fashion designers of all time

Stella McCartney went fresh from graduation at Central Saint Martins to chief designer at Chlo

Thierry Mugler was born in Strasbourg, France. At the age of 20, Manfred Thierry Mugler is in search of a more creative outlet and decides to try his luck in Paris in the dance world. In 1973 he debuted his first collection, Cafe de Paris, and founded his own label for women two years later, and in 1978 he launched a collection for men.

Thomas Burberry was born in 1835 in Brockham Green, Surrey. Burberry opened his own small clothing outfitters in Basingstoke in 1857. At that time Basingstoke was a small country town. Nowadays, the Burberry Group is a leading global fashion brand which now sells womenswear, menswear, nonapparel and childrens wear. It is famous for its iconic trademarked check design and British heritage branding.

Tom Ford studied design at the before he worked for Perry Ellis andCathy Hardwick. Tom was hired in 1990 to oversee Guccis womens wear collections, and had a breakthrough four years later when he was appointed creative director. The Gucci makeover masterminded by Ford was the biggest fashion success story of the late 90s. His sultry rockstar velvet hipslung trousers, leather stilettos, and Halstonesque dresses were blockbusters. After Guccis buyout of Yves Saint Laurent in 1999, Ford also became creative director of YSL Rive Gauche. In 2005, Ford launched the Tom Ford brand.

Known as the champion of starspangled glamour, Tommy Hilfiegers favorite trends go from red, white and blue. Since introducing his first collection in 1985, no designer has become more closely associated with Ivy League prep than Tommy Hilfiger. After building his company on the modernization of allAmerican mens wear, and winning the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award in 1995, Hilfiger introduced womens wear in 1996 and sold the company for $1.6 billion ten years later.

Valentino started his brilliant and admirable carrear in the world of fashion on 1950 when he moved to Paris to study desing. His classically elegant and feminine designs made women look utterly glamorous. The Italian maestro worked at houses Dessus and Laroche before going back to Rome to set up his business in 1959. By the mid1960s, Valentino was a favorite designer of the worlds bestdressed women, including Jacqueline Kennedy. Among his signatures is a particular fabric shade, known as Valentino red.

Known for balancing modern designs with traditional elegance, Vera Wang is arguably the most prominent designer of bridal wear in America. Wang introduced her first bridal collection in 1990 after fifteen years editing at Vogue and a two designing for Ralph Lauren. After spending more than a decade dressing countless stars for weddings and red carpets in her ultraelegant, custommade gowns (even publishing a book in 2001, Vera Wang on Weddings), it was a natural progression for Wang to introduce readytowear in 2004.

Vivienne Westwood, the godmother of punk, is considered one of the most unconventional and outspoken fashion designers in the world. Westwoods fashions woke to fame in the late 1970s when her early designs helped shape the look of the punk rock movement. The highly influential shop changed its name and d

Yamamoto was born in Yokohama, Japan on October 3, 1943. He studied law at Keio University and graduated in 1966 with a law degree. He continued his studies on fashion design at the famous Bunkafukuso Gakuin, a fashion institute in Tokyo. Yamamoto blends the exotic and powerful designs of traditional Japanese dress with Western daywear, and achieves a unique, abstract style. He is an uncompromising, nontraditional designer. Yamamoto drapes and wraps the body in unstructured, loose, voluminous garments, similar in style and philosophy to those of Rei Kawakubo. Many of his clothes have additional flaps, pockets and straps.

Yves Saint Laurent started his brand in 1962 after working at the house of Dior, where he was famously appointed head designer at young age 21. Many of fashions most iconic creations can be attributed to YSL, including the womens tuxedo jacket, the highfashion peacoat, and the shirt dress. In addition to iconic clothing, he was also among the first designers to feature nonwhite models. Yves stayed at the brand until his retirement in 2002. He died in June 2008.