FASHIONABC - Key Persons
Born 5 November 1950 - Present
Notable Credits 2018: She received the America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation
Alberta Ferretti is an Italian fashion designer and dressmaker. Born 5 November 1950, she designs for her namesake brand Alberta Ferretti, and designed for Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti until 2014. Her studio is in her native village of Cattolica and she also has a showroom in Milan, Italy.
Biography
Alberta Ferretti grew up in the small town of Cattolica, Italy and was taught to sew at a very young age by her mother. At the age of 17, Ferretti decided to leave school and get married.Knowing she wanted a career in fashion, Ferretti obtained a loan from her parents and with their financial backing, opened her first clothing shop named "Jolly". A sales representative who visited the shop encouraged her to expand her business. Fueled by his encouraging words, Ferretti started selling her designs in other boutiques across Italy and with the demand for her clothes growing, she expanded her business by hiring new staff and moving to a larger location. With the increased capacity of a new workshop Ferretti was able to accept other designers' contracts to produce their clothes.
In 1981, Ferretti had her first runway show in Milan and in 1988 she opened her first standalone store in Soho, exclusively for her Philosophy collection. Ferretti was named the best female entrepreneur by Italian representatives in 1991. In 2005, Ferretti released her first couture collection which won ‘The Romantics' award from the International Fashion Group. The following year two more flagship stores opened in Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Fashion Designer
Alessandro Dell'Acqua is a fashion designer who presented his first prêt-à-porter collection at Milan Moda Donna in 1996 and his first men's line at Pitti in Florence in January 1998. He was born in Naples on December 21, 1962.
At June 2009, Dell'Acqua sent out a press release informing the press that the men's Spring-Summer 2010 and women's Pre-spring 2010 collections will be produced without his approval, and departed ways with his eponymous label.
Currently, Dell'Acqua is back on the fashion scene with a new collection, named N°21. The name comes from the designer's birthday, and it is also his lucky number. The 80-piece collection, which spans dresses to knitwear to outerwear, will debut at the upcoming Fall 2010 Milan Fashion Week with a small runway show on February.
Alexander McQueen was a British fashion designer and couturier
Alexander McQueen is a Scottish fashion designer. Creative, provocative, theatrical and handcrafted describe the aesthetic of Alexander McQueen, to a T. Synonymous with British contemporary couture, the label has produced some of the most iconic, critically acclaimed collections in global Fashion - driven by the designer's unparalleled vision that respects both craftsmanship and new technology.
Alexander McQueen passed away in 11 February 2010. McQueen, who had been diagnosed with anxiety and depressive disorder, took an overdose prior to hanging himself., and left a note that read, "Look after my dogs, sorry, I love you, Lee." He is survived by his father, three sisters and two brothers. Following his death, McQueen's colleague Sarah Burton took over creative direction and development of all collections. In April 2011, she received global recognition as designer of the wedding dress for HRH Duchess Of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton. Burton was also awarded Order of the British Empire for her services to the British fashion industry and has won The Walpole Award for British Luxury Design Talent, Harper's Bazaar Woman of the Year Award, Designer of the Year Award at British Fashion Awards and CFDA International Award 2019.
Job Titles:
- an American Fashion Designer and Founder of Alexander Wang
- Creative Director at Balenciaga
- Designer and Founder of Alexander Wang
Alexander Wang is an American fashion designer and founder of Alexander Wang. Born in California, 1983, Wang is an international figure in the fashion industry, best known for his urban designs.
Wang has worked as Creative Director at Balenciaga from 2012 to 2015 and has collaborated with well known firms such as H&M.
In 2017, Wang was named one of HypeBeast's HB100, their top 100 influencers in the industry. Currently, he is part of BoF 500 list as one of the top designers in the fashion industry.
Biography
In December 2012 Wang was appointed creative director of Balenciaga
Alexander Wang was born in San Francisco, California, 1983 to Taiwanese parents. Wang's foray into fashion began after he dropped out of the Parsons School of Design in 2004 to start his own label, initially creating a knitwear collection based on six unisex silhouettes. Wang was initially supported in his venture by his family: his brother assumed the role of chief financial advisor, his sister-in-law acted as chief principal officer, and the designer was able to utilise family connections to source production from China. His label soon evolved into a sleek but fully realised women's ready-to-wear collection; Wang debuted his first runway collection for Autumn/Winter 2007 at New York Fashion Week.
The response was immediate. Anna Wintour , a key supporter, soon mobilised her influence to bring attention to the young designer. In 2008, Wang received the top award from the Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund, a sum of $200,000. In 2009, he was announced as the winner of the Swarovski Womenswear Designer of the Year, and as the winner of the Swiss Textiles Award.
In December 2012 Wang was appointed creative director of Balenciaga, succeeding Nicolas Ghesquière at the storied French house. Wang's debut collection for the brand was positively received, despite having faced scepticism about his ability to fill Nicolas Ghesquière's shoes. In July 2015, however, it was announced that Balenciaga and Kering decided not to renew the American designer's contract.
Apart from the endless praises about his work, Wang has been criticized by around thirty workers of providing low-level labor conditions to his workers and the designer has been charged of fifty million dollar lawsuit for operating a sweatshop in Manhattan's busy area, Chinatown.
