The Great Fashion Designers

From Chanel to Galliano, the names that made fashion history

Brenda Polan, Roger Tredre

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
• Year: 2026
• Edition: 3
• eBook ISBN:
  9781350504356
• Topic: Design
• Subtopic: Fashion Design

Over the course of the last 180 years, designers have transformed fashion from an elite craft into a cornerstone of global popular culture.

This brilliantly written classic guide to the lives and collections of 59 iconic fashion designers was first published in 2009 and is now available in this fully revised and expanded third edition. It draws on the latest academic research and the best of fashion journalism, including the authors' own interviews with designers. Beginning with Charles Frederick Worth and concluding with the star names of the twenty-first century, the book details each designer's working methods and career highlights with engaging essays that capture the spirit of their times.

This new edition widens its remit to explore designers making waves beyond the Western world. It features six new designer profiles: Virgil Abloh, Iris van Herpen, Japan's Nigo, China's Uma Wang, India's Sabyasachi and Nigeria's Shade Thomas-Fahm. The text has also been updated throughout to reflect growing concern within the fashion world over sustainability issues, and to document a business in constant ferment, with designers swapping jobs and fashion houses at unprecedented speed. The Great Fashion Designers explores these designers' passion and flair, showcasing fashion at its most inspirational.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Introduction
• Part I: Early days
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Charles Frederick Worth (1825–1895)
• Chapter 2: Callot Soeurs (1895–1937)
• Chapter 3: Jeanne Paquin (1869–1936)
• Chapter 4: Paul Poiret (1879–1944)
• Chapter 5: Mariano Fortuny (1871–1949)
• Part II: 1910s–1930s
• Introduction
• Chapter 6: Jeanne Lanvin (1867–1946)
• Chapter 7: Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel (1883–1971)
• Chapter 8: Jean Patou (1880–1936)
• Chapter 9: Madeleine Vionnet (1876–1975)
• Chapter 10: Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973)
• Chapter 11: Mainbocher (1890–1976)
• Chapter 12: Adrian (1903–1959)
• Chapter 13: Salvatore Ferragamo (1898–1960)
• Chapter 14: Madame Alix Grès (1903–1993)
• Part III: 1940s–1950s
• Introduction
• Chapter 15: Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972)
• Chapter 16: Christian Dior (1905–1957)
• Chapter 17: Charles James (1906–1978)
• Chapter 18: Claire McCardell (1905–1958)
• Chapter 19: Hubert de Givenchy (1927–2018)
• Chapter 20: Norman Norell (1900–1972)
• Chapter 21: Pierre Cardin (1922–2020)
• Chapter 22: Mary Quant (1930–2023)
• Part IV: 1960s–1970s
• Introduction
• Chapter 23: Yves Saint Laurent (1936–2008)
• Chapter 24: André Courrèges (1923–2016)
• Chapter 25: Valentino Garavani (1932–)
• Chapter 26: Karl Lagerfeld (1933–2019)
• Chapter 27: Halston (1932–1990)
• Chapter 28: Kenzo (1939–2020)
• Chapter 29: Shade Thomas-Fahm (1933–)
• Chapter 30: Ralph Lauren (1939–)
• Chapter 31: Issey Miyake (1935–2022)
• Chapter 32: Calvin Klein (1942–)
• Chapter 33: Giorgio Armani (1934–)
• Part V: 1980s
• Introduction
• Chapter 34: Rei Kawakubo (1942–)
• Chapter 35: Yohji Yamamoto (1943–)
• Chapter 36: Vivienne Westwood (1941–2022)
• Chapter 37: Paul Smith (1946–)
• Chapter 38: Azzedine Alaïa (c. 1935–2017)
• Chapter 39: Gianni Versace (1946–1997)
• Chapter 40: Jean Paul Gaultier (1952–)
• Chapter 41: Dolce & Gabbana (Domenico Dolce 1958–, Stefano Gabbana 1962–)
• Chapter 42: John Galliano (1960–)
• Chapter 43: Donna Karan (1948–)
• Part VI: 1990s
• Introduction
• Chapter 44: Miuccia Prada (1949–)
• Chapter 45: Martin Margiela (1959–)
• Chapter 46: Marc Jacobs (1963–)
• Chapter 47: Tom Ford (1962–)
• Chapter 48: Alexander McQueen (1969–2010)
• Chapter 49: Nigo (1970–)
• Chapter 50: Nicolas Ghesquière (1971–)
• Chapter 51: Raf Simons (1968–)
• Chapter 52: Hedi Slimane (1968–)
• Introduction
• Chapter 53: Phoebe Philo (1973–)
• Chapter 54: Sabyasachi (1974–)
• Chapter 55: Uma Wang (1973–)
• Chapter 56: Iris van Herpen (1984–)
• Chapter 57: Demna (1981–)
• Chapter 58: Virgil Abloh (1980–2021)
• Chapter 59: Alessandro Michele (1972–)
• Bibliography