In 1981, Azzedine Alaïa established Maison Alaïa together with Christoph von Weyhe. Alaïa was born in Tunis, Tunisia in 1935. After graduating from a local art school, he worked as a dress manufacturer. He moved to Paris, worked under Guy Laroche and Thierry Mugler, and later became independent. His collection was announced under the name “Azzedine Alaïa”. His characteristic designs include a beautiful cutting which is made to fit a curved female body figure. In the 80s he lead the body-con style in fashion, triggering the hype around the world. In the 90s he stopped showing collections and began to create haute-couture dresses for his clients at home. Even after the body-con hype, his works received high reputation for its artistic values, and in 2000 and exhibition dedicated for him were held at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. In the same year, his brand expanded its business by participating in the Prada group. In 2007, he left Prada group and became a member of the Richemont group. Alaïa passed away in 2017. A branch in Japan was founded in 2018. Currently, all of their lines are unified under the name “Alaïa”.

The brand was founded by Lee Alexander McQueen in 1992. Lee was born in 1969, London, England. After graduating from secondary school, he became an assistant to a tailor at Savile Row, starting his career in fashion. After gaining some experience, in 1991 he graduated from MA at Central Saint Martins. His graduate collection lead him to show at London Fashion Week. The brand rapidly developed into an internationally recognised name, also exhibiting at Paris and Milan (Men). His legendary collections gained popularity for being extremely shocking and imaginative, but also keeping the high quality tailoring skills he earned at Savile Row. He is often described as the key person representing British fashion, even though his style is very unique. In 2001 the brand joined Kering group, and after Lee’s death in 2010 Sarah Burton, who had worked under Lee as a head of womenswear was assigned creative director.

The brand originally began as an haute-couture Maison founded in 1917, in San Sebastián, Spain by Cristóbal Balenciaga. Cristóbal was born in 1895, in Basque, Spain. He studied fashion on his own. In 1937 he opened an haute-couture maison in Paris, presenting the legendary cocoon line dress and the tunic dress. His strict and sharp design gave a huge impact to the fashion industry. Cristóbal left the brand in 1968, and Nicolas Ghesquière was assigned designer in 1997. From 2001 they joined Kering group. After Nicolas leaving the brand and Alexander Wang taking after the role, Demna Gvasalia was assigned artistic director in 2015. Demna was born in 1981, Georgia. He attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. He continues to create popular items which inherits Balenciaga’s couture-like style.

Bottega Veneta was established in 1966 in Vicenza (located in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy), by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. The province had many artisans of leathercrafts, and they opened the workshop staying true to craftsmanship and traditional techniques. They don’t have a brand logo due to the founder’s belief that their initials are strong enough to represent for the brand. The company developed a distinctive leather weave design, called “Intrecciato”, widely associated with the brand. Since 2001 they have joined Gucci Group (now known as Kering), assigning Tomas Maier as creative director, who has experience working in brands such as Hermès. The brand established its status as the producers of luxury leather goods, as well as apparel and accessories. Since 2018, Daniel Lee, who has experience working in Celine, Balenciaga and Maison Margiela has been assigned creative director, drawing attention for his distinctive ideas.

The brand was founded in 1856 in London, England by Thomas Burberry, when he was only 21 years old. In 1879 he developed a fabric called Gabardine (in which he acquired patent in 1888), which is able to correspond to all kind of weather. The brand gained authority with the production of the “trench coat”, made to fit British officers as their uniform, as well as becoming part of the Royal Warrant holders. In 1998 they invited Roberto Menichetti as their creative director, announcing their “Burberry Prorsum Collection” (in 2016 unified as “Burberry”). In 2001 Christopher Bailey was assigned creative director, establishing the brand’s position as a luxury brand. In 2014, Bailey became the president and the chief creative officer of the brand while being involved in the brands’ creation, but transferred the management to Marco Gobbetti and left the brand in 2018. In the same year, Italian designer Riccardo Tisci was assigned chief creative director, inheriting the brand’s innovative spirit.

