Growing up in the suburbs of Seattle, Washington, you would likely find me with my best friend Tanya cruising down I-5 blasting music from the Ramones, Nirvana, or Rancid.  I was influenced by the growing punk and grunge movement of the 90s and MTV was my visual source of style inspiration. I found the slept-in, ragbag grunge style to be intriguing,  as well as the freedom rockstars had in wearing whatever they wanted.

Fashion designer Anna Sui played an integral roll in amplifying the trend into ready-to-wear. While her initial goal was to “dress rockstars and rockstar’s girlfriends,” her designs expanded into stylish looks for everyone from the artists on stage to the fans in the crowd. To this day she has maintained the rock n’ roll edge in her designs and continues to bring out the inner rockstar in all of us.

When I interviewed Sui during her latest exhibit, The World of Anna Sui at the Mint Museum, childhood memories were ignited.  As I strolled through the exhibit admiring each collection, recognizing styles I used to wear, a familiar song played overhead. It was “Come As You Are” by Nirvana, but this time I wasn’t cruising down 1-5, I was on my way to chat with an iconic designer that defined the style of the decade. 

Watch our interview and get to know more about renowned fashion designer, Anna Sui by clicking the video below!