following year. Paul Holland took Gougeon's place in 1988 before moving over to bass in 1989 when Beach quit. Gougeon then rejoined for a ten-year stint from 1989–1999, succeeded by Bob Werner, who had been the band's light man and road manager in 1974-75 and fill-in member, as needed, from 1994 on. Jules Alexander turned in his notice in early 1989. Larry Ramos's brother Del, who was doing sound for the group, then began adding his voice to the mix from that point on. Eventually, he was promoted to full onstage membership as bassist for the group.

During the 1980s & 1990s the group's recorded output was minimal. They recorded a few new tracks and some covers of popular 60s songs for a few compilation albums on the Hitbound label made through Radio Shack's Tandy Corporation in the mid-80s, re-recorded some of their older material for another album, Vintage, for CBS in 1983 and put out another album full of cover tunes, The Association '95: A Little Bit More, in 1995. But most of what has been released from the 80s on have been various collections of their hits.

In September 2003, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, joined by former members Yester, Alexander, Kirkman and Bluechel at the induction ceremony at Cafaro Field, a Cleveland Indians Minor League Baseball Stadium in Niles, Ohio. Yester, Alexander, Kirkman, and Bluechel again rejoined the others for the taping of a PBS 60s rock music special 60s Experience on December 9, 2004 at Dover Downs Showroom in Dover, DE.

By 2010, the band included Russ Giguere, Larry Ramos, Jim Yester (who rejoined again in 2007 as Bob Werner departed after an eight year stint), Del Ramos, Bruce Pictor, and Jordan Cole (son of Brian) on keyboards, who joined in 1999. The Association continued to tour, mostly on bills with similar styled acts of the late 1960s, like The Grass Roots, The Buckinghams, Tommy James of Tommy James and the Shondells, and Gary Puckett. During the summer of 2011, The Association appeared in a heavy touring schedule throughout the U.S. as part of the "Happy Together: 2011" tour, along with The Grass Roots, Mark Lindsay, The Buckinghams, and The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie.^[3]

The Happy Together appearances featured only Yester, Giguere and Ramos, who were backed up by the Happy Together show band.^{[citation needed]}

Million sellers[link]

The following songs were certified as having sold over one million copies, and were each awarded a gold disc: "Cherish", "Windy", and "Never My Love".^[4]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• And Then... Along Comes The Association - Valiant VLM-5002/VLS-25002 (#5, 1966)

Reissued in 1967 on Warner Bros. W-1702/WS-1702

• Renaissance - Valiant VLM-5004/VLS-25004 (#34 1967)

Reissued in 1967 on Warner Bros. W-1704/WS-1704

• Insight Out - Warner Bros. W-1696/WS-1696 (#8, 1967)
• Birthday - Warner Bros. W-1733/WS-1733 (#23, 1968)
• The Association - Warner Bros. WS-1800 (#32, 1969)
• Stop Your Motor - Warner Bros. WS-1927 (1971)
• Waterbeds in Trinidad! - Columbia KC-31348 (1972)
• New Memories - Hitbound Records 51-3022 (1983)
• Vintage - CBS Special Products BT-19223 (1983)
• The Association 95: A Little Bit More - Track Records (1995)

Other releases[link]

• Greatest Hits - Warner Bros. WS-1767 (#4, 1968)
• Goodbye, Columbus (Soundtrack) - Warner Bros. WS-1786 (#99, 1969)
• The Association Live - Warner Bros. 2WS-1868 (#79, 1970)
• Just the Right Sound - The Anthology 1966-1981 (Double CD, released in 2002 as Warner Bros. / Rhino R2 78303, including two previously unreleased outtakes ('The Machine', 'Better Times') from 1966. An import variation also includes the outtake 'Caney Creek')

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website of The Association
• 'The Association' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
• Cite from Fred Bronson, The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, Billboard, 1988
• Liner notes for Birthday by Richie Unterberger
• Official Website of Jim Yester
• Special Radio Show tribute to Curt Boettcher
• The Association interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969).

Federico Buffa (28 July 1959, Milan) is an Italian journalist, writer and television sportscaster.

He has studied sociology at UCLA Summer Session in 1978. He obtained his degree at University of Milan in 1986 (Law). In the same year he wrote his first article for Italian Magazine "Superbasket" (which has been published on September's Number). Two years later he began working as basketball agent and started his career as NBA's commentator for Italian TV. He still works as journalist for Sky Sport Italia and Milan Channel.^[1]

Works[link]

• Black Jesus. Un grande viaggio nel basket americano in 23+1 fermate. Libri di Sport. 2002. ISBN 978-88-87676-10-5. 
• Black Jesus. The anthology. Libri di Sport. 2005. ISBN 978-88-87676-68-6. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Federico Buffa