Celine was originally founded by Celine Vipiana in 1945 in Paris, France as a made-to-measure children’s shoe brand. In 1959 they began producing ladies’ shoes, and in 1967 began their Prêt-à-Porter line. With their sophisticated and cultivated design, the brand soon became a representative existence of Paris BCBG. Since the 90s, variety of designers such as Michael Kors were assigned role of creative director; from 2008 until 2017, Phoebe Philo served the role. In 2018, Hedi Slimane, who gained enthusiastic fans during his time at Dior Homme and Saint Laurent was assigned the position; Hedi began the brand’s menswear line, as well as changing the traditional logo. He gained a favourable reputation by restoring the brand’s heritage design “MORS”, based off a horse riding harness, as well as their symbolic emblem “TRIOMPHE”, which was designed in 1972.

Chanel is a French high fashion house that specializes in haute couture and ready-to-wear clothes, luxury goods, fashion accessories and cosmetics. It was founded by Gabrielle Chanel (Coco Chanel) in 1909 as a women’s only millinery shop. In 1919 their first haute couture show as a couturier was held, and in 1921 the iconic perfume and world best seller “No.5” was released. The brand is known for women’s suits created with tweed, traditionally used only for men’s suits, and it’s iconic styles such as the little black dress and their quilted bags. After Chanel’s death in 1971, Karl Lagerfeld took over as chief designer. Virginie Viard, who has worked with Lagerfeld for 30 years in fashion, is now the brand’s artistic director.

Chloé was founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion in Paris, France. Having “Luxury Prêt-à-Porter” as the brand’s concept, they introduced a new notion to the ready-to-wear lines at the time. The brand’s product widely ranges from womenswear, leather goods, accessories and perfumes. The past creative directors include Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo and Clare Waight Keller. The brand keeps to establish its place as a popular luxury brand with their romantic and sophisticated design, combined with their varying designer’s own aesthetic choice of the time. In 2017 Natacha Ramsay-Levi became the creative director. Natacha built her career working in Balenciaga with Nicolas Ghesquière, and together moved to work in Louis Vuitton. During her time at Louis Vuitton, she was assigned creative director of their womenswear line.

In 1969, Rei Kawakubo started COMME des GARÇONS, and was later founded as a company in 1973. Kawakubo serves both as a designer and an owner. In 1975 they began showing in Tokyo Collection, and at Paris fashion week from 1981. Her designs gave a huge shock to the world of fashion, which at the time bright and glamorous designs were common due to the economic bubble. Her avant-garde pieces mainly focusing on the colour black were often called “Boro-look” (Boro, meaning in Japanese, worn-out) and “Kuro no Shogeki” (directly translated as “impact caused by black”), causing sensation together with Yohji Yamamoto. She continues to show legendary collections, making pieces that are unconventional of what’s expected of clothing. Her achievements are internationally recognised, and in 2017 the exhibition “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In Between” was held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. No other active fashion designer has been the feature of the exhibition since Yves Saint Laurent exhibition held in 1983. Kawakubo is also a successful business manager, creating many other brands within the company and running her select shop “DOVER STREET MARKET” which is available across the world.

Christian Dior is a French luxury brand founded by Christian Dior in 1946. Christian Dior was born in Granville, on the coast of Normandy, France, to a wealthy family. His sensational “Corolle” look, commonly known as the “New Look”, was shown in 1947. The brand kept releasing new silhouettes which charmed many women around the world. After Christian Dior’s death in 1957, Yves Saint Laurent, only 21 at the time, was assigned director. The position has been passed down to designers such as Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferre, John Galliano and Raf Simons. Currently, Maria Grazia Chiuri holds the position, as the maison’s first female artistic director. The brand’s mens line, Dior Homme was founded in 2001, which is now designed by Kim Jones and unified to the Dior brand name.

Founded in 1982 by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. They debuted at Milan collection in 1985. Domenico was born in 1958, Sicily, familiar to fashion since his father had owned a sewing factory. Stefano was born in 1962, Milan. They both studied fashion at a technical school, and met through a fashion design studio, and began a brand together. Currently their brand produces womenswear, menswear, lingerie, eyewear, bags and perfumes. In 1994 they created their second line “D&G”, which was unified into their main line in 2012. The brand is known for it’s stereotypically Italian motifs and Sicilian designs, inspired by Domenico’s hometown. The black dress inspired by a lingerie design is popular as the brand’s iconic item.

