World-renowned fashion designer Anna Sui is sewing her way into a whole new artistic medium – comic books. To be more specific, Anna Sui will fashion the characters in the comic Shi, Billy Tucci’s acclaimed series now celebrating its tenth anniversary with a bold new installment, Shi Ju-Nen. Sponsored by Tucci’s new publisher Dark Horse Comics and Sui Corp, Shi is a modern day samurai tale of one woman’s vengeance and redemption set primarily in Japan and New York City.
“Anna’s a master of what I’ve tried to emulate in the book for years.” stated Tucci, a graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, “Her eye for vivacious sophistication artistically blends both East and West with graceful lines that are an illustrator’s dream to put to paper.”
”The timing of this collaboration is serendipitous,” comments Anna. April 2004 will see Anna launch of newest her fragrance, “Dolly Girl”, and her cosmetic product line in Shanghai to add to the foundation of her Asian business. The Anna Sui Fashion Collection is sold in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, as well as hundreds of fine department stores and boutiques in the United States and Europe. The flagship store remains the one in New York City. Anna’s trademark colors of black and purple along with the vintage furniture showcase her fashion collections and accessories in the Soho shop on Prince and Greene Street. In Japan, the Anna Sui brand has grown with the help of the Isetan Company Limited and has risen to “tsunami” proportions. Anna Sui stores now number almost forty in the Far East and will continue to expand into China in the near future with plans to open Anna Sui stores in Shanghai and Beijing. This expansion into China has the possibility of tremendous future growth for the Anna Sui Corp.
Anna has been an inspiration to young girls all around the world and her expression “Live Your Dreams” not only dons her tee shirts, but have also become words to pattern the lives of her “fashion fans.” The Anna Sui runway shows continue to excite and inspire designers worldwide. Her design originality and style set trends for fashion and draw legions of devotees, including Nicole Kidman, Sofia Coppola, Lisa Marie Presley, Naomi Campbell, Liv Tyler, Katie Couric, Lucy Liu, Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith, Brittany Spears, and Asian celebrities, such as Lee Mi Yun, Kim Hee Sun, Hitomi, Amei Cheung, and Ayumi Hamazaki.
“To say that we’re celebrating ten wonderful years of Shi with style is an understatement.” Tucci concluded, “It is truly an honor to have Anna bring Shi to a level of elegance never before seen in the world of comics.”
We at Anna Sui Corporation are excited to be included in the World of Shi and to be associated with Dark Horse Publications, publishers of Star Wars comics (incidentally, Anna’s brother and nephews are big fans). “The weaving of fashion and fantasy through a comic book character seems to be a dream that can become reality,” muses Anna. We wish Billy Tucci much success in his film project and a happy tenth anniversary for the Shi character and we positively know that, “Shi will look great in Sui fashions,” adds Anna.
The 32-page full-color Shi Ju-Nen #1 hits comic and bookstores this April and will continue shipping on a bi-monthly schedule concluding this October.
For more information please contact us via www.annasui.com, www.williamtucci.com and www.darkhorse.com.
About Billy Tucci:
Before signing with Dark Horse Entertainment, the award-winning Tucci served as Shi’s creator, writer and publisher since 1994. Through his Crusade Fine Arts, Ltd., Shi is printed in six languages, has sold more than 4 million comic books and grossed over $25 million worldwide. Both the artist and his creation have been showcased in many periodicals including Elle, Playboy, The NY Times, the NY Daily News as well as NBC, Fox and MTV. He recently inked a deal to turn Shi into a major motion picture with Mimi Gitlin’s Lion Eyes Entertainment (Trapped, Thelma & Louise). Tucci is slated to exec produce and pen the screenplay with Kevin Bernhardt (The Immortals, Nelson DeMille’s The Charm School)