Fashion designers are responsible for the design, creation, and distribution of clothing and accessories.
While traditionally hailing from Europe or America, more fashion designers are emerging every day in non-Western countries like China, India, Russia and Brazil.
Keep reading to learn about 10 of the most famous fashion designers around the world.
Karl Lagerfeld (Germany)
Karl Lagerfeld is one of the most well-known fashion designer in the world.
He’s best known as creative director for iconic labels Chanel and Fendi as well as his own line now entitled Karl Lagerfeld Paris.
The German-born designer has also worked extensively in the movie industry styling for films like “The Aviator”,
“Ace Ventura Pet Detective”, “Basic Instinct”, “Burlesque” and the award-winning 2002 rendition of Tom Cruise’s role in “The Color of Money.”
At age 38, Karl Lagerfeld decided to pursue his passion for fashion designing.
He already had experience in the world of film review when he joined French magazine ‘Mode’ as a correspondent in 1977.
Lagerfeld would go on to become an editor, art director, and photographer for ‘Mode,’ until he resigned in 1985 to focus on his designs.
Karl Lagerfeld’s career in fashion design began in 1986 when he launched his namesake line.
He created the label with his then-wife, German model Jacqueline Triebler, who did not stay with the brand for long.
Lagerfeld later married Italian actress Silvana Mangano in 1993. The couple split in 2001.
Karl Lagerfeld’s designs are known to be left-leaning and often incorporate modern materialism within them.
For example, Karl Lagerfeld’s clothes are known to have detailed embroideries on them while others have added rhinestones or sequins all over the clothes.
Karl Lagerfeld also collaborates with various brands like Tom Ford and is the face of the line.
The designer and his label have licensing agreements with numerous companies
was named “Most Influential “Personality” of the Decade” by the Daily Telegraph in 2000.
Karl Lagerfeld’s designs are worn by many world-famous people including Elton John, Gisele Bundchen, Celine Dion, Paris Hilton,
Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts, Rihanna, Kate Winslet among others.
Rei Kawakubo (Japan)
Rei Kawakubo’s designs are often considered to be avant-garde. Her clothing is known to be minimalist,
she is the first fashion designer in Japan to provide no-sew clothes.
The designer’s works are inspired by the concept of “minimalism” which consists of reducing an object or element to its most essential level.
Kawakubo saw minimalism in the industry when she saw it in architecture; she wanted this ideology in her everyday life also.
“I got back to the anti-style, anti-fashion feeling.” She said through her work.
Kawakubo studied art history at Kyoto University and then received a master’s degree from Waseda University before she began designing clothes.
Her creations were first showcased at the Paris Fashion Week in 1981. Rei Kawakubo and her label, Comme des Garçons,
is well-regarded in the fashion industry and sometimes dubbed the “queen of avant-garde fashion.”
Kawakubo won The International Designer of the Year Award from the Council of Fashion Designers in 2005
she was also inducted into the “International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame” in 1995.
Her designs are featured prominently in many magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
Rei Kawakubo’s success is attributed to her ability to combine art and fashion together effectively within her collections.
Her designs are known to be both beautiful and functional.
Kawakubo’s clothes lack the traditional adornments found in other designer’s clothes;
most of her designs are made of simple materials like crepe, silk or leather.
Rei Kawakubo is also well-known for her unusual relationship with the media.
She refused to grant interviews with magazines and preferred instead to only grant interviews through documentaries, books, or exhibitions.
Kawakubo is also known for giving her clothes away free to its viewers.
Rei Kawakubo’s designs are worn by many famous people including Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nicole Richie, Kate Hudson and Helena Christensen.
Valentino (Italy)
Valentino Garavani is an Italian fashion designer best known for his haute couture creations for the fashion house Valentino.
Today, both the house of Valentino as well as the brand retain distinct reputations among high fashion circles.
The designer continues to have close ties to the house of Valentino which he took over in 1969
when his former partner Giancarlo Giammetti resigned from his positions at the firm.
Valentino is known to have one of the best fashion senses in the world. In an interview, he said,
“I have a different eye from others, something critics may call style.”
Valentino Garavani was born in Voghera in the province of Parma in northern Italy.
He began his career as a window dresser at La Rinascente department store in Milan when he was 16 years old.
Valentino worked for fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli in the fashion design department of La Rinascente. cleanersj.com/