First lady Michelle Obama and Jason Wu

With the huge success of Missoni for Target comes the latest announcement of Target’s new design collaboration with Jason Wu. There’s already quite a buzz about it throughout the fashion industry but who is Jason Wu and how did he shoot to stardom so fast at such a young age?

Not many people can say they know exactly what they wanted to do with their life before they graduated high school but Wu was already well on his way at carving out a successful career path in fashion. At a young age he taught himself how to sew and began to freelance by creating clothing for dolls. Shortly there after, at the ripe age of sixteen, he launched his own line called “Jason Wu Dolls.”  It was his last year in high school when Wu realized he wanted to become a fashion designer. He went on to study at Parsons School of Design which eventually led him to an internship with Narciso Rodriguez.

With the earnings he made from designing doll clothing, Wu launched his first ready-to-wear line in 2006 which eventually lead to him winning the Fashion Group’s International Rising Star award in 2008.

With the help of Michele Obama, Wu gained notoriety after the first lady bought 4 dresses by him and wore one on the Barbara Walters Special just before the November 2008 election. However it was when the Mrs. Obama wore Wu’s much talked about ethereal custom-designed one-shoulder chiffon dress for President Obama’s inauguration ball in 2009 that catapulted Wu’s career into an international spotlight. The dress has since been donated to the Smithsonian Museum and is on display at the National Museum of American History along side the many other inaugural dresses worn throughout history.

Now at 29 years old, he has already achieved so much success in such a short time. With his dedication to beautifully crafted clothes, clearly this is just the beginning of a lifelong career as a well respected designer.

Expect to see the 60′s inspired limited collection from Wu hit Target stores on February 5, 2012, items are to be priced at $60 or less. If it’s anything like the frenzy Missoni for Target created then it won’t be surprising if people are camped out the night before the Target doors open.