Fashion designer Andria Lieu was born in Vietnam, the youngest of five children. At the age of 12, she and her family were forced to flee their homeland during the North Vietnamese takeover. They arrived at a refugee camp on an island in Malaysia where they awaited sponsorship to immigrate to a new home. Andria’s family received an invitation from a small town in Michigan where they then settled.

The summer before attending college, Andria enrolled in a fashion illustration class at the Art Institute of Chicago. There her instructor recognized her talent and persuaded her to enroll in the bachelor’s degree program for fashion design. Upon completion of the program, Andrea entered her designs in New York’s NAMSB competition and won the prestigious Best Menswear Designer award. This won her the attention of a Chicago-based menswear manufacturer who hired Andria to design men’s clothing and accessories. She soon realized her desire to develop her own collection of women’s wear and began working nights creating the Andria Lieu Collection. Designing, manufacturing, and selling her own line, she eventually left her position with the menswear company to grow her own successful business.