It’s March and it’s women’s history month.
Women’s history month runs worldwide throughout the month of March. Fresh from celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) and Mother’s Day (UK) earlier this month at Elite, we reflect on ground-breaking designers making their mark in fashion by challenging issues including gender, race and sustainably, and owning it!
Here, we share some of the outstanding designers that have influenced and awe-inspired the fashion world, past and present.
Maria Grazia Chiuri: is an Italian fashion designer who made headlines as the first female creative director at Dior in the brand's 75-year history, a position she has thrived in since 2016. Before Dior, she worked at Fendi as an accessories designer in the 90s and in 2000's at Valentino, she stepped up to co-creative director, a position she held for 8 years. Her “avant-garde feminist energy” has brought to life some of the most iconic moments in fashion history; mixing politics with fashion on the runway. Chiuri made a huge impact in her first season at Dior, when she launched the radical slogan T-shirt emblazoned with We should all be feminists. “To challenge the patriarchy, women need to speak more about sisterhood and community. Real feminism is about women supporting each other”. Chiuri instigated the policy for all Dior photographers to be women, and proved to the world that there are many astoundingly talented female creatives, all primed and ready for their time to shine in a world that was previously male dominated. “What I think is it is very hard for women to arrive in positions of power. The narrative is always that the geniuses are men.”
Gabrielle Chanel: is probably the most famous designer on my list, also Known as Coco Chanel. Chanel, from France, founded the iconic Chanel brand, introducing a sporty, casual chic, that became a feminine standard of style. She was audacious and free spirited, and she dared to think outside of the box, freeing women from the corseted silhouettes they were used to. Her signature fragrance Chanel No. 5 was first released in 1921, and as a testament to her modernity, is still one of the most popular luxury fragrances in 2024. “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud”
Stella McCartney: Stella McCartney is renowned for her activism and the use of ethical practises in her conscious luxury fashion line. She is committed to animal rights and environmentalism and strives to create garments that are vegetarian, animal-free and ethically sourced. Stella uses fabrics such as recycled polyester, forest friendly viscose and Mirum – Stella’s own innovative plastic-free leather alternative. Her latest show at Paris Fashion Week in 2024, featured a video voiced by Hollywood stars which invited the world to protect Mother Earth – the message was fashion didn’t have to be harmful, and ethical alternatives are out there. The video caused quite a stir due to the dialogue which was laden with expletives, and the message was desperate. "I was brought up to understand that we are all here on planet earth together."
Vivienne Westwood: Think of a fashion revolution and the name Vivienne Westwood usually springs to mind! She is famous for her punk era fashion designs of the 1970’s which were designed to inspire the London youth into political activism, and at the same time upset and offend the middle classes. Her early career as a fashion designer began with selling her designs in her Kings Road boutiques – the most famous being “Sex” which was in business between 1974-76. In 1981, her first runway collection was shown at London Fashion week in Olympia. Until her death in 2022, she was as known for her political activism on many issues including climate change and British civil rights. “I was so upset with what was going on in the world. I just couldn't stand the idea of being people tortured and that we even had such a thing as war. I hated the older generation, who had not done anything about it. Punk was a call-to-arms for me.”
Sarah Burton: Sarah Burton started as an intern at Alexander McQueen in 1997, and by 2000 was Head of Design. Following the death of Alexander McQueen she was appointed Creative Director. She continued on McQueen’s legacy and was appointed designer of the year in 2011, famously designing the wedding dress of Kate Middleton when she married Prince William. Whilst at McQueen she respected the heritage of the house but also at the same time left her softer, more romantic mark. “I really think that creating clothes and fashion has to be a statement about how we live and where we live and what's happening in the world.”
Martine Rose: Martine Rose remixes British subcultures and has deep interest in how people wear her clothes and their cultural meaning. She grew up surrounded by rave and reggae scenes of the 90s, and the iconic styles of “rude boys” and “crusties” have heavily influenced her design. Her signature skill is presenting normcore codes in everyday clothing, while imbuing it with twists and turns — an ironic logo here, a huge shoulder there. She takes inspiration from ‘everyday heroes’ — men and women who live in her local area. She worked as a design consultant for Balenciaga and she is known in the fashion world as one of the most influential menswear designers of our time. “‘I wasn’t the type of girl who put clothes on my dollies and stuff. The way I got into clothes and style was really through music and dance culture,’
Vera Wang: Vera Wang is most well known for her luxury bridal range, launching it in 1990 her global brand includes ready to wear, beauty, fragrance and homeware ranges. She started her career at Vogue, working for 17 years as an editor, before moving to Ralph Lauren as an accessories designer. She opened her first bridal shop in New York after being frustrated in not being able to find a wedding dress she liked for her own wedding. Now, Vera is a fashion giant with a huge global following, and her gowns are regularly worn by high-profile celebrities at red carpet events. She is one of America’s richest women. “As the mother of two daughters, I have great respect for women. And I don’t ever want to lose that.”
Mowalola Ogunlesi: is a Nigerian/British designer who is experiencing huge success and recognition, (she designed much of Bianca Censori’s current wardrobe) producing garments with a sensual and innovative take on womenswear design. Her pieces are unisex and influenced by her home country of Nigeria. “This dress is extremely emotional to me—it screams my lived experience as a black person. It shows no matter how well dressed you are or well behaved, we are time after time, seen as a walking target. I’m in a privileged position to be able to speak on issues that others would be silenced on. Inequality is still rife”
These 8 inspirational women have all made their mark in the fashion world in totally different ways, which brings us to the theme for international Women's Day this year: "Inspire Inclusion - We inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment." (www.internationalwomensday.com) for more information or find an IWD cause to donate to check out the United Nations website https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day.
