The 12 creative directors who dominate the fashion industry
Profile
With a vision of fashion that has transformed the most traditional luxury brands
Ferran Farled
The recent death of Karl Lagerfeld added to the list of designers who have marked a turning point in the world of fashion, an industry that would not have been the same without them. Along with the Kaiser, who was in charge of Fendi and Chanel, other names such as Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior or Coco Chanel became the great couturiers of the 20th century who, beyond their creative ingenuity, helped to evolve fashion design. to the present.
For several years, fashion has been facing a change of scenery motivated by social networks, the appearance of a new 'millennial' public and the cyclical component of trends that proposes both new designs and a review of styles that prevailed in the past. . Currently there is a long list of creative directors who have helped transform the most traditional and important firms in the industry as well as creating new names that together build the foundations of fashion in the 21st century. These are the 12 designers who dominate the fashion industry today:
Maria Grace Chiuri
Maria Grazia Chiuri has taken a fundamental role in the relevance of feminism in the world of fashion today. Since the Italian landed Christian Dior, after training at Fendi and Valentino, her designs have always focused on continuing the legacy of the predecessors of the 'maison' while at the same time being inspired by the role of women in art to convey their collections. Among her most outstanding strategies, Chiuri was the creator of the popular 'We should all be feminists' t-shirt and the one that has transformed her parades into a tribute to female dancers, circus artists or Mexican Amazons.
Virgil Abloh
Although nobody trusted the viability of Off White when it appeared on the scene, Virgil Abloh has managed to create one of the new disruptive firms that has shaken any classic pattern in the world of fashion. Without training in fashion design, the young architect and industrial engineer took references from the world of construction, art and sports to develop collections of viral garments with the firm's technical stamp until he gradually conquered fashion. Currently Abloh not only organizes one of the parades of reference in the Parisian fashion week but has managed to become the new creative director of the men's line of Louis Vuitton.
Demna Gvasalia
Demna Gvasalia has a similar story to Abloh's. After creating one of the fashion firms that leads the sales and popularity rankings, she also managed to enter the creative direction of a traditional high-end firm. Once he finished both his studies and his training at Maison Margiela, Gvasalia broke the market patterns and created Vetements, the firm where luxury sportswear was sold in secret collections that appeared by surprise and almost in limited edition. Once he conquered a wide mass of followers, the designer was in charge of taking over from Alexander Wang at Balenciaga, where he managed to transform the traditional style into proposals that everyone wants to wear.
donatella versace
Since Gianni Versace was assassinated in 1997, his sister Donatella took the reins of the Italian fashion empire that revolutionized the style of the 1990s. While continuing to produce collections that respected the couturier's style, Donatella also had to prove her skills as a creative director to an industry that didn't trust her. After more than two decades, the Italian has managed to maintain the firm with the same baroque and eclectic style that has characterized it since its inception.
Alessandro Michele
If it were necessary to name the designer who has starred in one of the greatest transformations of a firm, Alessandro Michele would take first prize. Since he became creative director of Gucci in 2015, the designer mimicked the firm's most classic line with new proposals that sought both the viral factor of social networks and surprised his clients with disruptive proposals. Over time, the designer's collections became more sophisticated until they embraced a vintage aesthetic where the romantic style is mixed with impossible outfits.
Miuccia Prada
Political influence and her social commitment have motivated Miuccia Prada to transform Prada's collections into a vehicle to analyze and establish dialogues between culture, society or the economy and the garments themselves. In recent years, Prada has regained the popularity it enjoyed after conquering the world of leather goods, through the launch of its first Prêt-à-porter line and even the creation of its well-known Línea Rossa. The one who is also creative director of Miu Miu has created one of the fashion empires with the longest history that has established the keys to adapt to the new panorama of the industry.
Pierpaolo Piccioli
While most firms focus on exploiting 'athleisure' and other trends of the moment, Pierpaolo Piccioli has turned Valentino's collections into a romantic discourse that mixes princess dresses with women's outfits, and also men's, more elegant and sophisticated. The designer, who became the firm's creative director after Valentino left, has maintained the essence that has characterized the 'maison' since its inception thanks to a sophisticated set of flowing dresses, garments full of feathers and a display of color that defines a unique style.
Hedi Slimane
Although many accuse Hedi Slimane of radically eliminating Phoebe Philo's style at the helm of Celine, the mysterious designer who stays away from the public sphere presents one of the most coherent and own styles that exists in the world of fashion. Slimane is currently in charge of developing the Celine collections, a line that perfectly reproduces the rocker and rebellious style that directly alludes to the 80s and that he previously used in Saint Laurent and Dior Homme.
Nicolas Ghesquiere
Marc Jacobs's era in the creative direction of Louis Vuitton marked a turning point for the firm. His media personality and his creative ingenuity made the iconic 'maison' the great name of reference for the world of fashion. However, the arrival of Nicolas Ghesquière meant a change of style in the firm. After leaving Balenciaga, the designer modified both the aesthetic result of the collections and the finish of his popular monogram, in addition to introducing new proposals to bring Louis Vuitton closer to a new generation of young people.
Riccardo Tici
When Hubert de Givenchy applauded the first haute couture collection designed by Riccardo Tisci, his career took off until he became the creative director of the Italian firm. For several years, Tisci tried to convince the public with his sophisticated proposals and gothic touches that achieved success in the late 2000s. Once he positioned himself as one of the new reference figures in design, Tisci decided to leave the fashion house Italian until, last September 2018, he made his debut at the helm of Burberry.
Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney has positioned herself as the designer most committed to the environment, sustainable practices and the fight against animal abuse. Since she founded her homonymous firm, after leading the creative direction of Chloé, the British woman began her own path in the world of fashion with a philosophy that seeks to mix the trends of each season with production processes that respect the environment.
Anthony Vacarello
As in most profiles of prestigious designers, Anthony Vaccarello studied at one of the most prestigious fashion universities in the world, which opened the doors for him to work at firms such as Fendi or the Versus line by Versace. His evolution within the industry had a decisive moment when he was chosen as the replacement for Hedi Slimane at the head of Saint Laurent and since then the designer has been able to maintain the new aesthetic that his predecessor established. Vaccarello is currently committed to a rebellious and sensual line that establishes a dialogue between the most outstanding trends of each season and a clear allusion to the style created by Yves Saint Laurent.
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