This is an effort to compile a comprehensive resource based around of many of the greatest designers of all time. Undoubtedly you will find many familiar names such as Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Liz Claiborne and Ralph Lauren. Still, the real beauty of this database is the information on designers you haven’t heard of. This will allow you to firmly grasp the roots of the modern fashion world and come to a new appreciation of what is happening today.
Surnames are listed in alphabetical order. Each entry contains a biography of the fashion designer as well as a history of the company founded if applicable.
- AdolfoSince Nancy Reagan, one of Adolfo’s biggest fans, has become first lady, the crush to get a front-row seat became an upmanship scene,’ reported American Vogue in 1981.
- ADRIAN, Gilbert‘Twelve hundred costumes, five thousand wigs and fripperies for two poodles were Adrian’s pre-occupation during the filming of Marie Antionette,’ noted Vogue in 1938.
- AGNÈS BEclectic, young and with the simplicity of a school uniform, the Agnès B label has branches in London, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Amsterdam.
- AGNÈS, MadameAgnès hats, named after their maker, appeared regularly in Vogue in the 1920s and 1930s.
- ALAïA, AzzedineCrowned the ‘King _of Cling’ in 1981, Azzedine Alaïa reinvented body consciousness at a time when the world was infatuated with frills.
- AMIES, Sir HardyEngland's most distinguished designer has become something of an enfant terrible in his old age, frequently consulted by style pundits for his outspoken opinions on everything from modern manners to the minutiae of old-fashioned roses (his favourite is a subtly striped variety called Rosa `Mundi').
- ARMANI, Giorgio‘In Italy, fashion is logical, rational and wearable,’ observed Giorgio Armani in 1986.
- ASHLEY, LauraAdvocate of the piecrust frill and full-blown ballgown, Laura Ashley began her business by silk-screen printing textiles on her kitchen table.
- AUGUSTABERNARD‘The new silhouette slides in like a fish’, observed Vogue in its ‘Turning Points towards a New Mode’ in 1933.
- BAKST, LéonA fine artist turned costume designer, Léon Bakst was best known for his work with the Ballets Russes, where his exotic use of colour and extraordinary patterns had a profound influence on fashion.
- BALENCIAGA, ChristobalIn Vogue, 1962: ‘There is one brief, pithy Spanish word, cursi, that Balenciaga uses to describe what he hates most in fashion: vulgarity and bad taste.
- BALMAIN, PierreA mover rather than a shaker, Pierre Balmain launched his career by working with three of fashion’s greats before branching out on his own.
- BANTON, TravisTravis Banton was considered – along with Gilbert Adrian – one _of the most important figures in Hollywood.
- BATES, John‘I admire the way Americans care, but it shows a little and it shouldn’t,’ said John Bates in Vogue’s ‘Designer Series’ in 1976, ‘they’re best when they’re wearing the least make-up and their hair shines like they invented shampoo.’
- BEENE, GeoffreyA resolute modernist and designer’s designer who works in a mixture of mediums, Geoffrey Beene is a quiet thinker with a soft southern accent, who calls his clothes ‘liquid geometry’.
- BENETTONThe Italian knitwear company, Benetton, caused a stir by producing a series of shocking advertising campaigns directed by its creative director, Oliviero Toscani.
- BERARDI, AntonioRising star Antonio Berardi told Vogue in 1997, ‘My work is a mix of my British and Sicilian roots: an art school mentality combined with the inspiration I take from the strength of the women in my family.’
- BIAGIOTTI, LauraWith designs that are quiet, clean and spare, in classic fabrics and neutral colours, Laura Biagiotti has forged a reputation for understated Italian clothing that needs no concepts or gimmicks to sell it.
- BIBABarbara Hulanicki's biography, From A to Biba (1983), is dedicated `To All Optimists, Fatalists and Dreamers', a fitting introduction to a story of extraordinary vision and retail invention, which captured the imagination of a generation.