Founder Dries Van Noten was born in 1958, in Antwerp, Belgium. Born into a family of tailors, he joined Antwerp’s Royal Academy at the age of 18. After graduation, Dries and his 5 friends at the academy (Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee) showed at an exhibition in London, gaining the reputation as the “Antwerp Six”. Soon, Antwerp gained popularity as the new head quarters of fashion. In 1986 the brand opened their menswear line, quickly followed by their womenswear line. Soon they joined Paris Fashion Week. The brand’s prominent style includes their unique prints and decorative fabrics, and their high standard of beauty can also be seen in the film “Dries” (2016). They celebrated their 100th collection in 2017.

Fendi was launched in 1925 by Adele and Edoardo Fendi as a fur and leather shop in Rome, Italy. The pair gained their reputation by introducing fur coats inspired by fur collars that were popular in Hollywood at the time. In the 40s, their five daughters Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla and Alda joined the company and the brand quickly developed. In 1965, Karl Lagerfeld, only 27 at the time, was assigned the brand’s chielf designer until his death in 2019; many iconic items were produced, and the brand had acquired a place amongst other top luxury brands representing Italy. After Lagerfeld’s death, the third generation of the Fendi family, Silvia Fendi unified and directs all of the brand’s designs. Silvia has worked with Lagerfeld since 1992, known for it-bags such as the Baguette and Peekaboo.

The brand was founded in 1975 by Giorgio Armani and Sergio Galeotti. Armani was born on 1943 in Piacenza. He studied medicine at university, but was forced to quit due to conscription. After serving in the
military, he worked as a buyer in La Rinascente, Milan, then became a designer for “Hitman”, a menswear line produced by Nino Cerruti Company. After founding his own brand, he designed the costume for Richard Gere in the film “American Gigolo”, which rapidly brought him fame. The brand inspired the industry, making impact with their distinctive suits and jacket designs. The brand have now expanded into many labels such as “EMPORIO ARMANI” and “A|X ARMANI EXCHANGE”, distincted by their target audience. In 2005 they began a haute couture line “ARMANI PRIVÉ”.

The founder Hubert de Givenchy was born in 1927, in Beauvais, France. At age 17 he moved to Paris where he began working at a couturier maison, while studying design at École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts at the same time. In 1952 he founded a brand under his own name, and announced “Separates” which consisted of a blouse and a skirt. His use of simple material and it’s classic, elegant style was highly evaluated. He was also a good friend of Audrey Hepburn, after providing the costume for the film “Sabrina”. Givenchy left the role of the brand’s designer in 1955, and passed away in 2018 at the age of 91. After his death, designers such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Julien Macdonald and Riccardo Tisci took after the role. In 2017 Clare Waight Keller was assigned artistic director; she was responsible for haute couture as well as womenswear and the menswear line for 3 years. 2020 FW is going to be her last collection.

Gucci was founded by Guccio Gucci in Florence, Italy in 1921 as a leather goods merchant. They now retail luxury leather goods such as bags and shoes, as well as apparel, jewellery, watches and cosmetics. Their iconic items include horsebit inspired by the world of horse riding, as well as bags with bamboo handles and their GG logo. In 1990, American designer Tom Ford unified the brand as creative director, associating the brand’s image to something more sensual and sexualized. In 1999 they joined PPR (now known as Kering). In 2015 Alessandro Michele was assigned creative director, gaining popularity from younger generations for his unique, vintage and borderless outlook on fashion.

In 1837, Thierry Hermès opened a luxury saddlery workshop in Paris, France. From the late 19th century, they expanded their range of products into leather goods and accessories, using the technique of saddlery craftsmanship. In 1982 they produced “Haut-à-croire”, which later became the original design of the “Birkin” bag (1984) made for British actress Jane Birkin. From 1955, their “Kelly” bag became a successful hit after Grace Kelly hid her pregnant body figure with the brand’s “Sac-à-croire”. Véronique Nichanian was assigned director of the men’s line in 1988. Their past womenswear designer include Eric Bergère, Martin Margiela, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Christophe Lemaire. From 2015 Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski serves as the brand’s artistic director. The brand keeps on building their luxurious style by using top quality materials, unique to Hermès.

