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About
Sarah Staudinger is a fashion designer born in 1989 in Los Angeles, California, to a Lebanese-American mother, Joanna Malouf, a fashion designer known for a popular shoe line, and a German father, Walter Staudinger, a property businessman. Her maternal grandfather also worked in fashion, and she is cousin to fashion designer James de Givenchy. Her godmother is singer Cher, a longtime friend of her mother, whom she nicknamed 'Shere Khan' as a child. She graduated from The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles in 2007, attended Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School in New York, and took fashion classes at Parsons School of Design. Staudinger began her career as an assistant stylist for editorial publications and later served as Fashion Director at Reformation, where she identified a market gap for affordable, timeless luxury fashion. In 2015, she co-founded the women's clothing and accessories brand STAUD in Los Angeles with business partner George Augusto. The brand quickly gained a cult following, particularly for accessories like the Moreau bucket bag, and has collaborated with brands such as New Balance and Birkenstock. As of recent years, STAUD's revenue is reportedly approaching $250 million annually, with balanced sales across apparel, accessories, and footwear. She was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Arts & Style list in 2019. Influenced by vintage fashion and her personal archive, including pieces from Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Staudinger married Ari Emanuel in May 2022 in Saint-Tropez, France, in a ceremony officiated by comedian Larry David and attended by notable figures including Elon Musk, Tyler Perry, and DJ Diplo.