- BIKKEMBERGS, DirkPart of the Belgian contingent that gained prominence during the early 1990s, Dirk Bikkembergs first became famous for his footwear, with his functional, hard-wearing shoes.
- BIRTWELL, CeliaDepicted in countless canvases and drawings by David Hockney, Celia Birtwell is a talented textile designer and superb colourist, most famous for her electric collaborations with her late ex-husband, Ossie Clark.
- BLAHNIK, Manolo‘If God had wanted women to wear flat shoes, he wouldn’t have created Manolo Blahnik,’ wrote Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman in July 1994.
- BLASS, BillBill Blass possesses the three key ingredients of a successful American designer: a good eye for design, a shrewd business brain and a personality that charms the birds off the trees.
- BODYMAP‘Young designers are re-drawing the hemline, any line, and not always with a ruler,’ said Vogue in its assessment of the new cotton softwear in 1984.
- BOHAN, Marc‘Marc Bohan is small, dark and quicksilver, and a most sophisticated man as befitting the artistic director of Christian Dior, the house that spells the ultimate in luxury for perhaps the greatest number of people in the world,’ said Vogue in The Perfectionists’ in 1974.
- BOUÉ SŒURS, House of‘Two fairy aprons float upon the skirt in front and back ... Add sparkle, and faint motion.’
- BRUCE, LizaLiza Bruce built her business on stretch fabric and quickly became known as the `Queen of Lycra', producing swimsuits of the neon-coloured variety, aerodynamic lines and cut-outs.
- BURBERRYAn inventor and fabric technologist, who predicted the advent of sportswear and steered its course, Thomas Burberry opened his shop in Basingstoke, Hampshire, in 1856 when he was 21 years old.
- BURROWS, StephenBest known for his use of colour, Stephen Burrows’ career has fluctuated as many times as his styles.
- BYBLOSA company which previously employed Gianni Versace and Guy Paulin as in-house designers, Byblos was successfully directed from 1981 by Keith Varty and Alan Cleaver.
- CACHAREL, JeanOriginally a men’s tailor, Jean Cacharel switched to womenswear when he became a pattern cutter and stylist at Jean Jourdan of Paris. He founded his own business at the turn of the 1960s, perfectly capturing the downturn of couture and upward mobility of ready to wear.
- CALLOT SŒURS, House ofExotic and breathtakingly beautiful dresses bearing the Callot Sœurs label still astound.
- CAPELLINO, AllyModern, easy and eternally wearable, Ally Capellino’s brand of English simplicity has worldwide appeal.
- CAPUCCI, RobertoAn expert in sculptural shape and circular form, Roberto Capucci was one of the first post-Second World War Italian couturiers to enjoy international fame.
- CARDIN, PierreIn 1974 Vogue’s assessment of Pierre Cardin was as a‘ferbrile, anguished, original, the air quaking about him as he hurtles from place to place, project to project.’
- CARNEGIE, HattieThe first American designer to make the psychological leap between design and lifestyle, Hattie Carnegie was a retail phenomena who imported Paris couture into America – sometimes diluting the styles under the Hattie Carnegie Originals label.
- CASHIN, BonnieYears ahead of her time, Bonnie Cashin was both an innovator and experimentalist.
- CASSINI, OlegA renowned Casanova and professional charmer, Oleg Cassini is a Russian count who is famous for three things: his pencilled moustache, his engagement to Grace Kelly and the official wardrobe he designed for the century’s most elegant first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy.
- CASTELBAJAC, Jean-Charles deWith his flair for architectural shapes and clear blocks of colour, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has always been associated with streamlined design.
- CAVANAGH, JohnA former assistant to Edward Molyneux and, briefly, Pierre Balmain, John Cavanagh opened his London salon in 1952.
- CERRUTI, NinoProbably most famous for his menswear, Nino Cerruti took over his family’s textile business at 20 years old and produced his own line in 1957.
- CHALAYAN, HusseinMore fine artist than fashion designer, Hussein Chalayan has broken the mould of British fashion by being a quiet minimalist as opposed to rebel without a cause.