Established by Issey Miyake in 1970. In 1971, the first collection was announced in New York, and since 1973 they began to show in Paris. Miyake, founder and first designer, was born in 1938. He studied at the Tama Art University and the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris. Miyake’s dress-making is consistently based on the concept of “one piece of cloth” from the beginning of the debut, and the root of the relationship between the body, the cloth that covers it, and the balance that occurs between them. The brand also invented a material which they had studied from a level of a single thread, and in 1988 they announced their pleats piece which later became a brand of its own “PLEATS PLEASE”. Currently, young designers inheriting Miyake’s DNA manages their design team. From 2020, Satoshi Kondo designs for their womenswear line and their design team designs for the menswear line, consecutively developing the brand’s other lines such as “PLEATS PLEASE”, “HOMME PLISSÉ” and “BAO BAO”.

The brand and company was founded in 1968 by Jil Sander, who was born in Hamburg, Germany, 1943. In 1973 they showed their first collection in Paris. From 1985 they transferred their show and the Maison to Milan, developing as a globally recognised brand. In 1999 they joined Prada group. During the 2000’s they experienced a very unstable period due to Jil leaving the brand, then returning, as well as other designers taking after the role. However, the brand’s minimalistic style and their use of top quality fabric was always passed on to the next designer. Their past designers include Jil Sander, Milan Vukmirovic, Raf Simons and Rodolfo Paglialunga; during the period where the designer is undecided, their design team had served the role collectively. In 2008 the brand was bought by ONWARD HOLDINGS CO., Ltd, a Japanese cooperation. In 2017 the husband and wife design duo Lucie & Luke Meier was assigned creative director, introducing the street style essence to the brands’ design.

Originally opened in 1969, Paris, as “Jungle Jap”, KENZO debuted in Paris collection in 1970. Kenzo Takada, founder and designer, was born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1939. Knowing that the Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo has begun accepting male students, he dropped out of college and went to Bunka Fashion College. He went to France in 1965 after graduation. After showing at Paris collection, his dress using kimono fabric was worn on the cover of “ELLE”, thus allowing him to join the circle of top designers at the time. He quickly became one of the designers who represents the fashion industry in Paris during the 70s, known for his brilliant flower print patterns and designs influenced by ethnic costumes from around the world. In 1993, the brand joined LVMH, and in 1999 Takada left his position as head designer. After variety of designers, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim took after the position to hype up the brand. From July 2019 onwards, Felipe Oliveira Baptista designs for the brand.

Jeanne Lanvin founded a hat shop in Paris, France, in 1889. Jeanne was born in 1867 and passed away in 1946. She began making kids’ clothing after making a dress for her daughter. Afterwards, she also began creating women’s dresses. It has developed into a luxury brand including womenswear, menswear, accessories, bags and perfumes. Jeanne’s departure was succeeded by many designers representing each decade, including Claude Montana. In 2001, Alber Elbaz became the artistic director. Men’s design was led by Lucas Ossendrijver under Elbaz’s direction. With Elbaz, who had experience working in Yves Saint Laurent, the brand regained its position as a highly praised maison. From 2019 Bruno Sialelli, who has experience working for Loewe and Balenciaga, serves as their artistic director, with his fresh, modern approach to the brand.

The brand was founded in 1846 by Enrique Loewe Roessberg, a German leather craftsman, in Madrid, Spain, as a leather workshop. In 1905 the brand became a Royal Warrant of the Spanish royal family. In 1970 their anagram, a combination of four alphabet “L” was designed by Spanish artist Vicente Vela. In 1985 they made partnership with Louis Vuitton, and in 1996 joined the LVMH group. British designer Jonathan Anderson was assigned creative director in 2013, starting their mens line. He recreated the famous “Anagram” with the direction of M/M (Paris). In 2016, it was Jonathan’s suggestion to introduce “Loewe Foundation Craft Prize”, in order to support and give recognition to a skilful craftsman. With Jonathan always paying respect to craftsmanship, he keeps to elevate the brand’s reputation by adopting artistry within his designs.

The Louis Vuitton label was founded by Vuitton in 1854. Before the introduction of Vuitton’s trunks, rounded-top trunks were used and thus could not be stacked. Vuitton introduced his flat-topped trunks that could be stacked more easily, with a specialized canvas material, making them lightweight and airtight compared to regular leather. The trunks became a hit seller and the brand developed rapidly. The brand’s iconic monogram, which is a combination of alphabet “L” and “V” with a flower and a moon, was designed by George Vuitton in 1896. In 1987 the brand merged with Moët Hennessy and became LVMH group. In 1998 the brand introduced the company’s first prêt-à-porter line of clothing as well as travel luggages, bags and accessories. Since 2013 Nicolas Ghesquière is the artistic director of the women’s line, and from 2018 Virgil Abloh designs for the men’s line.

