Ming Wang, Founded in 1986, has been known for its versatile collections catered to the busy woman looking to balance style and functionality. Ming Wang donated travel wardrobe essentials to Sarah Robles, who is the highest ranked weightlifter in the country.
Photo credit: Rima Canaan Lee
At the World Championships last year, she placed 11th in the world, and was able to beat every female and male American on the roster. She will be one of two women heading to the Summer Olympics this month for the Team USA Weightlifting. Sarah will be competing on August 5th, for the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk.
Sarah has found finding women’s clothing that fits her frustrating. Many brands don’t carry larger sizes and some of the larger sizes are not designed to look good on a larger female frame. For her Olympic group photos, Sarah had to wear the men’s clothing options, rolling the sleeves to look more feminine. Sarah’s story has been receiving a lot of attention via social media and, based on the many comments on her Facebook page, many women are finding her to be a positive plus-sized role model. Sarah’s story definitely touched the heart of one stylist with ties to the full-figure fashion community. Fashion and Beauty Editor of Indulge Magazine, Jenny Davis is a expert on the Plus Size market as she is the owner of Beatrix Privé, a luxury lingerie company and has styled many plus size clients. Davis traveled to Arizona to help Sarah for her Olympic trip. Davis outreached to plus size line Ming Wang and donated travel wardrobe essentials to Sarah.
Photo by Rima Canaan Lee
About the designer: During the post-World War II era, when most wealthy families in China either fled and left everything behind or stayed to suffer political persecution — Ming’s family moved to Taiwan, where she was born. Ming’s parents, an art teacher and Air Force colonel, had low expectations for her since she was neither the eldest nor male child. Instead, they focused on educating Ming’s younger brother with the expectation that he would one day support the family. As a girl, Ming was fascinated by Western culture. She would meet with her mother’s art students to discuss fashion and innovative vision. One of them gave Ming an old American fashion magazine which became her most prized possession. During her adolescence, Ming would dream of becoming a clothing designer in the United States. She attended night classes to improve her English so that her dream could become a reality. While in class, she met the man who would become her husband, Eddie Wang. After the birth of their first son, the couple developed a plan to move to America. In 1979, Ming finally made the trip. She made a living by knitting during the day and attending classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology at night. After several years, Ming turned one of the bedrooms in her apartment into her first production facility. She began producing sweaters for several local fashion houses, including Adolfo, Lilli Ann and Richtone New York. The business continued to grow. In 1986, after the birth of her second son, and with the business thriving, Ming stopped designing for other companies and started her own brand – Toula, a knit collection that focused on garments for social occasions. Ming worked as lead designer, pattern maker, production manager and accountant. Although Ming maintained both her business and family, the chaotic work schedule hospitalized her twice for exhaustion. Her diligent efforts succeeded and Toula was soon picked up by specialty stores across the United States.
With the success of Toula, Ming began designing more of an everyday collection that she could wear herself. In 1998, Toula by Ming Wang, a subdivision of the Toula brand was created. The new daywear collection consisted of 12 pieces. Ming knew that she had something special so she decided to split the new collection into its own brand and called it Ming Wang. A year later, the first full collection of Ming Wang was released and quickly grew a cult following in specialty retail stores. Today Ming Wang is sold at Nordstrom, Von Maur, Dillard’s and boutiques nationwide. The knitwear line, geared toward the chic and sophisticated woman, is also gaining momentum with celebrities including Sela Ward and Camryn Manheim, among others. Today Ming resides in Dallas and splits her time designing in New York City and Asia with her husband Eddie. Her two sons, Steven and Eric, oversee the U.S. operations for the brand. After two decades, Ming Wang continues to pursue her love for fashion by creating timeless and elegant clothing for the modern-day woman.
About the brand: Ming Wang, Founded in 1986, has been known for its versatile collections catered to the busy woman looking to balance style and functionality. The brand has gained a loyal following for its ability to translate seasonal color trends into timeless statement pieces and refined basics for women of all body types. The brand takes its name from its designer and co-founder, Ming Wang, who has been designing knitwear exclusively for over 30 years. With her namesake line, she strives to create garments that flawlessly transition from day to night, for many years to come. Designed to wear – and last – Ming Wang pieces are crafted with a specialized yarn so that the entire collection is wrinkle-free, machine washable, fade-resistant, and travel friendly. Combined with a comfortable fit, Ming Wang provides immaculate, all-day wear for the busy woman. For more: http:/mingwangknits.com ‘)}
