Vera Wang is an American designer who is known primarily for her wedding dress designs. She entered the fashion business after being unsuccessful as a figure skater, spending 16 years as the fashion editor on American Vogue, the youngest in the magazine’s history. She left Vogue in 1985 and started work at Ralph Lauren as a design director.

It was in 1990 that she first opened her own design company on Madison Avenue in New York. The focus has been on her bridal wear, with stars such as Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson and Mariah Carey wearing Wang’s dresses on their wedding days. The idea for the business came about when she was planning her own wedding and could not find a dress that she liked. Her solution was to have one created for her. The business will also help brides with dresses for the bridesmaids, accessories and hairstyling.

‘Trunk’ shows are held regularly at Vera Wang stores, so brides can go along and view the dresses before deciding which ones to try. Customers can also use the company’s website to view the latest runway shows and view the latest collections.

As well as bridal wear the Vera Wang range also includes day and evening wear. The most recently presented collection for autumn 2010 has black as a theme, and focuses on feminine and comfortable tailoring that has a slightly dishevelled look.

The Vera Wang brand now extends to perfumes and jewellery, with shoes and home accessories also available.