The brand was founded by Martin Margiela in 1988, Paris, France. Margiela was born in 1959, in Genk, Belgium. After graduating from Antwerp’s Royal Academy, he built his career working for Jean-Paul Gaultier. As an independent brand he joined Paris Fashion Week in 1989. His significant style heavily influenced the fashion industry, including the brand’s spiritual and unique characteristics such as the designer’s anonymity, its conceptual designs and the categorisation of products using numbers. In 2002 they joined OTB group, working on the design as a team. In 2014 John Galliano was assigned creative director, and in 2015 the brand was renamed “Maison Margiela”. Their iconic styles include design process called décortiqué, as well as concepts such as deconstruction and genderlessness.

In 1986, Marc Jacobs founded the brand. Designer Marc Jacobs was born in 1963 in New York, USA. He graduated from the Parsons School of Design. He received various awards during his time at the college, including the Perry Ellis Award and the CFDA New Fashion Talent Award. He became one of New York’s best-known designers from an early stage. He was also selected as artistic director of Louis Vuitton, a long-established French luxury brand that started producing their clothing line in 1997, and contributed to Louis Vuitton’s sales as a total brand until his retirement in 2013. In its own brand “MARC BY MARC JACOBS”, a second line, was launched in 2001, but the line ended in 2015. In June 2019, the company launched “THE MARC JACOBS”, a new line with lower prices. Unlike “MARC BY”, which has a different director, Mark himself is involved in design for their new line.

The brand was founded in 1994 by Consuelo Castiglioni, in Milan, Italy. Originally, the brand started off as a family business founded by Consuelo, since her husband Gianni had already owned “CiwiFurs”, a luxury fur company. At the beginning fur and leather goods were their main products, but after becoming independent in 1999 and staring their men’s line in 2002, they established their place as a fashion brand. Known for their artistic and adorable use of motifs as well as their industrial silhouette, they quickly developed as an internationally renowned brand. In 2013, they joined OTB group, who also owns brands such as Diesel and Maison Margiela. In 2016, Consuelo left the position of the brand’s designer and Francesco Risso, who has experience working in collection brands such as Prada, took after the place. Marni continues to attract attention by always elevating their unique aesthetics.

The brand was founded in 1993 by Miuccia Prada, grand daughter of Mario Prada (founder of Prada) as a separate line of Prada. The brand is popular for its strong individuality, unique use of contrast and an avant-garde style. Miuccia was born in 1949, and studied politics at University of Milan, graduating with a doctorate. The name MIU MIU comes from Miuccia’s nickname as a child. Originally the brand showed their collection in Milan, but in 2004 they began showing in Paris. Currently they produce a wide range of items from womenswear, bags, leather goods, shoes, jewellery, eyewear and perfume. MIU MIU Aoyama store, which had moved and renewed in 2015, was also designed by Herzog & de Meuron, who also designed Prada Aoyama store that is located across from each other.

In 1932, their haute-couture maison was founded in Paris, France. The designer was Maria Nielli. The name “Nina Ricci” comes from her husband’s family name (Luigi Ricci) and her nickname being combined together. Maria was born in Torino, Italy, in 1883. Her distinctive features, such as a luxurious, clean patterning and use of material, attracted the Parisienne madams at the time. In 1941 her son Robert Ricci began their perfumery line, and in 1948 the perfume “L’Air du Temps” became a big hit. The crystal pigeon on their bottle, symbol of love and freedom, became the Maison’s iconic fragrance. After Maria’s retirement from the brand, variety of successors had served as the artistic director, inheriting the Nina Ricci’s spirit. From 2018, Dutch-born design duo Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh was assigned creative director. They keep creating for the brand with a poetic, playful designs.