Alexander Wang has won the CFDA Award for Best Accessory Designer. Despite that, Wang was named in 2017, one of HypeBeast's HB100, their top 100 influencers in the industry. Currently, he is part of BoF 500 list as one of the top designers in the fashion industry.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Founding Chairman
Amancio Ortega is a fashion executive and founding chairman of Inditex
Amancio Ortega is a pioneer in fast fashion, he co-founded Inditex, known for its Zara fashion chain, with his ex-wife Rosalia Mera (d. 2013) in 1975. In 1972, he founded Confecciones Goa to sell quilted bathrobes. In 1975, he opened his first Zara store with his wife Rosalía Mera. In 2009, Zara was part of the Inditex group (Industrias de Diseño Textil Sociedad Anónima), of which Ortega owned 59.29%, and aside from over 6,000 stores included the brands Zara, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Zara Home, Kiddy's Class, Tempe, Stradivarius, Pull and Bear, Bershka and has more than 92,000 employees. As of 2016, he owned around 60% of Inditex, which is the holding company for Zara and related chains.
Amancio Ortega Gaona was born on March 28, 1936 in Busdongo de Arbas, León. He was the youngest of four other children. The Ortega family soon moved to La Coruña, Galicia, Spain, due to Amancio father's job at the local station. His mother employed as a housemaid, Amancio heard her pleading for credit at local stores, unable to afford essential items, which made him leave school and start working at the age of 14. Amancio Ortega's first job was a shop assistant at a local company called Gala, where he learned to make clothes by hand. Frozen in time, Gala, a conventional shirts maker, is still active and open on one of La Coruña's downtown corners.
Amancio Ortega enjoyed riding his bicycle around the town, whenever he had free time. His brilliant business idea could have come during one of such rides, and Ortega realized that to earn good money, one should give customers what they want. At the age of 16, Amancio Ortega was pondering on how to figure out potential client desires and, what is even more important, meet that demand. In the 1950s, an autonomous community of Spain, Galicia, was a perfect spot for his business plan: poor job alternatives in combination with numerous single women who could sew pretty good. Ortega started to organize women into sewing cooperatives. The product line included: lingerie, babywear, and nightgowns. Ex-employees of the sewing cooperatives ran by Ortega shared with media how thrilled the Galicia ladies were to get that job with great conditions, and how excited they were to see their boss being very close to the workers.
In 1963, having gained ten years of managing sewing cooperatives experience, Amancio Ortega Gaona founded his first company, Confecciones GOA, S.A. The founder of the bathing robes business organized Confecciones GOA into a family company. Amancio was responsible for developing new fashion trends, Antonio (his brother) was heading the commercial issues, Josefa (his sister) was responsible for bookkeeping, and Rosalía Mera Goyenechea (January 28, 1944 - August 15, 2013) was performing as his business partner. In 1966, Amancio Ortega married Rosalía Mera.
Amancio Ortega Gaona launched his own company, Confecciones GOA, in 1963. Having formed successful sewing cooperatives with the low-cost local workforce, Ortega was offering fast production clothing turnarounds. Several factories being acquired in Spain, Amancio Ortega opened his first storefront in La Coruña downtown, called Zorba, in 1975. Named after Ortega and his first wife's favorite movie, the store soon changed the name Zorba into Zara. The bar Zorba remained local, but Zara stores expanded to several Spanish cities by the early 1980s. In 1988, after the Inditex Group was formed, Ortega opened the first Zara shop in Portugal, where he found the working force to be even cheaper than in Spain.
Job Titles:
- American Fashion Journalist, and Former American Editor - at - Large of Vogue Magazine
- Journalist
André Leon Talley is an American fashion journalist. André Leon Talley is best known for his work as the American editor-at-large of Vogue magazine. Talley has also served as international editor of the Russian fashion magazine Numéro.
André Leon Talley is one of the fashion industry's most influential stylesetters. Famous among fashionistas for his flamboyant, often custom-made outfits that accentuate his six-feet, seveninch frame, as well as by his booming baritone, Talley is undoubtedly the most prominent African American in the high-stakes world of designer fashion, a world which revolves around the semi-annual runway shows in New York, Paris, London, and Milan.
Talley has been recognized for his important work. In 2003, he earned the Eugenia Sheppard Award for Fashion Journalism, Council of Fashion Designers of America while in 2008, he was honoured the Honorary Doctor of Humanities, Savannah College of Art and Design
Biography
Talley is the son of William C. Talley, a taxi driver, and Alma Ruth Davis, and was born on October 16, 1949 in Durham, North Carolina. However, he was raised by his grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis, who worked as a domestic in the Durham area. Davis had a profound effect on him and he credits her with his uncommon flair for fashion. As a teen, he ventured to the library in the white section of town. It was there that he discovered Vogue and quickly became a devoted reader.
Talley's postsecondary experience began at North Carolina Central University and, later he was granted a scholarship to Brown University where he earned an M.A. in French Studies in 1973. He initially planned to teach French, but the fashion world beckoned him. He first worked as an assistant for Andy Warhol. In 1983, he began working as the editor-at-large for Vogue magazine and soon became the most notable African American in the world of designer fashion.
A man of great stature and influence, Talley is also known to criticize high profile designers for excluding women of color on the runway and for championing a host of lesser-known fashion designers such as Rachel Roy and Jason Wu over the course of his career.
In 1984, he co-authored MegaStar with Richard Bernstein, a publication containing portraits of famous celebrities. In April 2003, Talley penned his autobiography, A.L.T.: A Memoir and followed with A.L.T. 365+ an art monograph that features photographs and captions from one year of his life.
Talley had a cameo appearance in the 2008 feature film, Sex and the City, as a Vogueexecutive and in 2009, he appears in the movie-documentary, Valentino: The Last Emperor, and in The September Issue, a 2009 behind-the-scenes documentary about the September 2007 issue of Vogue.
