MY LIST OF THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
Coco( Gabrielle ) Chanel (1883-1971).
Certainly, Coco Chanel is the most famous designer on this list. Chanel's life story is legendary and is the subject of many books, films, and even stage plays. The contribution of Chanel to fashion is also legendary. After helping to free women from corsets before WW1, Chanel continued her journey to modernize fashion. Her relaxed designs in jersey knits, were inspired by sailing and sports. She created clothing women could move freely in. Chanel is credited with the popularization of the little black dress as a fashion classic. In my opinion, the Chanel suit is the most iconic fashion look of today. Combine that suit with the Chanel bag and a splash of Chanel No5, and you have classic elegance.
ADD SOME CHANEL TO YOUR WARDROBE
Chanel
Chanel
Chanel Pre Owned
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
Christian Dior (1905 – 1957).
The importance of Christian Dior cannot be overstated. As a designer, Dior was the master at creating beauty. Christian Dior invented a silhouette called the "New Look" in 1947, which featured an A-line skirt and fitted bodice. There was much luck in Christian Dior's success — he was the right man for the right place at the right time. Dior gave back glamour and beauty to women starved of both during the war. He made it possible for all women to be fashionable. He was admired by contemporaries such as Balmain and Balenciaga.
The fashion house that Dior left behind, was imbued with his essence. The design principles and artistry of Dior are still the backbones of the house today. The Dior name is the lifeblood of high fashion in Paris.
GET DIOR IN YOUR LIFE
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
CRISTOBAL BALENCIAGA (1895-1972)
If I could spend the day with any of these iconic fashion designers it would be Balenciaga. Famed for his exquisite craftmanship and his innovative designs Balenciaga is known as the master of haute. couture. Certainly he was the most respected designer among the other designers of his time and since. Many of Blaenciaga's contemporaries started their careers as his apprentices: André Courrèges, Emanuel Ungaro, Hubert de Givenchy, and Oscar del la Renta. He knew his craft inside out and was adept at every stage of the making process, from pattern drafting to cutting, assembling and finishing a garment. For him, the design process started with the fabric rather than with a sketch, "it's the fabric that decides" he stated, proving that he knew how to exploit materials to the very best effect. An inspiration to those who follow in his footsteps, his work continues to shape fashion today.
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
HUBERT DE GIVENCHY ( 1927-2018)
Givenchy's style was characterized by bright,cheerful , colors and youthful femininity. Yet his simple suits, cocktail dresses, and evening dresses were also the height of chic, emphasizing line more than decoration. "You have to know when to stop," he once said. "That is wisdom." While Givenchy was known for many great designs, his most famous is the Little Black Dress for Ms.Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's ". In my opinion, Givenchy brought together two rare qualities: to be innovative and timeless.
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008)
Yves Saint Laurent is a personal favorite of mine. He was a visionary and moved fashion-forward by embracing youth and understanding what women wanted. Saint Laurent introduced ready-to-wear to Paris. Yves understood that women needed and wanted clothes they could wear to work and that daywear was the backbone of a woman's wardrobe. However, he equally was the creator of incredibly glamorous evening wear. The idea of expressing sexuality in dressing started with Yves Saint Laurent. Saint Laurent's greatest contribution to fashion was the adapting of menswear staples into women's wear classics. These include the blazer, the smoking jacket, tuxedo, trench, shorts, safari jackets, and trousers.
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
VALENTINO GARAVANI (1932- )
Valentino holds the title of King of Italian couture. The only label to have designed wedding dresses for both Jackie O. and J. Lo, Valentino is synonymous with opulence, extravagance, and drama. In business since 1960, Valentino Garavani made his mark early with intricately detailed, luxurious gowns and tastefully body-conscious silhouettes—even perfecting his shade of Valentino Red. Valentino's ready-to-wear label RED is a personal favorite offering his followers an affordable way to own his stunning designs.
