Jason Wu

Jason Wu (born in Taipei, Taiwan) is a Manhattan-based American fashion designer.

Born in Taiwan, Wu moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at age 9 and attended Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts and Loomis Chaffee, in Connecticut. He learned how to sew by designing and sewing for dolls, and went on to study sculpture in Tokyo. He enrolled in Parsons The New School for Design for college. At age 16, Wu began to make freelance doll clothing designs for toy company integrity Toys under the lines ‘ Jason Wu dolls’ and later ‘ Fashion Royalty’. When he turned 17, he was named creative director of Integrity Toys. He decided to become a fashion designer while spending his senior year of high school in Paris, and later interned with Narciso Rodriguez.

Wu launched his ready to wear line of clothes with earnings form his years of doll designs. His first full collection debuted in 2006 and won the Fashion Group International’s Rising Star award in 2008. In 2008 he was nominated for the Vogue Fashion Fund award. Bruce Weber shot the designer for Wmagazine’s ‘ Summer Camp’ portfolio last July.

Wu’s early clients included Ivana Trump, January Jones, and Amber Valletta. He also worked extensively with drag queen RuPaul.

Jason Wu’s life changed overnight when Michelle Obama wore the 26-year-old designer’s one-shoulder organza-embroidered white chiffon gown to the inaugural balls.

For his Fall ’09 collection Wu said he was inspired by fairy tales, particularly a book of illustrations by Arthur Rackham that he had as a child. his focus, now more than ever, was dresses.

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Jason Wu