He is a board trustee at the Savannah College of Art and Design and in 2008, he was awarded with an honorary doctorate. The André Leon Talley Gallery opened in the Museum of Art at the College in October 2011. During the same period the College established the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award, an annual award given to up and coming fashionistas.
In January 2014, Talley became the Artistic Director for Zappos Couture, a web-based provider for couture apparel and other goods. Along with Zappos, he will assist with re-designing the website which will include a new look and original content.
Andy Ku is a metaverse developer, mobile gaming pioneer and tech entrepreneur, founder of software companies BlueArk, Nurien Software and, more recently, Altava group.
Andy Ku has a fascinating journey. After he completed graduation, he got involved in startups since 2002, working with some of the world's most recognisable names in media and gaming. He is also a pioneer in social gaming, having created MStar, a 3D-avatar-based fashion app.
Being involved in gaming companies throughout his career, it didn't come as a surprise when he became CEO of Netmarble Corp. a Korea-based mobile gaming company, in 2011. As the chief executive of the company, Andy was involved in developing games like Marvel Future Fight, Seven Knights, Raven and Everybody's Marble, among others.
That's not all! He founded BlueArk in 2014 to develop and publish games and digital education platforms by converting famous IP such as SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer, Toonix, and American Idol into digital formats, working with Viacom, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, XIX Entertainment, BlueArk Global to launch these games and platforms in more than 137 countries.
Today, Andy has over twenty years of gaming experience from working with top global IP holders - representing their world-famous IPs into the game worlds: SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer from Nickelodeon Viacom, Toonix from Cartoon Network, Creator of Grand Theft Auto, Simon Fuller (American Idol).
Currently, he is the news as the Founder CEO of Altava Group, a Singapore-based company with offices in Seoul, Tokyo, London, and Paris; the company aims to bring luxury brands into the metaverse… positioning itself at the intersection of technology and fashion, bridging the real and virtual worlds. It brings luxury fashion brands into the metaverse, offering them virtual spaces to share stories - a place where they can feature their digitised collections in a branded, customisable environment.
"We are thankful that the institutional investors, as well as retail investors, continue to have faith in our vision of helping brands to connect and explore the opportunity between the IRL and the Web3. Our recent pop-up shop for our Bored Ape Golf Club NFT collection with Hyundai Department Store," said Andy Ku told GlobeNewswire.
Job Titles:
- Editor - in - Chief of Vogue China
- Journalist and Editor - in - Chief
Angelica Cheung is a Chinese fashion journalist. Currently, Cheung is the editor-in-chief of Vogue China.
Biography
As the daughter of a Chinese diplomat, Cheung was born in Beijing in 1966 and studied at Peking University where she obtained degrees in law and English language and literature. She subsequently received an MBA degree from University of South Australia. Beginning in 1993 as a writer at Eastern Express, an English-language newspaper in Hong Kong, Cheung started her career in journalism.
As a journalist in Hong Kong, she worked on all aspects of life there in the run-up to the handover to China in 1997. In 2001, she was named editor-in-chief of Marie Claire in Hong Kong and, in 2003, editorial director at Elle China in Shanghai. When publisher Condé Nast wanted to launch Vogue in China, the company asked Cheung to take the lead. And since 2005, she has been editorial director of Vogue China.
Angelica Cheung has played an integral role in the development of China's fashion industry. Upon joining Condé Nast China as the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue China in 2005, Angelica Cheung spearheaded the launch of the publication and for the past thirteen years, has led its growth to international acclaim. From its inception, Vogue China's combination of original creative content and global vision set a new benchmark for Chinese fashion publications. Whilst working closely with the world's leading photographers, stylists, models and designers, Vogue China has also dedicated itself to supporting local Chinese talent and sustained efforts to bring the Chinese fashion industry to international prominence.
Anjana Bhargav is an Indian fashion designer. She has a formal degree in Textile Designing and pattern cutting with a French Instructor and a course from prestigious St. Martins College, London, combined with an inherent sense of aesthetics. Anjana has had several showings in Sharjah, London, Kathmandu, New York, Germany, Miami and Hong Kong along with showings of her collections in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
Anjana has dressed the Booker prize winner Arundhati Roy, herbal beauty queen Shahnaz Hussain and Hindustani classical singer Shubha Mudgal for the celebration of Femina's 50th anniversary. In Bollywood, also she has dressed Hindi film actress Vidya Balan.
Job Titles:
- Digital Fashion Designer
- Education Certified Trainer, CLO 3D
- Fashion Designer and Texture Artist
Digital fashion designer Anna Lisa Liedtke began her career in physical fashion before she diversified into digital design in 2018 after she received training in 3D software, CLO 3D. Today, she trains aspiring digital designers to use CLO 3D and works as the Director of Digital Fashion at The Fabricant.
Anna Lisa Liedtke began her career in physical fashion before she diversified into digital design in 2018 after she received training in 3D software, CLO 3D, which allows the user to sew your garment with its software and immediately see the result. Today, she trains aspiring digital designers to use CLO 3D and works as Director, Digital Fashion at digital-only fashion house, The Fabricant.
It's quite interesting how Anna transformed her desire to combine new technologies with traditional fabricant into a lucrative profession. She cut her teeth at physical fashion by joining Germany-based ‘Aurora Collective', in 2010. Here, the high expectations on quality were accompanied by the conscience of sustainability. Anna's role was production of the Velcro Straps although she also developed bags and messenger bags made of functional materials and caps in limited editions. Two years later, she moved to ‘Bespoke Tailor' where she looked at custom design and tailoring for classic suits, casual wear; evenings gowns and work wear; supervised students' thesis; and supervised quality, pattern making and sewing garments.
