If you are interested in the fashion industry, you have heard of Vera Wang before. She has thrived in the fashion industry for almost five decades. Also, she’s famous for her stunning bridal dresses, red carpet gowns, and other gorgeous designs. Her reach extends to attires, footwear, fragrance, jewelry, and even eyewear, explaining Vera Wang’s net worth. Over the years, her spectacular designers have shaped her into the multi-millionaire she is today.
Over the years, Vera Wang has released books and opened several bridal boutiques. How wealthy she is might just be a surprise to you. In this article, we’ll look at Vera Wang’s net worth and find out how she was able to make so much. Overall, she is a very wealthy fashion giant. Without further ado, let’s take a look.
Vera Wang Net Worth – Her Early Life
Vera Ellen Wang’s life began in New York City in 1949. Her parents were affluent immigrants who grew up in Shanghai, China. They decided to migrate to the US in 1940 and soon gave birth to Vera. She fell in love with fashion early. Most times, she would talk about going to fashion shows in Paris with her mother, who was a United Nations translator. Her father owned a business in the pharmaceutical industry, and Vera Wang grew up watching him develop his company. This inspired her and helped her learn how to be an entrepreneur herself.
Vera Wang began her education at the Chapin School, an all-girls day school in New York. She began to attend Sarah Lawrence College and the University of Paris when she graduated. She achieved a degree in Art History. Before she built on her love for fashion, Vera Wang had a passion for figure skating. She began to skate at age eight and dreamed of competing in the Olympics. Vera competed in the 1968 US Figure Skating Championship in high school and appeared in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd issue. Vera Wang was determined to make it all the way and therefore tried out for the US Olympic team.
Vera Wang got an offer as a Vogue editor after graduating. This made her the youngest editor at Vogue. She worked with the magazine for 17 years before looking for a change in direction in the mid-1980s. The change arrived in 1987 when Ralph Lauren offered her a job as a designer.
Starting Her Fashion Label
However, Vera Wang didn’t last long in her new role. She soon took off on her own. At this point, Vera Wang was 40, and she was still going strong with high ambitions to start her own company. She was pretty lucky to receive a start-up fund of $4 million from her father. She used this fund to rent a two-story showroom and a boutique on Madison Avenue in New York City. By September 1990, Vera Wang’s Bridal House Ltd was open to the world, beginning Vera Wang’s net worth creation. This was simply a year after she got married.
Marketing wasn’t an issue for Vera Wang. Her colleagues at Vogue devoted a six-page article to her opening. This was successful in driving plenty of brides to her boutique. Vera also relied on word of mouth from her industry connections to drive sales for her. Her knowledge of figure skating didn’t let her down either. In 1994, Silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan also wore Vera Wang’s design in the Olympics. Afterward, many other figure skaters also wanted to wear her designs. Along the line, she designed figure skating dresses for Evan Lysacek, Nathan Chen, Michelle Kwan, and many more. Her creations became common in 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, and even the 2018 Winter Olympics. Because of Vera Wang’s contribution to the sport as a designer, she received an induction into the Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2019.
Over the years, Vera Wang has dressed several celebrities for their wedding days and their red carpet events. Over the years, some of the stars she has dressed include Kim Kardashian, Mariah Carey, Michelle Obama, Ivanka Trump, Sofia Vergara, Avril Lavigne, and several more. Her brand has continued to grow at a quick pace over the years.
Vera Wang Today
Today, Vera Wang’s net worth stands at $650 million. It continues to grow because of her licensing deal with Kohl’s, David’s Bridal, and Zales. These partnerships help Vera Wang’s designs to have a more extensive reach. You can always find her Simply Vera line at Khol’s; White by Vera Wang is available at David’s Bridal, while the Vara Wang Love Jewelry collection is at Zales. Over the years, Vera Wang continues to expand into many other collections. This includes eyewear, jewelry, fragrance, lingerie, and even an extensive home line known as the Vera Wang china and Crystal Collection. She launched new collections filled with unique designs every season. They also featured in her boutiques and were standard on runway shoes.