- CHANEL, Gabrielle‘Chanel is the fascinating paradox,’ said Vogue in 1957, ‘the couturier who takes no account of fashion, who pursues her own faultlessly elegant line in the quiet confidence that fashion will come back to her – and sure enough it always does.’
- CHLOÉThe Chloé philosophy of embodying young, forward-thinking design has always been reflected by the designers in Chloé’s employ.
- CHOO, JimmyA relative newcomer to London’s footwear fraternity – who established himself within the space of a decade – Jimmy Choo has shod a variety of the rich and famous.
- CHÉRUIT, MadeleineMadeleine Chéruit was described in Vogue in 1915 as ‘a Louis XVI woman because she has the daintiness, the extravagant tastes, the exquisite charm, and the art of those French ladies who went gaily through the pre-revolution epoch.’
- CLAIBORNE, LizBased on accessibility, versatility and quality, the Liz Claiborne label is revered and admired in corporate circles.
- CLARK, OssieA genius cutter and constructor of clothes, Ossie Clark was the 1960s’ wunderkind with all the essential ingredients: good looks, an extraordinary eye, an enormous ego and a talent to amuse.
- CLEMENTS RIBEIRO‘Minimal dressing had become so uniform, we felt that romantic and feminine was the only way to go,’ said Inacia Ribeiro, summing up his collection in 1997.
- CLERGERIE, RobertClergerie shoes are synonymous with luxury, quality, and a constant attention to detail.
- COLONNA, JeanJean Colonna learnt his craft at Balmain before launching his own label in 1985.
- COMME DES GARÇONSIn 1981 there were four fashion capitals - Paris, London, Milan and New York - Tokyo was about to become the fifth.
- CONNOLLY, SybilWhen Dublin staged its first international dress show in the autumn of 1953 at Dunsany Castle, Sybil Connolly, the most famous name in Irish fashion, was the star.
- CONRAN, JasperDescended from a family of creatives and high achievers, Jasper Conran trained at Parson’s School of Design in New York and then worked briefly at Fiorucci, Wallis and a clothing manufacturer in Barnsley, England.
- COPPERWHEAT BLUNDELLThe Copperwheat Blundell partnership has a firm foundation built on solid experience from both sides. Lee Copperwheat studied tailoring at Tresham College in Northampton, at the London College of Fashion and at Aquascutum.
- COURRÈGES, AndréOne of many designers of the 1960s who claims to have invented the mini, André Courrèges was mesmerized by space travel.
- COX, PatrickMost famous for his Wannabe loafer, which enjoyed phenomenal success in the early 1990s, Patrick Cox has now changed tack from concentrating solely on shoes to accessories and clothing.
- CRAHAY, Jules-FrançoisSon of a couturière, Jules-François Crahay began his career early. At 13 years old he was already working as an illustrator at his mother’s couture house.
- CREED, Charles SoutheySon of Henry Creed of Paris – who claimed to be the first tailor to introduce tweeds into women’s suits – Charles Creed was one of the movers and shakers of British fashion in the 1940s.
- CÉLINECéline is a French luxury brand which was founded in 1973 but did not make its mark until two years later when the first Céline boutiques opened around the world: starting with Monte Carlo, Geneva and Hong Kong, followed by London, Toronto and Beverly Hills.
- DACHÉ, LillyThe personification of the American Dream, Lilly Daché was a French immigrant who, within the space of a decade, became an enduring household name for chic millinery.
- DE LA RENTA, OscarColourful and sociable, Oscar de la Renta studied art in Spain, worked for Cristobal Balenciaga and was then employed as an assistant to Antonio del Castillo at Lanvin.
- DE LISI, BenWinner of British Fashion’s Glamour Award two years running, Ben de Lisi was born in Brooklyn, raised in Long Island and graduated from the Pratt Institute, New York, in 1977.
- DE PRÉMONVILLE, MyrèneKnown for her use of colour and fastidious tailoring with a slight theatrical bent, Myrène De Prémonville was described by Vogue in 1987 as ‘the new discovery of the past two seasons.
