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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Fashion Rewind - A Brief History of Designers

Who are your 5 favorite designers of all time? As Tyra Banks always says on America's Next Top Model, models need to know everything from fashion designers, photographers, supermodels, and all in between. So, to help you out we have compiled a brief history of 13 of fashion's leading designers.


Established in 1909 in Paris, France, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel revolutionized women's fashion. Originally focusing on hat design, the label soon introduced women's clothing designs drawing inspiration from men's wear and reinventing the way the modern woman dressed. Chanel was the only fashion designer to appear on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

"Chanel" Spring 2013 Haute Couture

Guccio Gucci's vision was to use the style and elegance of the fashions he had admired in London and use the fine craftsmanship and talent in his native Italy to bring the two together. Gucci found the best craftsmen and in 1921 he opened his first store in Florence, Italy selling small leather goods and luggage. Today, Gucci is part of the PPR Group owned by the French Pinault family. 

"Gucci" Spring/Summer 2013 Milan
Christian Dior was a french fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior. The actual name of his first collection, presented in 1947, was Corolle (literally the botanical term corolla or circle of flower petals in English), but the phrase New Look was coined for it by Carmel Snow, the editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar.

"Christian Dior" Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2013
Roberto Cavalli (father of fashion designer Daniele Cavalli) is an Italian fashion designer from Florence, known for detailed exotic prints and for creating the sand-blasted look for jeans which are now a standard style for the majority of jean makers. In the early 1970s, he invented and patented a revolutionary printing
procedure on leather, and he started creating patchworks of different materials. He is coined "The King of Prints."

"Roberto Cavalli" Spring/Summer 2013 Milan Show
Gianni Versace was an Italian fashion designer and 1978 founder of Gianni Versace S.P.A.an international fashion house, which produces accessories, fragrances, make up, and home furnishings, as well as clothes. In September 1997 (after Gianni's death), it was announced Versace's brother, Santo, and Jorge Saud would serve as the new CEO's of Gianni Verace S.P.A. Versace's sister, Donatella, became the new head of design.

"Versace" Spring/Summer 2013 Milan Fashion Show

Jean Paul Gaultier is a French haute couture fashion designer. His first individual collection was released in 1976 and his characteristic irreverent style dates from 1981, and he has long been known as the efant terrible of French Fashion. Gaultier designed the wardrobe of many motion pictures and currently
designs for three collections: his own couture and ready-to-wear lines, for both men and women. He's also well known for his exhibit in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Arts known as
Bravehearts - Men in Skirts.

"Jean Paul Gaultier" Spring/Summer 2013 Haute Couture

Marc Jacobs is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for Marc Jacobs, as well as Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, with more than 200 retail stores in 80 countries. A fashion prodigy, Jacobs designed his first collection for the label Sketchbook for Reuben Thomas at age 21, just after graduating in 1984 from Parsons School for Design. In 1987, he became the youngest designer ever to win the Council of Fashion Designers of America Perry Ellis award for New Fashion Talent.

"Marc Jacobs" Spring/Summer 2013

Domenico Dolce and Polizzi Generosa founded the Italian luxury industry fashion house Dolce & GabbanaKnown for "making stars look like stars," they presented their first women's collection in 1985 in Milan, where a year later their store would open its doors. D&G trademarks include underwear-as-outerwear (such as corsets and bra fastenings), gangster boss pinstripe suits, extravagantly printed & embroidered coats, & black.

"Dolce & Gabbana" Spring/Summer 2013 Milan

Anna Sui, one of the most celebrated names in fashion history, is an American fashion designer known for her timeless designs and ability to transcend eras with historical and culturally inspired collections. She was named one of Time Magazine's "Top 5 Fashion Icons of the Decade" and earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Sui, who New York Times called a designer who "never panders," got her break in 1991, after her friends Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista got together and encouraged her to try a runway show.

"Anna Sui" Spring 2013 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week NY
Kate Brosnahan Spade (born Katherine Noel Brosnahan) is the co-founder and namesake of the designer brand, kate spade New York. Kate Spade and Joel Franklin launched their New York-based design company "kate spade handbags" in January 1993. As the name implies, they initially started out selling mainly handbags, but eventually extended to include stationary, personal organizers, address books, shoes, beauty products, perfume, raincoats, pajamas, and eye wear. In 2004"kate spade at home" was launched as a home collection brand.

"kate spade" Spring 2013 Collection
Stella McCartney, daughter of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney and the late American photographer and animal rights activist Linda McCartney, is an English Fashion Designer. In March 1997McCartney was appointed Creative Director of Paris fashion house Chloe. In 2001, Stella McCartney launched her own fashion house under her name and showed her first collection in Paris.

"Stella McCartney" Spring/Summer 2013
Zac Posen is a renowned American fashion designer who earned his break in the world of glamour after designing a dress for supermodel Naomi Campbell. In 2001, Posen was chosen to present his collections as a part of GenArt's "Fresh Faces" drive which was judged by famous fashion designing titans like Sidney Toledano, Yves Carcelle, and Domico De Sole. Posen's classic feminine style has become a favorite of Hollywood celebrities of the likes of Kate Winslett, Jennifer Lopez among others.

"Zac Posen" Spring 2013
Lee Alexander McQueen was a London-based, English fashion designer who met enormous success with the introduction of his "bumster" pants, so named because of their extremely low-cut waistline. McQueen was named Chief Designer of Louis Vuitton-owned Givenchy, a french haute couture fashion house,
before starting his own line in 2004.  He earned the British Fashion Council's British Designer of the Year Award four times, and was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

"Alexander McQueen" Spring/Summer 2013

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