Jason Wu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jason Wu
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Wu in 2009
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| Born | September 27, 1982 Yunlin County, Taiwan
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| Citizenship | Canada | ||||||||||||
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Label(s)
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 吳季剛 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 吴季刚 | ||||||||||||
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Jason Wu (Chinese: 吳季剛; pinyin: Wú Jìgāng; born September 27, 1982) is a Canadian artist and fashion designer. He lives and works in New York City.
Born in Taiwan and raised in Vancouver, he learned about fashion at Parsons School of Design. He also trained with designer Narciso Rodriguez before starting his own clothing line. Jason Wu is famous for creating dresses for Michelle Obama. She wore his designs many times, including for the first and second inaugurations of American President Barack Obama.
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Early Life and Design Start
Jason Wu was born in Yunlin, Taiwan. When he was nine years old, his family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He loved to design and sew clothes for dolls, which helped him learn how to create fashion. He even studied sculpture in Tokyo.
When he was sixteen, Jason started designing doll clothes for a toy company called Integrity Toys. He created popular lines like "Jason Wu dolls" and "Fashion Royalty." The next year, he became the main designer, or creative director, for Integrity Toys. After finishing high school in 2001, he decided to become a fashion designer. He then went to the Parsons The New School for Design in New York City to study fashion.
Jason Wu's Fashion Career
Jason Wu used the money he earned from designing dolls to start his own clothing line. This line featured "ready-to-wear" clothes, meaning they were made in standard sizes and sold in stores. His first fashion collection came out in 2006.
He quickly gained recognition for his talent. In 2008, he won the Rising Star award from the Fashion Group International. He was also nominated for the CFDA / Vogue Fashion Fund award. Famous photographers like Howard Schatz and Bruce Weber featured his work.
Jason Wu's early customers included well-known people like Ivana Trump, January Jones, and Amber Valletta. He also worked a lot with the famous performer RuPaul, designing six special RuPaul dolls.
From 2013 to 2018, Jason Wu was the art director for the German fashion company Hugo Boss. He was in charge of all their women's clothing designs.
In 2013, Wu launched a new collection called Miss Wu. This was a "diffusion line," which means it was designed for a younger audience and sold at a lower price. Nordstrom, a luxury store, helped launch it. Michelle Obama even wore a Miss Wu dress in 2012 before it was officially available! In 2016, he relaunched the line as Grey and worked with Pantone to create a special grey color just for his brand.
In 2020, Jason Wu started a new line of makeup and skincare products called Jason Wu Beauty. By 2024, this brand also began making handbags and small leather goods.
Designing for Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama is one of Jason Wu's most famous clients. She was introduced to him by André Leon Talley, a well-known editor from Vogue Magazine. Michelle Obama bought several dresses from Wu early on. She wore one of his designs on a TV special before the 2008 election. Many people in the media said this helped launch his career.
On the night of President Barack Obama's first inauguration, Michelle Obama wore a special white gown designed by Wu. It was a beautiful one-shoulder, floor-length dress made of chiffon.
She also wore a Wu design, a magenta silk dress, on the cover of Vogue magazine. During her first official trip to Europe in April 2009, Michelle Obama wore a bright green silk dress by Wu when she arrived in London. The next day, she wore a Wu coat during her visit with Queen Elizabeth II.
Michelle Obama chose another dress designed by Wu for the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Balls. This time, it was a stunning ruby red velvet and chiffon design.
Designing for Gong Jun
In 2023, Jason Wu designed his first menswear outfit for Chinese actor Gong Jun. Gong Jun wore this special white suit to the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2023. The suit featured detailed embroidery and a unique frog (fastening) closure, showing Wu's talent in menswear.
See also
In Spanish: Jason Wu para niños
- Chinese people in New York City
- LGBT culture in New York City
- List of LGBT people from New York City
- NYC Pride March
- Taiwanese people in New York City
