The four-time winner of 'British Designer of the Year' has produced gorgeous looks on celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Nicole Kidman and Florence Welch. The Alexander McQueen fashion house is now run by creative director Sarah Burton since the designers passing in 2010 and has designed gowns for royalty such as Kate Middleton who wore a McQueen wedding dress.
Established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, this brand originally focused on developing outdoor attire. The brand has since moved into the high fashion market, retaining the iconic Burberry check pattern that is recognisable by almost anyone. A popular photograph of Ezra Miller in a pinstripe suit and diamond corset for the theme 'Camp' attempting to merge and bend ideas of gender.
Spanish fashion house Balenciaga has a reputation as a couturier of strong standards and was referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior. Lady Gaga lets us remember founder Cristóbal Balenciaga by being the brand is known to create avant-garde pieces. They have always gone against the rules, guidelines and bourgeoisie status of the governing body of the French industry.
Founded in 1909, fashion house Chanel adopted simple-line designs that were opposite of the hourglass-figure that was achieved by the fashions of the late 19th century. Chanel has been known to use colours that were traditionally associated with masculinity in Europe such as navy blue or grey to denote feminine boldness of character.
Established in 1968, CK is one of the most well-known brands in the world. It specialises in leather, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewellery, watches and ready-to-wear. Starting as a coat shop in New York City, the brand has moved from nearly facing bankruptcy to becoming a billion-dollar company.
This French fashion house was founded in 1946 by designer Christian Dior. It currently designs and retails leather goods, fashion accessories, footwear, jewellery, timepieces, fragrance, makeup, and skincare products, but also maintains its tradition as a creator of Haute-couture under the Christian Dior Couture division. Dior has created solid partnerships with Hollywood celebrities and social media influencers, working closely with these individuals to reach a wider range of demographics and re-establish its identity as a new, modern brand, despite the fact that it has been around for a while.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana met in Milan in 1980 and designed for the same fashion house. In 1982, they established a designer consulting studio; in time it grew to become "Dolce & Gabbana". They presented their first women's collection in 1985 in Milan, where a year later their store would open its doors. Having been inspired by the eclectic thrift shop and bohemian styles, Dolce & Gabbana features deeply coloured designs and animal prints. They have been described as "Haute hippy dom" and take inspiration in Italian film history. They say that they are more concerned about creating the best and most flattering clothes rather than sparking trends. But Sicily and Sicilian culture is what is most important to the style and identity of Dolce & Gabbana.
Gucci was founded by Guccio Gucci in Florence, Tuscany, in 1921. It has been ranked in the Forbes "World's Most Valuable Brands" list and also the 38th most valuable brand in the world. Gucci is also the highest-selling Italian brand. Gucci's distinctive lines made its products among the most frequently copied in the world in the early 2000s. Pigskin, calf, and imported exotic animal skins were subjected to various methods of fabrication. A particularly iconic touch, introduced in 1964, was the use of the double-G logo for belt buckles and other accessory decorations.
The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy but after his retirement in 1995 it has been seen by a handful of different directors. Most recently its artistic director was Clare Waight Keller, the first woman to hold that position. In 1954, Hubert de Givenchy presented the first shirt dress (which later evolved into the sack dress in 1957 and he was the first high fashion designer to create a luxury ready-to-wear clothing line, called "Givenchy Université", which was produced in Paris using machinery imported from the United States.
Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton is a French fashion house and luxury retail company founded in 1854. For six consecutive years (2006–2012), Louis Vuitton has been named the world's most valuable luxury brand. LV originally started as a brand for luggage to create light and practical ways of storage. In 1901, the Louis Vuitton Company introduced the 'Steamer Bag', a smaller piece of luggage designed to be kept inside Vuitton luggage trunks and went on to creating the 'speedy bag' thus starting the development for leather goods, and eventually fashion.
Ralph Lauren: fashion designer, philanthropist and billionaire businessman. The Ralph Lauren Corporation started in 1967 with men's ties. Then at 28 years of age, Lauren worked for the tie manufacturer Beau Brummell, where he convinced the company's president to let him start his own line. Drawing on his interests in sports, Lauren named his first full line of menswear 'Polo' in 1968. In 1972, the Ralph Lauren Corporation first introduced their signature cotton mesh Polo shirt in various colours.
This brand started in 1968 when Hilfiger co-funded a record store named People's Place in New York. In the early 1980s he met Mohan Murjani, an Indian textile magnate who wanted to release a range of clothing and with his help, eventually he debuted his first signature collection. The brand featured modernised versions of button-down shirts, chinos, and other classic preppy styles. The casual youthful attitude of these first designs would remain a trait of the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation's later collections.
Founded by Gianni Versace in 1978, the iconic Medusa logo is one that is universally known. It was chosen because she made people fall in love with her and they had no way back. He had hoped his company would have the same effect on people and on those who wore his clothes and shoes. Known for having flashy designs and prints, it was described as a "rock and roll" designer because of its clientele. Versace has made statement garments that gain widespread popularity such as Jennifer Lopez' green dress in 2000 at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards, which was voted the fifth most iconic dress of all time in 2008 and a black dress adorned with large gold safety pins worn by Elizabeth Hurley in 1994, referred to as "that" dress.
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