Things began to look up when she envisioned recreating physical garments using the software, CLO 3D, however, could not fathom technicalities. Often comparing herself with 3D artists, and trying to perceive the difference, led her to seek support from the digital fashion community. With a skill set of texturing, fashion design, cloth simulation and software proficiency in Blender, Substance 3D Painter, Substance 3D Designer, Unreal Engine, Marvelous Designer and CLO 3D, there was no looking back. She joined Hugo Boss as an intern and worked her way up to Apparel Designer and then Senior 3D Design Project Manager which involved training the team in CLO 3D, supporting digital transformation for the design and operations team, and researching new technologies to create new costumer experiences.
Six years later, Anna put her skill set and considerable experience to use and began rethinking her physical approach to designing garments at digital-only fashion house, The Fabricant, where she leads teams in creating 3D fashion visualisations for marketing and digital product development as Senior Digital Fashion Designer. Anna employs a very handcrafted process. she still works with traditional tools like pattern pieces and sewing tools, in 3D fashion software, of the thought that the knowledge of a fashion designer is the foundation needed to create a level of detail that makes the digital garment realistic and beautiful. Her vision is to create immersive spaces, emotional experiences, and unique opportunities that engage all senses in the metaverse.
Today, the designer's greatest strength is to revolutionize augmented wardrobes with pieces that defy gravity; her metallic textiles that fold like silk, and chain-link socks that cling to the feet like latex force the creative mind to re-think the future of fashion. Be it designing and developing pieces that can be superimposed onto avatars or curating looks simply for the Metaverse, her body of work continues to evolve and breathe new life into the craft. Is it a wonder then her favourite quote is Oscar Wilde's "You can never be overdressed or overeducated", which she considers on point with web3 and digital fashion?!
Job Titles:
- Editor - in - Chief of American Vogue and One of the Most Influential Figures in Fashion
Anna Wintour is the Editor-in-chief of American Vogue and the artistic director of Condé Nast, she is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in fashion. She is the ultimate tastemaker and her opinion alone can either make or break a fashion show. She knows instantly what works and what doesn't, which is no doubt why her personal wardrobe is always on-point. If you like a classic style which is both timeless and on-trend, Anna Wintour is your perfect fashion editor muse. To channel her style invest in signature shades, a pair of classic nude heels, pencil skirts in jersey fabric, and a trench coat with a twist.
Biography
Anne Klein was born as Hannah Glofsky on August 3, 1923 in Brooklyn, New York. Drawn towards fashion and its various nuances from an early age, she studied fine arts at Girls Commercial High School where she won a scholarship to Traphagen School of Fashion. She got her first taste of the world of fashion in 1938 when at the age of 15, she was appointed as a sketcher for a dress firm on 7th avenue of the Garments District in New York. She adopted the first name Anne and also took Ben Klein's last name whom she married in 1948.
Arjun Khanna is one of India's most well-known and avant-garde fashion labels; over the last 21 years, the designer has revolutionized men's fashion with elaborate detailing, excellent tailoring and rich, opulent designs.
Ashish Gupta is an Indian fashion designer. Ashish has been called as the rising star of London's fashion scene. He has been named one of the top new generation creators by the British Fashion week. He designs in London, has workshops in India, where he gets complex hand embroidery done, and sells in London and Toronto.
Ashish Gupta is an Indian fashion designer, who lives in London, designing under the label ‘Ashish'. He was born in Delhi and then went on to study Fine Art in India before moving to Middlesex to complete a BA in Fashion Design. After finishing his MA at Central Saint Martins in 2000, Gupta moved to Paris with the intention of finding work in a design studio in the French capital. Unfortunately, his entire portfolio of work was stolen. Gupta then began slowly making clothes for friends until being found by Yeda Yun of Browns Focus, who bought his first garment in 2001. With his mix of Western and Eastern influences, Gupta's designs blend sportswear, high-octane glamour and craftsmanship. Gupta has created outfits for several high profile celebrities, including M.I.A, Madonna, Jerry Hall, Victoria Beckham, Kelly Osborne, Lily Allen and Patrick Wolf.
Since his first show at London Fashion Week in 2004, Gupta has received the New Generation Award three times. Gupta lately worked with Topshop to design an ‘Ashish for Topshop' clothes range. His main collection is stocked in Selfridges and Browns Focus and can also be found in Italy, USA, Russia, Dubai and Kuwait.
Azzedine Alaïa was a Tunisian-born couturier and shoe designer
Azzedine Alaïa was born in Tunis to farming parents of Spanish origin, who eventually separated. He had to start working at a very young age: this is when he learned sewing. He learned French, then lied about his age to get into a sculpture studies school at the Beaux-Arts in Tunis, from which he graduated. On the side, he worked with his sister Hafida, from whom he learned more advanced sewing skills.
Azzedine Alaïa is quoted in a replica of the movie The American Class: "Nothing like going to Azzedine Alaïa, or even buying some sweatshirts at Yohji Yamamoto! ".
Alaïa was also quoted in the film Clueless where Cher Horowitz, played by Alicia Silverstone in red dress signed Azzedine Alaïa, replies: "This is an Alaïa […] an extremely important fashion designer".
