Our latest post runs through the lives and achievements of some of the greatest fashion moguls to grace this planet.
Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel began her life in humble beginnings at an orphanage. It was here that she was taught to sew and later found work as a seamstress. This was the start of an incredibly bright future.
She is hailed for ushering in a new era of fashion, teaching women that it’s fine to dress in a boyish manner - and in the process, doing away with the corsets worn at the time. Her new creations became so popular that by the mid 1930’s Chanel had a workforce of 4,000. At the time she was one of the richest women in the world.
Chanel was the definition of an icon, with her influence and style lasting almost a century. Chanel hats, dresses, handbags, and fragrances are all in hot demand to this day.
Chanel is most well known for her little black dress: This chic design was part of Chanel’s aim to give women a boyish look. Her second aim was to dress all women in black and she was determined that this would be ‘’the frock all the world would wear’’. During this period, black was only worn for mourning, so this was a controversial move. It’s a simple and effortless yet sophisticated look. The dress was first featured in Vogue and the magazine called it ‘Chanel’s Ford’.
Karl Lagerfeld
Lagerfeld was always destined for greatness and after studying art, landed a job as Pierre Balmain’s design assistant.
Lagerfeld was the creative director of Chanel and has also held roles at Chloe, Fendi, Tommy Hilfiger, H&M, and Macy’s. At one point in his career, Lagerfeld was creating around 15 collections a year.
He joined the Chanel brand a decade after Coco’s death and was credited for turning its demise around. After tremendous success with other brands, Lagerfeld set up his own brand in 1984.
His Chanel collections are usually remembered long after they’re finished due to themes such as gothic, digital, eco and more.
Lagerfeld is a pioneer of fashion and though he hasn’t shied away from controversy, many would agree he is an irreplaceable pillar of the fashion community.
Vera Wang
Before finding fame as a fashion designer, Wang was Vogue’s youngest editor and she remained in this role for 17 years. After this, she had a short stint working at Ralph Lauren and two years later she decided to work for herself as the famed wedding dress designer she is today.
Wang has dressed many well-known names including: Ivanka Trump, Victoria Beckham, Khloe Kardashian, and Michelle Obama.
With a host of bridal boutiques stretching from New York to Tokyo, Vera Wang is a household name.
As you can imagine there’s a hefty price tag for her coveted dresses, depending on which collection you opt to buy from. Prices for the Vera Wang collection start at £2,000.
Vera Wang will leave behind a strong legacy as an iconic bridal designer of the 21st century.
Christian Louboutin
Louboutin’s fashion interest began at a young age, when instead of focusing on academic studies, he preferred to pass the time with sketchings of women’s shoes.
As with many other designers, Louboutin also began his fashion career working under other brands including Chanel and Saint Laurent, before deciding to venture out for himself. The red soles on his shoes are now his signature.
Louboutin designs men’s shoes as well as handbags, fragrances and make-up, but he is most well-known for his black and red heels. His shoes are adored around the world and have been worn by Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Christina Aguilera and more. Princess Caroline of Monaco was his first customer when he opened a Paris shoe store.
The shoes helped to bring stilettos back in fashion and now Louboutin has stores around the globe.
Giovanni Versace
Giovanni Versace’s mother ran her own dress-making business, so he was inspired since childhood. Up until his teen years, he was her assistant and this led to him becoming a freelancer for designers in Milan.
You will often notice an image of Medusa featured on Versace clothing as well as their logo. The mystery behind this also lies in Versace’s childhood, as he was inspired by his hometown which featured elements of ancient Greek culture.
Versace clothing is known for its bright, loud colours and incorporating technology into their collections. Versace liked doing things to his collections that hadn’t been seen in fashion before.
Giovanni Versace was hailed by Anna Wintour, who claimed that Versace ‘'put fashion on an international platform.'’
He also dressed musical stars such as Elton John and Madonna; for this reason he is accredited for linking the fashion and music industries.
His famed works have been displayed at museums including London's Royal College of Art, Japan's Kobe City Museum and more.
He also won the American Fashion Oscar award in 1993.
If you feel inspired after reading our list of famous designers, make sure you read this post on how to become a successful designer yourself.