• Official Website
• http://www.libreriadellosport.it/libri/black_jesus_-_the_anthology.php
• http://laverita.ilcannocchiale.it/post/1275112.html
• http://www.sky.it/tag/home/federico_buffa_1.html
• http://www.tvblog.it/tag/federico+buffa

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

Mbah a Moute with the Bucks
No. 12 – Milwaukee Bucks
Small forward / Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1986-09-09) September 9, 1986 (age 25) Yaoundé, Cameroon
Nationality	Cameroon
High school	Montverde Academy (Montverde, Florida)
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
College	UCLA (2005–2008)
NBA Draft	2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37th overall
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Pro career	2008–present
Career history
2008–present	Milwaukee Bucks
Career highlights and awards
2006 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year
Stats at NBA.com

Medal record
Men's Basketball
Competitor for  Cameroon
African Championships
Silver	2007 Angola	National team

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (pronounced BAH ah MOO-tay) (born September 9, 1986 in Yaoundé, Cameroon) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mbah a Mouté is a prince in his native village of Bia Messe (near Yaounde),^[1] as he is a son of the elected village chief, Camille Mouté à Bidias. His father is a high-ranking government official, managing the National Employment Fund of Cameroon, a training and job-placement national agency.

College career[link]

From Montverde Academy in Florida, Mbah a Mouté led the Pac-10 Champion Bruins in rebounding as a freshman. Mbah a Mouté led or tied for the lead for the Bruins in rebounding in 27 regular season games. In the NCAA tournament, Mbah a Mouté scored the winning layup at the end of a comeback win over Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. Mbah a Mouté also posted 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist in a Final Four victory over LSU. For the year, Mbah a Mouté averaged 8.9 points and 8.1 rebounds.

He became something of a cult phenomenon among the UCLA faithful. Along with fellow Cameroonian Alfred Aboya, the dynamic duo sparked the "Cameroon Crazies" (a take-off of Duke's "Cameron Crazies" fans) section, along with an enormously popular t-shirt which read "Moute Kicks Boute".^[2] Mbah a Mouté himself became known as 'The Fresh Prince', after the television show of the same name.^[3]

His mother, Goufane a Ziem Agnes Bertine, and his father, Camille Mouté à Bidias had never seen him play for UCLA, until they came from Cameroon to attend the Final Four of the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.^[4] During the 2008 season, his team had a record of 35–4 and won their third-straight Pac-10 title and third-straight NCAA Final Four.

Mbah a Moute ended his UCLA career with an honorable mention All-Pac-10, honorable mention Pac-10 All-Defensive Team selection and a fifth place finish in scoring (8.8 ppg). He is ranked as the No. 15 rebounder with a total of 775 rebounds.

Mbah a Moute became the first player to start in three straight Final Fours at UCLA in thirty-four years. Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes and Greg Lee (1972–74) were the last players at UCLA, and Andre Hutson and Charlie Bell) of Michigan State (1999–2001) were the last ones to do so.

NBA career[link]

Mbah a Moute gave up his eligibility to play college basketball at UCLA for his senior year to enter the 2008 NBA Draft, in which he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round (overall pick #37).^[5][6]

As a second round pick, Mbah a Moute got off to a quick start with the Milwaukee Bucks, and quickly became a fan favorite. His strong play, especially on defense, led to him overtaking Charlie Villanueva as the Bucks' starting power forward only nine games into the season. In his second game as a starter, Mbah a Moute posted career highs of 19 points and 17 rebounds in a 101–96 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Bucks head coach Scott Skiles and general manager John Hammond both praised Mbah a Moute's defensive skills.^[7] As of 2011, Mbah a Moute has averaged 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his career. He has shot 46.7% from the field in about 26 minutes per game.

After 2010-11 season, he became a restricted free agent. On December 12, 2011, he signed an offer sheet with the Denver Nuggets. The contract reportedly worth $18.7 million for 4 years. However, on December 13, Bucks matched the offer and kept Mbah a Moute with the team.^[8]

Personal[link]

He is the twin brother of Emmanuel Bidias a Moute, who plays basketball for Texas State University.

Mbah a Moute also plays for the Cameroon national basketball team.

Career statistics[link]

NBA[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

Awards and recognition[link]

Mbah a Moute was named the Freshman of the Year in the Pacific Ten Conference, edging out Arizona freshman Marcus Williams.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Luc Mbah a Moute Draft 2008 Profile @ NBA.com
• Luc Mbah a Moute Player Info @ DraftExpress.com
• Luc Mbah a Moute – UCLA Player Bio
• Bruin Basketball Report

Anna Sui
Anna Sui at her New York City office
Born	(1964-08-04) August 4, 1964 (age 47) Detroit, Michigan
Nationality	American
Education	The New School (Parsons division)
Occupation	Fashion designer
Awards	Time Magazine- Top 5 Fashion Icons of the Decade;[1] CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award; Bravo A-List Award
Labels	Anna Sui Dolly Girl by Anna Sui Anna Sui Mini

Anna Sui (born August 4, 1964)^[2] is an American fashion designer. Her luxury brand retails globally in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Her clothing, fragrance, cosmetic, eye-wear and accessories lines sell at Anna Sui stores in over 50 countries and are also widely distributed at leading department stores worldwide.^[3] Sui is known for her timeless designs and ability to transcend eras with historical and culturally inspired collections.^[4]

Early life[link]

Sui was born on August 4, 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. She took an interest in fashion at a very young age and began clipping fashion-magazine pages to fill her famous Genius Files. These have served as an inspiration for her line throughout her career. After moving to New York, she attended The New School's famous art and design college, Parsons The New School for Design.