Betsey Johnson is an American fashion designer best known for her feminine and whimsical designs. Many of her designs are considered "over the top" and embellished. She also is known for doing a cartwheel ending in a split at the end of her fashion shows. Her namesake brand has over 60 stores worldwide, including stores in London, Tokyo, and Toronto.
Johnson has been married three times. She married John Cale in 1968. They divorced in 1969. Johnson then married Jeffrey Oliviere in 1981. They divorced in 1984, Johnson's current husband is Brian Reynolds, they married in 1997.She is a long-term breast cancer survivor.
Johnson was a cheerleader in high school and following her graduation in 1960, she studied art and design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NJ. After one year at Pratt she transferred to Syracuse University where she graduated magna cum laude as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa society in 1964. Johnson was also a member of the Alpha Xi Delta women's sorority while in university. After graduation, she spent a summer as an intern at Mademoiselle magazine.
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur
- HeiQ 's CEO
- Textile Specialist and CEO of HeiQ
Carlo Centonze is an entrepreneur, textile specialist and CEO of HeiQ, a Swiss based textile innovator company.
Biography
Carlo studied Biology and Forest Engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich where he graduated in 2003. Shortly after that, he earned his Executive MBA at the University of St.Gallen in 2007.
After his service as army pilot he started his professional career as co-founder of the ETH Spin-off Myclimate where he took the role of Head of Marketing between 2002 and 2003. After that first contact with environmental and sustainable organizations, he went to co-found the textile innovator company HeiQ along with Dr Murray Height. As such, since 2004, he has served HeiQ as CEO, developing the firm from a two employee company to a 80+ employee company as of today.
Job Titles:
- Editor of Harper 's Bazaar
Carmel Snow, the editor of Harper's Bazaar, was impressed with Vreeland's clothing style and asked her to work at the magazine. Her publishing career then began in 1936 as columnist for Harper's Bazaar. Until her resignation, Diana Vreeland ran a column for Harper's Bazaar called "Why Don't You?". She also worked closely with Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Richard Avedon, Nancy White,and Alexey Brodovitch.
Carolina Herrera is a Venezuelan-American fashion designer. She is known for her elegance and class in dressing celebrities around the world. She comes from a wealthy family and has a privileged background. Her mother instilled in her passion and discipline that helped her transform into an elegant woman. In the seventies and eighties, she was quite well known in Venezuela because of the fact that she was considered to be the one of the best-dressed designers in the country. Later, she moved to New York City where she decided to become a fashion designer. Even, she hadn't proper training in fashion designing, soon she became very successful at it and was dressing some of the most famous and influential women in the world which led to a huge boom in the popularity of her clothes. She dressed. She has been dressing various first ladies including Jacqueline Onassis, Laura Bush,and Michelle Obama. The world acknowledges her skills in fashion designing as she won the number of awards in the various fields. She believes that Queen Elizabeth is the fashion icon of the century.
Anna Wintour was born in London, England, on November 3, 1949. Wintour is the daughter of Charles Vere Wintour, who twice served as editor of London's Evening Standard newspaper. She dropped out of North London Collegiate in 1966 and four years later became a fashion assistant for Harper's & Queen magazine. After working as a fashion editor for a series of New York magazines, she served as editor (1986) of British Vogue and as editor (1987) of House & Garden, which she controversially relaunched in the United States as HG.
Christian Lacroix is a French fashion designer who made a splash in the mid-1980s with his haute couture line created first for the house of Patou then under his own brand. The nineties saw Lacroix start up a number of diffusion lines as well as a perfume. Although Lacroix is well known in the fashion industry he was never able to turn a profit from his brands. In May 2009 "Christian Lacroix" (the brand) filed for bankruptcy, it received several bidders offering to invest in the fashion house with no confirmed acceptance.
Biography
Christian Lacroix was born in Arles, France on May 16, 1951. Lacroix is the son of an engineer father who helped design equipment used in oil drilling. He was raised in a bourgeois household in Arles and liked to draw as a child. Many of his sketches were of clothing historical costumes and fashions. His interest in history and fashion led him to pursue museum studies at École du Louvre where Lacroix met his future wife Françoise Rosenthiel, whom he married in 1974.
Education
Lacroix graduated from secondary school in 1969 and moved to Montpellier, to study Art History at the University of Montpellier. In 1971, he enrolled at the Sorbonne in Paris. While working on a dissertation on dress in French 18th-century painting, Lacroix also pursued a program in museum studies at the École du Louvre. His aspiration during this time was to become a museum curator.
Job Titles:
- Designer
- First Female Artistic Director
Clare Waight Keller is a British stylist and fashion designer
Clare Waight Keller is the first female artistic director of luxury fashion house, Givenchy. She has also held various positions at fashion brands such as Gucci, Chloé, Ralph Lauren and many more. Keller had also designed Meghan Markle's dress for her wedding to Prince Harry.
Biography
Clare Waight Keller was born in Birmingham, England on 19 August 1970.She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ravensbourne College of Art and a master's degree in knitwear from the Royal College of Art in London. She is currently married to Philip Keller, an architect.They have three children together.
Collette Dinnigan is an Australian based fashion designer
Collette Dinnigan was born in South Africa in 1965. When she was eight, her family lived on their yacht for a number of years, eventually sailed around the southern coast of Australia and on to New Zealand, where she was raised. She studied at Wellington Polytechnic, and on graduation moved to Australia.
Collette Dinnigan designed three main collections per year by 2011; three collette by Collette Dinnigan collections; two bridal collections and three lingerie collections.
