Vivian Wang and Ingrid Chen met as young girls and remained close friends through adulthood. Growing up in the Bay Area, both completed their undergraduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley. Vivian graduated with a Business degree, emphasizing in Marketing; Ingrid received her BA in Physiology. Preferring to enhance the human body rather than dissect it, Ingrid switched her pursuit to an MFA in Fashion Design at the Academy of Art College. Meanwhile, Vivian traded the corporate scene for a life on the road, backpacking through Europe, Asia and Australia. In January of 1999, while discussing the latest fashion trends over coffee, they realized that they were a design team waiting to happen. Vivian with her free-spirited flair, Ingrid with her refined detailing, both obsessive compulsive; they set out together to create a new philosophy in accessible luxuries for the modern woman.