Career[link]

Jessica Stam in Anna Sui dress - February, 2009

After leaving Parsons, she worked for a variety of junior sportswear companies. During this time she began designing clothing out of her apartment. With the encouragement of friends Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, Sui launched her first runway show in 1991.^[5] "That those professional beauties were then at the height of their fame helped stoke the reception Sui got from buyers and the news media,"^[6] and helped launch the timeless and unique style that Sui's has developed over the past two decades.

In 1991, Sui opened her first retail location at 113 Greene Street in New York City's Soho District. This shop, with its lavender walls, red floors, antique black furniture, and signature dolly head mannequins has become a staple of SOHO fashion and has guided the aesthetic of Anna Sui stores worldwide. Evoking the Anna Sui lifestyle, "the stores have come to emphasize the epitome of culture in a continually shifting fashion world."^[7] Over her career, Sui has also grown her brand internationally in the American, European, Asian and Middle Eastern markets. Her iconic fashion shows, with their much-anticipated rock music and background designs, routinely pack the Tent at Bryant Park during her prime time Wednesday slot at Fashion Week.

Achievements[link]

Karlie Kloss in Anna Sui dress- November, 2011

Sasha Pivovarova at Anna Sui show- February 2008

Sui's collections merge history and culture across time and space and have guided the world of fashion over the past two decades. For her innovative work, Sui has been called a designer who "never panders" by The New York Times, and earned the distinction of being named to Time magazine's list of the decade's top five fashion icons.^[1]

In 2006, Fortune magazine estimated the collective value of Sui's fashion empire at over $400 million.^[8]

In 2008, she was profiled in Newsweek's Women and Leadership, and was recognized for her contribution to fashion at the Bravo A-list Awards.

In 2009, Sui won the Council of Fashion Designers of America Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, which serves to honor contributions made to American fashion by outstanding individuals in the industry. Sui joins the ranks of Yves St Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Diane von Furstenberg and Bill Blass, who are past recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award.^[9]

Agyness Deyn at Anna Sui Show - February, 2008

In 2010, Sui featured her collection on the runway finale of the 14th cycle of America's Next Top Model.

Sui continues to design and manufacture her signature collection in her New York City headquarters on Fashion Avenue. There she has ardently fought to keep the industry alive and has spearheaded a campaign to "Save the Garment Center", which was highlighted during Fashion Week in September 2008.^[10] Sui's designs attract many famous clients such as Paris Hilton, Blake Lively, Patricia Arquette, Mischa Barton, Christina Ricci, Cher, Naomi Campbell, Sofia Coppola, Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, Maria Sharapova, Nicole Richie, Liv Tyler, Courtney Love, and James Iha.

Dolly Girl by Anna Sui[link]

Sui launched a more youthful version of her fashion line called Dolly Girl by Anna Sui in 2004.

Other lines[link]

Anna Sui Shoes premiered on the runway for the fall collection in 1994. Manufactured in Venice, Italy, the shoe collection includes both day and evening styles, in velvet, silk, patent leather, snake and lizard skin, shearling and suede.

In 2009, Sui partnered with Target to produce a Gossip Girl inspired line combining Upper East Side style with a downtown edge. The limited edition collection was available for several weeks in September. A children’s line known as "Anna Sui Mini" debuted in early 2009. Her design versatility was further displayed when Sui was contracted by Samsung Electronics Co. to design cellular telephones.

Perfumes[link]

Sui introduced her signature fragrance and cosmetic line in 1999.^[11]

• Night of Fancy
• Live Your Dream
• Dolly Girl Lil' Starlet
• Flight of Fancy
• Magic Romance
• Dolly Girl Bonjour L'Amour!
• Secret Wish
• Dolly Girl on the Beach
• Dolly Girl Ooh La love
• Dolly Girl
• Sui Love
• Sui Dreams
• Anna Sui Classic
• Rock Me
• Rock Me! Summer of Love
• Forbidden Affair

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Anna Sui Bio
• Anna Sui Cosmetics
• Anna Sui designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Fortune Fashion
• [1]
• Anna Sui collections at style.com
• Anna Sui's Spring 2003 casual inspiration, JCReport