SHOP RED VALENTINO
RED Valentino
RED Valentino
RED Valentino
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
KARL LAGERFELD ( 1933- 2019)
In 1983 Karl Lagerfeld took over the reins at the struggling House of Chanel, and as they say, the rest is history. Lagerfeld proceeded to bring the legendary label of Chanel back to world prominence. Known for this work ethic and his creative genius Lagerfeld designed Chanel's ready-to-wear and couture lines, his label, Chloe, and collaborated with Silvia Fendi on Fendi's ready-to-wear collections simultaneously.
Karl Lagerfeld is celebrated as a renaissance man. Lagerfeld’s aesthetic was imbued with cultural and historical reference points. With a library of over 100,000 volumes, interests in music, art, and all culture, Lagerfeld steered world fashion throughout his career.
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
GIORGIO ARMANI (1934-)
If having an impact on the world is a criterion for being an iconic fashion designer, then Giorgio Armani is a leader. Armani's power suits for both men and women changed the way we dress. The sleek-lined suits he created took over Hollywood. With a legion of film stars, wearing not only his suits but also his sophisticated evening wear Giorgio Armani ruled the red carpet.
Armani states his fashion philosophy as follows, “I was the first to soften the image of men and harden the image of women. I dressed men in women’s fabrics, and stole from men what women wanted and needed—the power suit.”
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
DOLCE & GABBANA
When compared to other fashion houses, Dolce & Gabbana is relatively new to the scene. Since its debut collection in 1985, Dolce & Gabbana has celebrated Italian culture and Italian women. Their first influences were the peasant women of Sicily, and have included the great age of Italian Cinema, as well as the Roman Empire. In a fashion world where minimalism has become common, this label is celebrated for its excess, using brilliant color and large-scale prints. I love this brand and, it's a unique style that resonates with fashion lovers all over the globe.
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD (1941- )
Since the 1970s, Vivienne Westwood has been the Grand Dame of British Fashion. While most fashion had always come from the runway to the people, Westwood took influences from the street and put them on the catwalk. Her punk influence brought controversy and widespread acclaim. Indeed, she was the first to bring aspects of BDSM, bondage trousers, and chains to the fashion mainstream. Moreover, her reliance on 17th and 18th-century patterns developed new cuts to trousers that continue to be used and emulated today.
Furthermore, Westwood brought political causes to the catwalk, and often her exciting designs were accompanied by brazen slogans. Westwood’s primary political concerns have shifted over the years; she is now predominately an activist for climate change, nuclear disarmament, and civil rights, especially freedom of speech.
Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
GIANNI VERSACE (1946-1997)
While fashion is now a mainstream part of our pop culture, it wasn't always that way. We owe a lot of that media attention and sensationalism to Gianni Versace. Gianni Versace courted celebrity, and his sexy, body-con, fashion-forward clothes were a perfect match. Bright, bold patterns recognizable from a block away as Versace helped build his iconic brand. With the following of stars like Madonna, and Elton John, Versace had his clothes appear not only on the catwalk, but on the concert stage, and music videos.
SUPERMODELS
Gianni Versace brought us one more sensation that changed fashion forever, the "Super-Model". While models have always been known to us fashion insiders, it wasn't until the shows of Versace that models became household names. Versace has been credited with elevating Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell to "Super-Model" status.
Since his 1997 assassination, The house of Versace has continued under the guidance of the late designer's family. With Donatella Versace at the helm, the brand has continued using Gianni's aesthetics.
SHOP VERSACE
Versace
Versace
Versace
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
THIERRY MUGLER (1948- )
The ballet dancer turned fashion designer Thierry Mugler has orchestrated many of the most extravagant and gloriously over-the-top moments in fashion history. Mugler redefined the female silhouette in the late 1980s. He produced wide-shouldered, synched waisted creations that emphasized the human form. Mugler made gowns out of PVC like it was velvet. As a designer Mugler empowered a new breed of women. The designs he created weren't for the delicate ladylike women of the past ,but for an emerging woman who is strong, powerful and sexual. Mugler's body-conscious designs were as spectacular as the way they were presented.