Collette Dinnigan launched an online boutique in 2012 and a collaboration with The Australian Ballet's 50th Anniversary, designing a range of children's Tutu's that were sold in Target. Proceeds of the sales were donated to The Australian Ballet's Kids Education Program.
At the end of 2013 Dinnigan significantly scaled down her business, closing her boutiques in Sydney, Melbourne and London and stopping production of her bridal and evening wear lines. Dinnigan emphasised that the business was still profitable and had no debt; she just wanted to spend more time with her family.
Collette continued to design for her diffusion brand in 2014, Collette by Collette Dinnigan, Collette Dinnigan Enfant & Hosiery, Specsavers Designer Eyewear and other special projects to be announced.
Target Australia collaborates with Collette Dinnigan on a second Wild Hearts lingerie collection. The range was released in stores on September 24th,2015.In October 2015, Collette disrupted the retail industry releasing a limited edition affordable children's wear range, Young Hearts, for the German retail giant Aldi.
On 30th of March 2016, a section of Collette's exhibition Collette Dinnigan: Unlaced opened in the Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in Brisbane.The Victoria & Albert Museum in London features a Collette Dinnigan lingerie set in their exhibition Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear, open from 16 April 2016 until 12 March 2017.In May 2016, Golf House, Sydney's newest residential development, announced its interiors will be designed by Collette Dinnigan.Later in June , Collette Dinnigan teamed up with Porter's Paints to create a range of decorative handcrafted wallpapers inspired by her global travels.
Collette continues to design for her diffusion brand, Collette by Collette Dinnigan, Collette Dinnigan Enfant & Hosiery, Specsavers Designer Eyewear and other special projects to be announced.
On October 4, 2016 Collette Dinnigan announced a second and final limited edition collaboration with Aldi, Young Hearts, introducing boys wear.On December 6, 2016 Linen House announced it will launch a new collection with Collette Dinnigan. This was Collette's first linen collection and reflected her passion for antique textiles and was inspired by her travels.
2011: Collette Dinnigan was inducted into the Creative Arts Hall of Fame, Massey University, New Zealand recognised for her contribution to the global fashion design world.
2013: Collette Dinnigan became the first Australian designer to show in Singapore's Audi Fashion Festival.
Diane Simone Michelle Halfin was born on New Year's Eve 1946 in Brussels, to her Greek-born, Jewish - a Holocaust survivor - mother Lily Nahmias and her Romanian father,Leon (Lipa) Halfin.
Fürstenberg attended a boarding school in Oxfordshire.She studied at Madrid University before transferring to the University of Geneva to study economics.She then moved to Paris and worked as an assistant to fashion photographer's agent Albert Koski.
Diane Von Furstenberg is a Belgian-American fashion designer
Job Titles:
- Italian Fashion Designer and Politician
Don Emilio Pucci, Marchese di Barsento was a Florentine Italian fashion designer and politician. He and his eponymous company are synonymous with geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colors. Pucci began his design career with ski uniforms, then eventually expanded to designing most things from lingerie to swimwear to dresses. He was also credited with creating the three bird motif for the design of the Apollo 15 mission patch. After his death in 1992, Pucci's daughter took over designing for the brand and in 2000, LVMH acquired a majority stake of the company.
Donatella Versace is an Italian fashion designer and businesswoman
Donatella Francesca Versace was born on 2 May 1955 in Reggio di Calabria, Southern Italy. Her father, Antonio, was a salesman and her mother, Francesca, was a dressmaker. She is the youngest of four children.Her older sister, Tina, died at the age of 12 from an improperly treated tetanus infection.Her brother, Santo Versace, inherited 30% of Versace upon Gianni's death.
Donatella Versace grew up with two major fashion influences: her mother was a dressmaker and her older brother, Gianni Versace, was a budding designer.Versace began developing her trademark look as a teenager - dying her hair platinum blonde and using dark eyeliner. She was remarkably close to her older brother, Gianni, who would take her out with him at night and make outfits for her to wear. Donatella attended a university in Florence for a time, but she eventually reunited with Gianni to support his clothing business.
She went to work for her brother in the late 1970s, serving as his muse and adviser.Gianni employed his sister Donatella as Vice President, overseeing creative oversight, where she acted as a key consultant to Versace. Donatella Versace became the designer for the company's Versus line in the 1980s. After her brother was murdered in 1997, she became artistic director of the Versace Group.
Donna Karan is an American fashion designer and the creator of DKNY label
Donna Karan ( Donna Ivy Faske ) was born on October 2, 1948 to mother Helen ("Queenie") and father Gabby Faske in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the Borough of Queens, New York City. Her father was a tailor and haberdasher who died when Donna was three years old.
From an early age Karan, who grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, was immersed in the world of fashion. Her mother worked as a mode and also worked in designer Chester Weinberg's showroom while her stepfather made a living as a suit designer.
Donna indulged in sports, cut classes in high school, and passed much of her time in the art department. She graduated from Hewlett High School in 1966, and then went to the Parsons School of Design.
Emanuel Ungaro is an Italian fashion designer, born and raised in France, Ungaro has been interested in the creation of clothing from a very young age. He came from a family of tailors and established his fashion house in 1965 after working under the designer Cristóbal Balenciaga. Within a few years Mr. Ungaro's creations were being worn by A-listers like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and being seen in films on Catherine Deneuve (in "Le Sauvage," 1975), Gena Rowlands ("Gloria," 1980) and other actresses. In 2005, he sold a stake of his fashion house to Asim Abdullah, a venture capitalist, and retired.