- DELAUNAY, SoniaPainter, textile designer and supreme colourist, Sonia Delaunay’s dresses epitomize the meaning of modernity.
- DEMEULEMEESTER, AnnAnn Demeulemeester is a member of a group of experimental designers who emerged from Belgium in the mid-1980s.
- DESSÈS, JeanIn 1950 Vogue described Jean Dessès, an Egyptian-born Greek, as daring and influential.
- DIOR, ChristianChristian Dior was responsible for the pivotal point in twentieth-century fashion.
- DOLCE & GABBANADolce & Gabbana put sex into Sicily.
- DOUCET, Jacques`Next to Poiret, Doucet is the most amazing personality among the men in the dressmaking world of Paris,' commented Vogue in 1914.
- DOUILLET, House ofOne of the most-featured labels in Vogue's early years, the house of Douillet was known for its attention to detail, rather than for directional design.
- DUFF GORDON, LucileA single mother in an era when divorce was associated with disgrace, Lucile Duff Gordon had a colourful personal life, a high profile and a 21-inch waist in 1899.
- EDELSTEIN, Victor`She likes body-conscious clothes, and why not? She's got a fabulous figure,' said British couturier Victor Edelstein of his most famous client in 1987.
- ELBAZ, AlberThe first designer to direct Yves Saint Laurent's Rive Gauche line, Alber Elbaz is an Israeli-American with a fantastic sense of proportion and healthy sense of humour.
- ELLIS, PerryPerry Ellis designed sportswear in the true sense of the word. Clean lines, crisp fabrics – clothes that crossed the border between lounging and activity.
- EMANUEL, David and ElizabethThe couple who have now gone their separate ways will forever be remembered as the designers behind the wedding dress of Diana, Princess of Wales.
- ENGLISH ECCENTRICSHaving trained at London's Camberwell School of Art and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Helen David - founder of English Eccentrics - is known for her print, colour and quirky textiles, which mix the baroque with aesthetically pleasing shapes.
- ESTRADA, AngelA talented designer, who had a flair for combining sculptural shapes with fluid effects, Angel Estrada secured a Vogue front cover - a satin bustier with luggage zip - within his first year of business in November 1986.
- ETTEDGUI, JosephSon of a French-Moroccan furniture retailer, Joseph Ettedgui emigrated to London in the late 1950s and trained to be a hairdresser.
- FARHI, NicoleUnpretentious clothes with nothing to prove are at the core of Nicole Farhi's philosophy.
- FATH, JacquesJacques Fath was the darling of the Parisian social scene, his name spoken in the same sentence as Cristobal Balenciaga and Christian Dior.
- FENDIOne of the largest and most important of the Italian fashion dynasties, Fendi began as a leather and fur workshop over a century ago.
- FERRAGAMO, SalvatoreSalvatore Ferragamo's supremacy in making innovative shoe shapes was a product of his apprenticeship with a craftsman in his native Italy.
- FERRE, GianfrancoFamously compared with Frank Lloyd Wright, Gianfranco Ferre has a rotund physique and aesthetic sensibility.
- FERRETTI, AlbertaThat rarest of breeds - clever designer and top flight manufacturer - Alberta Ferretti is one of the most powerful women in Italian fashion.
- FIORUCCI, ElioIn the same way that Biba made black lipstick beautiful, Fiorucci made the 1950s fashionable.
- FLETT, JohnJohn Flett began his career as the star of his year at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, from where he graduated in 1985.
- FLYTE OSTELLBoth Ellis Flyte and Richard Ostell had survived fashion's school of hard knocks - bankruptcy, backers and being flavour of the month - before joining forces in 1991.
- FOALE & TUFFINPioneers of the 1960s, Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin - both graduates of the Royal College of Art in London - started their business from a bedsit in London's Gloucester Road.
- FORD, TomThe Texan with the Midas touch, Tom Ford has done what every financier dreams about: taken an established label and made it relevant for a new generation.