The brand was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino as a leather goods merchant. In 1978, Mario’s grand daughter Miuccia Prada was assigned owner and designer of the brand. Along with the brand’s line of standard products, their nylon bag using “Pocono” material, an industrial waterproof fabric, became a smash hit, making Prada an internationally recognised brand. Miuccia was born in 1949, and studied politics at University of Milan, graduating with a doctorate. In 1988 she began producing clothing, and in 1993 “MIU MIU”, named after Miuccia’s nickname as a child, was founded as the brand’s separate line. In 1995 they began producing menswear. Currently, Miuccia’s husband Patrizio Bertelli serves as the CEO of the company, developing the Prada group together as husband and wife. The brand also focuses on sustainability; the “Re-Nylon” project had begun in 2019, which aims to convert all of their current nylon use to a regenerated nylon fabric by 2021.

Saint Laurent is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. Saint Laurent was born on 1936, in Oran, Algeria. Saint Laurent enrolled at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, and afterwards he joined the fashion house Christian Dior. In 1958, after the death of Christian Dior, he quickly became the head designer just at the age of 21. 2 years after, he resigned due to conscription. After founding his own maison, the firm popularized various fashion trends such as the “Mondrian” look. In 1966 they opened Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, to produce the prêt-à-porter line. Yves Saint Laurent retired in 2002, and passed away on 2008. Since 2016, Anthony Vaccarello had been assigned brand’s creative director.

Salvatore Ferragamo was founded in 1927 in Florence, Italy. Salvatore made his first shoes at the age of 9 and opened a shoe store at home at the age of 11. At the age of 15, he traveled to the United States, and in 1919, when he opened a shoe repair and made-to-order shop in Santa Barbara, California, he received attention in an instance. Many Hollywood actresses were known to be his customer, giving him the title “shoemaker to the stars”. Subsequently, Salvatore studied human anatomy at the University of Southern California, which in the future helped him understand how to make comfortable shoes for the human feet. After returning to Italy, the brand grew to serve for princes, noblemen, and celebrities. After Salvatore’s death, the company expanded into a total brand of clothing, bags, perfumes, and other products under family management. After 2000, the company setup a position of a designer, while also inheriting the brand’s spirit. Since 2017, Paul Andrew has been in charge of all creative direction.

The brand was founded by Stella McCartney in 1995. Stella was born in 1971, the child of former Beatles Paul McCartney. She interned for Christian Lacroix, and acquired skills working in Savile Row for a number of years. She graduated Central Saint Martins in 1995. After two season of her debut collection, she was assigned creative director of French maison Chloé, committing to the brand’s development. In 2001 she left Chloé to establish her own company as a joint venture with Gucci Group (now known as Kering). A lifelong vegetarian, McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her designs since her debut. She is committed to environmental activities, and is one of the key person in sustainable fashion. After the brand’s independence from Kering, the brand held partnership with LVMH group. Stella is now also the group’s special advisor for sustainability.

The brand was founded in 2001, New York. Originally announced under the name “Thom Browne New York,” the company changed its name to Thom Browne from 2017. Designer Thom Browne was born in Pennsylvania, USA, in 1965. He studied economics at university and, after graduation, worked as an actor in Los Angeles. However, he didn’t succeed much as an actor, and had decided to move to New York, where he began to join the fashion industry. After some experience in retail, he joined “Club Monaco”, owned by Ralph Lauren, as a designer. Having worked with Ralph Lauren was a valuable experience for Thom, and he decided to start a brand under his own name. In 2004 he began showing in New York fashion week. In addition to his own collections, he also expanded his design activities including designing for the new Moncler line “Gamme Bleu” and Brooks Brothers’ “Black Fleece” (both of which are now closed). Their collection is now shown in Paris.

In the early 20th century, the Italian Della Valle family began their family business as shoe maker. The brand was launched under the name Tod’s in the late 1970s. “Gommino”, a driving shoe with non-slip rubber embedded within the leather, became the brand’s iconic hit product, making Tod’s a world-wide brand. Tod’s group currently owns Hogan, Fay and Roger Vivier. In 2006, they invited Derek Lam, a highly praised designer who was active in New York, to design for their Prêt-à-Porter line (he resigned in 2012). Their line is now shown at Milan. After Alessandra Facchinetti’s resignation from the brand, their design team was in charge of the creative direction. In 2019, Walter Chiapponi was assigned creative director. Walter was born in 1978, Milan. He built his career working for Givenchy, Valentino, Gucci, MIU MIU and Bottega Veneta.