Mugler transformed the fashion show into a circus of creativity, where he would break boundaries not only with his incredible fashion but with his content and casting. The biggest supermodels strutted with musical legends, drag queens, sadomasochistic gay men, and society grand dames. In the 1990s he used his fashion shows as fundraisers for AIDS charities, starring porn stars and sensational visions that shocked and challenged the often stayed fashion world.
THE 15 MOST ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER (1952- )
One of the biggest movements in the fashion of the 21st century is the confronting of gender stereotypes. However, current we believe these ideas on gender to be, Jean-Paul Gaultier has been gender-bending since the 1970s. “Too much comfort is not good for creation,” says Jean-Paul Gaultier.
Gaultier is an entirely self-taught designer whose professional career began as an assistant to Pierre Cardin. However, it was not long that Gaultier had to express his ideas. In the early 1980s, he broke out on his own with his solo collections.
His penchant for pushing the envelope saw him combining lingerie and bondage and putting men in skirts. Jean Paul's cutting-edge lingerie culminated in his most iconic work, Madonna's cone bra for her 1990 world tour. The wearing of lingerie in public started by Gaultier became a worldwide fashion movement.
All of this earned the designer a reputation as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry. Pushing boundaries with his fluid ideas of gender, put androgyny in the forefront. “What is masculine and feminine anyway?” he has said. For his visionary ideas of confronting gender identity, I put Gaultier on my list of the 15 most iconic fashion designers.
LEE ALEXANDER McQUEEN ( 1969-2010)
I love the British fashion scene. Compared to all the other fashion capitals, London is somehow different. London is the place where experimentation and creativity are in full force. Fueled by fashion schools where creativity and craft are celebrated, London is the leader for renegade fashion. Alexander McQueen is the perfect example of a British fashion designer.
McQueen rose quickly to become the genius of his generation in British fashion. Having honed his skills as an apprentice tailor on Saville Row, McQueen was a technical wizard. The genius of his designs was the double entendre often presented. His clothes were beautiful and perfect, however, there was always a darkness that rumbled beneath. McQueen's fashion could be dark and macabre, often expressing the designer's demons. Repeatedly accused of misogyny, McQueen insisted his only aim was to empower. “I want people to be afraid of the women I dress,” he said.
After McQueen's death by suicide in 2010, the label Alexander McQueen was continued under the capable hands of Sarah Burton, who had worked alongside McQueen for 14 years.
MARC JACOBS (1963- )
The only American on my list of the 15 most iconic fashion designers is Marc Jacobs. Of all the American fashion designers I choose Marc Jacobs because of his boundless talent. Jacobs was born and raised in New York. He immersed himself in fashion and pop culture from a young age. He snuck into Studio 54 as a teenager and was determined from a young age to be a designer. Marc Jacobs is my contemporary and I love his interpretation of the world around him.
At just 24 years old, Jacobs became the youngest designer ever to receive the fashion industry’s highest accolade, the CFDA’s Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent in 1987.
Jacobs is a genius at taking street style and incorporating it into high-end fashion for the runway. He does not look to others in the fashion industry for inspiration, but more of the average person and what they are currently wearing. Jacobs was the first to put Grunge on the runway and was nicknamed the Guru of Grunge. Jacobs spent 15 years reviving the house of Louis Vuitton, after just 10 years he had quadrupled the company’s profits. In 2013 Jacobs turned his attention to his own labels in New York and is always the hottest ticket at NYFW.
IN CONCLUSION
It took me a while to write this post. I seriously considered many designers for my list of iconic designers. I am sure that I have missed out on some of your favorites. However this is my list and I would love to hear from you as to who you would put on your list and why. Please leave comments and let's share.