Biography
Emanuel Ungaro was born in 1933 in Aix-en-Provence in France. His Italian father, who fled the Fascist uprising in the thirties, was a tailor and ensured the young Emanuel's first toy was a sewing machine. At the age of 23, the budding designer moved to Paris and two years later in 1958 began as an assistant to Cristobal Balenciaga. In 1965 he set up his own couture house and became known for his flamboyant use of pattern and elegant draping, creating pieces with an emphasis on the comfortable and flattering encasement of the female form.
Ungaro quickly garnered a high profile celebrity following, including Jacqueline Kennedy and Catherine Deneuve, and the business developed healthily until the early nineties. The grunge decade saw Ungaro's colourful ruffles and exuberant palette replaced by understated tailoring at the height of fashion and the company began to flounder.
In 1996, Ungaro sold a majority stake of his business to Salvatore Ferragamo SpA with the understanding that the Italian label would develop a lucrative handbag and shoe division to support the loss-making couture business. From 1965 to 2004 his collections had steadily showcased remarkable textiles - he was always fabric-led, interested from the start in exploring experimental novelties coming off the loom or print-roller.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Key People Founder and Creative Director
Gabriela Hearst is a luxury women's and men's ready-to-wear and accessories collection, built on the principles of timelessness, uncompromising quality and sustainability. The high fashion brand reflects a slower pace and process: where things are made with care and detail, where tradition is more important than trend, where there is a purpose to every piece.
Gabriela Hearst has a number of awards to her name. In 2016, she was awarded Woolmark Womenswear USA and the following year she won Woolmark Womenswear International Prize. In 2018 she won Pratt Institute's Pratt Fashion Visionary Award and in 2020 she was named CFDA American Womenswear Designer of the Year. The same year she won The Fashion Awards: Environment
Geoffrey Beene was an American fashion designer. Beene was born on Aug. 30, 1927 in Haynesville, Louisiana. Beene revolutionized the American fashion industry with minimalist designs that incorporated a variety of materials and emphasized comfort over couture.He spent three years studying medicine at Tulane University, New Orleans, but dropped out with the intention of enrolling at the University of Southern California. Beene drew widespread praise for his 1967 design of Lynda Bird Johnson's wedding dress, and his spring collection that year was generally regarded as his finest. In 1974 he launched a line of inexpensive sportswear that he dubbed Beene Bag, and two years later he became the first American designer to open a show in Milan. His work earned him induction into the Fashion Hall of Fame, eight Coty Fashion Critics Awards, and a 1998 lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Biography
Beene is known in the fashion industry to have an out-of-the-box approach to designing women's clothes. Dubbed as the ‘godfather of minimalism', for his non-stereotypical approach on designing couture, he studied at New York's Traphagen School of Fashion. He then relocated to Paris to study at the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Well versed in the art of tailoring, he got his first job in 1951 in New York as an atelier designer at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel but soon got fired. He moved on to find a job at New York's Garment District and worked as a designer for women's wear at Teal Traina till 1963. By the end of the year, Beene had found his lucky break and he established his own company which was very unlikely at the time for American designers. He soon caught the attention of designers and media alike at the Seventh Avenue Fare where his designs were highly praised. Geoffrey designed a wedding dress for Lyndon B. Johnson's daughter in 1967 which was not one of his best works and he decided to take his career forward by making dangerously minimalist outfits. His outfits soon became the talk of the town and Geoffrey had become a household name for the rich and famous in America.
He usually experimented with very different stitches and materials like denim for his evening wear. Geoffrey launched his second line, Beene Bag in 1974 and he is one of the first American designers to have showcased his work at the Milan Fashion Week. Even though Beene had skills that were second to none, he somehow never reached the zenith of financial success due to his ongoing feud with Women's Wear Daily. It all started when Beene refused to provide more details about the wedding dress he was designing for the wedding of Linda B. Johnson's daughter. Despite the two being at dagger's ends with each other, Beene's fashion shows in the 1980s were well attended by many notable names in the fashion industry. Geoffrey's company got much of his finance from his very popular fragrance for men called Grey Flannel.
Beene's work started becoming more contemporary and minimalist day by day and became an inspiration for many modern American designers at the time. In 1989, Fifth Avenue became the home of Geoffrey's first boutique. The godfather of minimalist fashion managed to bag many awards for producing outstanding work throughout his career. He was the winner of many Coty awards and won four awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He also received a lifetime achievement award.
Geoffrey's clothes were much appreciated by his loyal fans Pat Nixon, Faye Dunaway, Glenn Close, Nancy Reagan and Lady Bird Johnson. Beene was not only an inspiration to many but a teacher too. Kay Unger, Doo Ri Chung and Alber Elbaz were all Beene's apprentices who made it big in the fashion industry. His illustrious career of forty years came to an end with his death on 24th September, 2004 due pneumonia; one of the complications of cancer. The Council of Fashion Designers of America has created the annual Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award to honor Beene's legacy.
Job Titles:
- Italian Fashion Designer Known for His Daring Fashions and Glamorous Lifestyle
Job Titles:
- Designer and Founder of Versace
Giovanni Maria Versace was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Versace, an international fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up, home furnishings, and clothes. He also designed costumes for theatre and films. As a friend of Eric Clapton; Diana, Princess of Wales; Naomi Campbell; Duran Duran; Kate Moss; Madonna; Elton John; Cher; Sting; Tupac; The Notorious B.I.G.; and many other celebrities, he was one of the first designers to link fashion to the music world.
