Culture 101
Historically, fashion is a male-dominated industry, with most fashion designers being men. However, there are a few powerful women who have paved the way for females making their mark in fashion today.
Mario Prada founded the Italian fashion house as a leather goods company in 1913. His daughter Luisa took over and ran Prada until the late '70s, when her daughter Miuccia Prada took over. Prada invented the notion of the "ugly chic" aesthetic, paving the way for female intellectualism in fashion.
Thanks to its namesake, Chanel became a household name that continues to be one of fashion's most sought-after labels. Chanel revolutionized the idea of casual dressing for women, pioneered fragrance for fashion houses, made handbags more functional, and created one of the first shoulder bags on the market.
Silvia Venturini Fendi was born into a fashion family. She became creative director of accessories and menswear at Fendi in 1994. She designed the iconic Fendi Baguette, ended the use of real fur at Fendi, and hired Kim Jones as a designer.
Donatella Versace took over Versace when her brother passed away in 1997. She wanted to preserve her brother's legacy and the family name. Versace is still going strong over 20 years later.
Maria Chiuri Grazia led Valentino from 2008 to 2016 with its current creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. In 2016, Maria Chiuri Grazia became the first woman to helm the couture house founded by Christian Dior.
Virginie Viard was Karl Lagerfeld's right-hand woman for four decades and she became creative director of Chanel after his passing. Viard and Lagerfeld worked together to design the Chanel 19 bag which debuted shortly after he passed away.
With a focus on craftsmanship and sustainability Gabriela Hearst built her eponymous brand before being named creative director fo Chloé in December 2020. Under Hearst's leadership, Chloé became the first luxury maison to achieve B Corp certification.