The brand was founded by Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole in 2005. Tom Ford was born in 1962, in Texas, USA. He studied art history at New York University, but soon transferred to Parsons School of Design, studying interior design and architecture. After graduating he built experience at Perry Ellis, then began his career at Gucci. In 1994 he was assigned creative director at Gucci, elevating the brand by shifting its image to a sensual, sophisticated style. During 2002 he also became the creative director for Yves Saint Laurent, owned by Gucci group, but in 2004 left both of the positions as well the group itself. The brand’s co-owner Domenico was also a CEO at Gucci. The brand established its place by always providing top quality material and tailoring that is unaffected by the season’s trend.

Valentino was founded in 1960 in Rome, Italy by Valentino Garavani and his business partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Valentino was born in Voghera, Italy on 1932. He studied fashion design in Milan on 1949, at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. After graduation, he had multiple internships in various couturiers such as Guy Laroche, then founded his brand in Rome. In 1962 the first collection was shown at the Pitti Palace, Florence, then gaining high reviews in 1968 for his “White Collection”. The brand’s iconic red dress is known as “Valentino Red”, popular for it’s glamorous look. After Valentino’s retirement in 2008, Pierpaolo Piccioli is now the brand’s creative director.

The brand was founded in Milan, Italy, in 1978 by Gianni Versace. The Medusa is used as the logo of the brand and has received attention since the debut together with their gorgeous style. Along with Giorgio Armani and the late Gianfranco Ferre, who were just as popular as Gianni at the time, the three designers were called “3G” from the first letters of their names, and led the Italian fashion industry. Gianni was born in 1946 in Reggio Calabria, Italy. In 1997, he was shot to death in Miami, USA. His sister, Donatella Versace, took over the brand after Gianni’s death. Donatella had been helping her brother since she was a college student and was entrusted with their diffusion line “Versus.” Donatella added seductiveness and the glamorous atmosphere in addition to their previous brand image.

In 1993, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren won a contest in Hyères, Southern France, leading them to launch their brand. Viktor was born in Israel in 1969. Rolf was born in the Netherlands in 1969. Both graduated from the Arnhem Academy of Art and Design in the Netherlands. It attracted attention with their unprecedented artistic approach and their entertaining runway shows, full of humour. In 1998, they were invited to show as the guest designer at the Paris Haute Couture collection. From 2000 they began showing at Paris fashion week. They had presented a number of legendary collections, including presentations where dresses are piled up upon a single model on a runway like a Matryoshka doll, an all-black collection including hair and makeup, or a collection where the designer himself had danced as part of the presentation. In 2020 they began their new line “Mister Mister”, which SHIFFON CO., LTD, a Japanese company, is in charge of the manufacturing.

Vivienne Westwood was born in 1941 in Derbyshire, England. In 1971, she opened her shop “LET IT ROCK” on 430 Kings Road in London, together with her partner Malcolm McLaren. The shop continues to exist after many name changes varying from “SEX”, “Seditionaries” and the “World’s End”. She decided to become a fashion designer after experiencing design and manufacturing during her time at the shop. It is a well-known episode that the youngsters who were the shop’s frequent customer later debuted as the “Sex Pistols”, with Vivienne’s encouragement. She is also known as the queen of punk, and at the same time she has worked on environmental issues through fashion from early times. In 1983, she joined Paris fashion week. Currently her third husband Andreas is in charge of her first line, produced as “Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood”.

The company was founded in 1972 under the name of Y’s. The designer Yohji Yamamoto was born in Shinjuku, Tokyo in 1943. After graduating from Keio University, he studied fashion at the Bunka Fashion College. In 1977, he showed at Tokyo fashion week under the name Y’s. When he debuted at Paris fashion week, together with Rei Kawakubo’s COMME des GARÇONS (which was also her debut at Paris), they destroyed the taboo in the mode fashion world and shocked the audience by showing a collection that was a antithesis to a stereotypical western approach to fashion design. Thereafter, they have received a high reputation both internationally and domestically. In 1984, Yohji Yamamoto Inc. was founded. Currently, Yohji Yamamoto continues to reach out to various audience through both their women and menswear line, as well as “Y’s” and “Y-3” which is co-produced with adidas.