On 15 July 1997, Versace was shot and killed outside his Miami Beach mansion, Casa Casuarina, at the age of 50.
Giovanni Maria Versace was born on December 2, 1946 in the city of Reggio Calabria, Italy, and grew up with his elder brother Santo Versace and younger sister Donatella Versace, along with their father and dressmaker mother, Francesca. Gianni's older sister, Tina, died at age 12 because of an improperly treated tetanus infection.
Versace was strongly influenced by ancient Greek history, which dominates the historical landscape of his birthplace. He attended Liceo Classico Tommaso Campanella, where he studied Latin and ancient Greek, without completing the course. He was also influenced by Andy Warhol.
Versace began his apprenticeship at a young age, at his mother's sewing business, which employed up to a dozen seamstresses. He became interested in architecture before moving to Milan, Italy at the age of 26 to work in fashion design.
Saab, Tina Knowles, House of Deréon, Giorgio Armani, Versace, and Herve Leger served as the designers for the outfits of the 2007 The Beyoncé Experience tour.In 2010, Saab dressed 102 celebrities for events overall, up from 40 in 2009. The figure for 2011, up until March, was 88.In 2011, Madame Tussauds unveiled a wax statue of Kate Winslet draped in the Elie Saab dress she wore at 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards.
Countess Stéphanie and the Hereditary Grand Duke married in a civil ceremony married in 2012,where the bride wore a dress designed by Elie Saab.Princess Claire of Luxembourg also wore an Saab-designed dress on her wedding.First Lady of France Brigitte Macron wore an Elie Saab outfit of military coat and skinny trousers during a state visit to China.That same year, he worked with the Lebanese American University and London College of Fashion to launch a bachelor's degree in fashion design.
He has been worn by Queen Rania of Jordan,Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden,Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. Sandra Bullock wore Elie Saab at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013 and at the world premiere of the movie Ocean's 8 in New York.In 2018, Rose Leslie wore a floral embroidered Elie Saab wedding dress when she wed her Game of Thrones co-star Kit Harington.
Saab has quickly risen household brand status in Beirut, and Saab has made repeated appearances as a judge on Project Runway's middle eastern 2016 edition. Other notable clients of Saab's work have included Nicole Kidman,Eva Green, Yulia Alipova, Nicki Minaj,Beyoncé, Aishwarya Rai,Anna Kendrick,Christina Aguilera, Catherine Zeta-Jones,Angelina Jolie, Celine Dion,Elena Anaya, Elsa Zylberstein,Heidi Klum, Karlie Kloss, Helen Mirren,Emilia Clarke, Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor,Kendall Jenner and Taylor Swift. Increasingly sought out by celebrities, a Saab dress was worn by the Israeli actress Gal Gadot attending the 2018, National Board of Review Awards. This sparked a momentous flash of outrage among Lebanese social media users, given the Israeli-Lebanon conflict that erupted in 1948.
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Founder
- Key People Founder and Creative Director
Diana Vreeland "discovered" actress Lauren Bacall during World War II. The Harper's Bazaar cover for March 1943 shows Lauren Bacall posing near a Red Cross office, based on Vreeland's decision.Vreeland was noted for taking fashion seriously. Vreeland disliked the common approach to dressing that she saw in the United States in the 1940s. Diana Vreeland ultimately became Fashion Editor for the magazine.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy became president and Diana Vreeland advised the First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in matters of style.Vreeland occasionally gave Mrs. Kennedy advice about clothing during her husband's administration, and small advice about what to wear on Inauguration Day in 1961.
In spite of being extremely successful, Diana Vreeland was paid a relatively small salary by the Hearst Corporation, which owned Harper's Bazaar. According to some sources, she was hurt that she was passed over for promotion at Harper's Bazaar in 1957, so she joined Vogue in 1962. She was editor-in-chief from 1963 until 1971.
During her tenure at the magazine, she discovered the sixties "youthquake" star Edie Sedgwick.After she was fired from Vogue, she became consultant to the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1971. By 1984, according to Vreeland's account, she had organized twelve exhibitions. Artist Greer Lankton created a life-size portrait doll of Vreeland that is on display in the Costume Institute's library. That same year, Vreeland wrote her autobiography, D.V.
Michelle La Vaughn Robinson was born on January 17, 1964 in Chicago. Her father was Fraser Robinson (1935-1991), while her mother is Marian Shields Robinson, secretary (born in 1937). Great-grandfather Michelle was a slave at the plantation in Georgetown. Fraser Robinson was an employee of municipal waterworks and an activist of the Democratic Party. Michelle's older brother Craig was a basketball player. In 1970, the Robinson family moved to a slightly richer Chicago district - South Shore. From a young age, Michelle witnessed racial segregation. She attended Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (English), while attending lectures in biology at Kennedy-King College (English).
After graduating from high school, in 1981 she began studying at Princeton University. The future first lady most often spent time with black peers, of whom there were about 10% at the entire university. In 1985 she graduated from Princeton with the title of Bachelor of Arts and began studying law at Harvard University. At the end of her education at Princeton, she wrote a work entitled Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community. At Harvard, she belonged to the Black Law Students Association. Two years later she graduated.
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is an American lawyer, university administrator and writer
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, born January 17, 1964, is an American lawyer, university administrator and writer, who was the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She is married to the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, and was the first African-American first lady. Michelle focused her attention on social issues such as poverty, healthy living and education. Her 2018 memoir, Becoming, discusses the experiences that shaped her, from her childhood in Chicago to her years living in the White House.
Job Titles:
- Artistic Director
- Key People Artistic Director