Vera Wang also appeared in many TV shows and movies. Some of them include documentaries like First Daughter and the September Issue. She was also featured in Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Gossip Girl, Chelsea Lately, Ugly Betty, and the Celebrity Apprentice. Her brand expanded over the years, and she garnered many followers on various social media platforms.
Her wedding dresses are available at different prices. There are cheaper lines that cost about $700 a dress, but if you want a more pricey option, Vera Wang’s gowns start at $3,500. For those who would like a custom-made Vera Wang dress, it could cost you over $10,000. No one knows what Vera Wang’s current salary is as it remains a secret to the media. Vera Wang boutiques are also available in 10 cities around the world.
Vera Wang on Weddings
In addition to Vera Wang’s net worth, she released a book titled ‘Vera Wang on Weddings.’ She shared her thoughts, visions, and ideas about the wedding day in this book. She also shared information about all aspects of the wedding day, emphasizing how to pick your dress.
Four Vera Wang Iconic Wedding Dress
There’s hardly any girl who doesn’t know the name Vera Wang or dream of wearing one of her wedding dresses for her wedding. Vera Wang has successfully designed several wedding dresses in her 30 years as a designer. With Vera Wang’s net worth, she is amongst the most famous wedding designers globally. Let’s explore the magic of her wedding dresses by looking at her four most iconic creations.
Gemma Wedding Dress
Gemma is a mermaid wedding dress that is strapless and features a sweetheart neckline. The bodice of this gown features marvelous asymmetrical draperies. However, the main accent of the dress is the organza blossom hem created using the blizzard beading technique. This wedding dress also comes with a ribbon. Every one of Vera Wang’s mermaid wedding dress styles looks best on girls with hourglass body shapes. Even plump girls will look great in this wedding dress because the asymmetrical draperies featured in the gown will make you appear slimmer.
Eliza Wedding Gown
This wedding gown is strapless and a tulle gown with an A-line silhouette. Its bodice is covered with Alencon and Chantilly lace, and the tulle skirt is tucked and adorned with lace and pleated organza insert. The black bow featured on the waist reminds us of Vera Wang’s unrepeatable style. This Vera Wang wedding dress looks great on girls with any body type. The only exception would be brides with broad shoulders because of the strapless bodices. At the same time, ladies with a pear shape will also accentuate the small upper part of the gown while hiding the fuller hips.
Hannah Wedding Dress
This wedding dress is like a strapless ball gown. We love it for its classy and creative look. The tulle skirt it features comes with a veiled degraded floral laser cut organza. This feature adds to the charm of the gown. However, there’s also a detachable trapunto-stitched bustier on the wedding dress. It is an excellent option for hourglass, pear, and petite brides. However, this Vera Wang wedding dress isn’t an excellent option for those without a slim waist. The waistband and ruffle of the skirt will add more volume to the core and make you look fuller than you are.
Joelle Wedding Dress
One of the reasons Vera Wang became popular and how she grew Vera Wang’s net worth is through creating black wedding dresses. She made it clear that women don’t have to always wear a white or ivory gown but could also wear a dark dress and still look beautiful. One of her astonishing black pieces is Joelle. It is a strapless corset wedding dress with organza scallops and textured pleatings. This dress is ideal for all figures and brides who are open to trying new things. This gown looks excellent because it combines black and nude together. It is also available in ivory color if you’re feeling less experimental.
Final Thoughts
This article explores the life of Vera Wang, a former figure skater, and an American fashion designer. We explore Vera Wang’s net worth and how she built her wealth over the decades. Although it took a while for her to begin building the Vera Wang fashion label, it paid off in the long run, and Vera Wang’s net worth indicates the success of her hard work.
We look forward to seeing future Vera Wang’s beautiful designs like the iconic dresses reviewed in this article.