- FORTUNY, MarianoMariano Fortuny was a visionary, Renaissance man and creator of revolutionary fabrics.
- FOX, FrederickFrederick Fox, England's most distinguished milliner, is an Australian who spent his childhood on a farm in New South Wales.
- FRATINI, GinaOne of the key instigators of the 1960s romantic movement, Gina Fratini had Irish parentage but was raised in Japan. Her father, the Honourable Somerset Butler, was twin brother of the Earl of Carrick.
- FREUD, BellaBella Freud - daughter of artist Lucien and sister of novelist Esther - designs clothes like those she wears: schoolgirl coats and lean shapes.
- GALANOS, JamesWhen James Galanos retired in 1998, after 47 years in business, the former first lady, Nancy Reagan, paid him a resounding tribute in American Vogue: ‘No one makes clothes like he does – his workmanship, his choice of fabric.
- GALLIANO, JohnA romantic and maverick in equal proportions, John Galliano has been living his dream as design director of Christian Dior since 1996.
- GAULTIER, Jean PaulThe description `enfant terrible' has followed Jean Paul Gaultier (the son of two accountants) around for over 20 years.
- GERNREICH, RudiThe dancer turned designer, who many regard as America's answer to Pierre Cardin, Rudi Gernreich was a 1960s' experimentalist, most famous for the topless swimsuit, which he launched in 1964.
- GHOSTLanguid lines, flowing shapes and the absence of any sharp edges are the signatures of the Ghost label.
- GIBB, BillThe creator of some of the century’s most mind-blowing dresses, Bill Gibb’s celtic sensibility, love of craftsmanship and extraordinary colour sense made him a star in the truest sense of the word.
- GIGLI, Romeo`When I'm working on a collection I'm not thinking,' said Romeo Gigli of his divine inspiration in 1989, `it's a spontaneous, chemical thing.'
- GIVENCHY, Hubert deHubert de Givenchy's quest for perfection was a direct consequence of his friendship with Cristobal Balenciaga.
- GODLEY, GeorginaGeorgina Godley's design career was short and sharp, her clothes sculptural and memorable.
- GREER, HowardAuthor of Designing Male, published in 1951, which told of the trials and tribulations of dressing some of Hollywood’s most enduring stars, Howard Greer began his career in the New York branch of Lucile.
- GRES, MadameGrès: the supreme dressmaker at the top of her form.
- GRIFFE, JacquesOne of the few designers to have worked at the house of Vionnet, the undisputed queen of perfect cutting, Jacques Griffe, first learnt how to sew and construct clothes under the instruction of his mother.
- GUCCI, GuccioGucci was originally a leather goods company founded by Guccio Gucci in Florence in 1922.
- HALSTON, Roy FrowickRoy Halston was New York's most visible party animal during the 1970s and one of the key players in Andy Warhol's infamous diaries.
- HAMNETT, Katharine`The only way you can change the system is from within,' said Katharine Hamnett in Vogue in 1987.
- HARTNELL, Sir NormanIn 1939 Vogue made the following assessment of royal couturier Norman Hartnell: `He discovered the lost arts of femininity, and in the arid angularity of the `twenties, he launched a new, de luxe woman, poised, svelte and soignée: subtle rather than snappy.'
- HEAD, EdithMeticulous, bilingual and mesmeric, Edith Head was a prolific and revered designer, who became the first female to run a costume department in the history of Hollywood.
- HEIM, JacquesIn the 1920s Jacques Heim managed his parents' fur fashion house and started a couture branch before opening his own couture house in 1930.
- HERMESThierry Hermès established himself as a master craftsman with a workshop in rue Basse du Rampart, Paris, making harnesses to sell to the carriage-makers of the Champs Elysées.
- HILFIGER, TommyThe Tommy Hilfiger Corporation was founded in New York in 1992 and it is a label that appeals to young and old.
- HOWELL, Margaret‘Quality is like coffee. Once you’ve tried the real thing, you can’t go back to instant,’ said Margaret Howell.
