- Many of the top luxury houses are led by men. But some of the most renowned are helmed by women.
- Chanel, Fendi, Alexander McQueen, and even Prada are a few of the labels that currently have women serving as either a creative or artistic director, depending on the title preference of the company.
- The women at the top ranks of these labels have designed some of the most iconic looks of the era – Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen designed Kate Middleton’s wedding dress.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
While many of the top luxury fashion houses are led by men, some of the most renowned are helmed by women who have helped to redefine their respective labels for the modern era.
For example, Silvia Venturini Fendi, who has been at her family’s namesake label since 1994, is best known for designing Fendi’s iconic baguette bag, which currently retails for up to $9,000. After the passing of Karl Lagerfeld last year, Venturini Fendi took over as creative director of the entire brand, and is currently the only Fendi family member still working for the company.
Then, there’s Claire Waight Keller, who, just months after being appointed creative director of Givenchy in 2017, made headlines when she was tapped to design Meghan Markle’s dress for her wedding to Prince Harry. Similarly, Sarah Burton, who took over Alexander McQueen after the passing of its eponymous founder in 2010, became globally known after designing Kate Middleton’s dress for her 2011 wedding to Prince William.
But among the relatively few women who lead these top luxury houses, none might be as notable as Miuccia Prada, who has been leading her family’s namesake company since 1978. She made waves this past month after announcing that designer Raf Simons would serve as co-creative director going forward, a move that Business Insider previously reported could change the landscape of the fashion industry.
Keep reading to learn more about some of the women who are leading top luxury fashion houses, listed in order of the year they were appointed to their positions, from the earliest to the most recent.
Prada — Miuccia Prada
Miuccia Prada has been leading Prada since she first took control of the company in 1978; the label was founded by her grandfather in 1913 as a leather goods company, Business Insider previously reported.
Over the years, Prada turned her family's namesake brand into one of the top luxury houses in the world. In 1989, she debuted her first ready-to-wear collection, before launching her own line, Miu Miu, in 1992.
In February, she announced that she would become the co-creative director of Prada, alongside designer Raf Simons.
Rodarte — Kate and Laura Mulleavy
Founded in 2005, Rodarte has been helmed by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy since its beginning. The sisters are known for their meticulous attention to detail; one dress from an early collection famously took over 150 hours to finish. As Sally Singer from Vogue writes, their "clothes are meant to be worn, not simply photographed; they are not costumes."
Rodarte also had collections shown at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Fashion Institute of Technology Museum in New York City.
Alexander McQueen — Sarah Burton
After the death of Alexander McQueen in 2010, Sarah Burton became the creative director of his eponymous label. She received worldwide attention after designing Kate Middleton's wedding dress in 2011. She also designed Pippa Middleton's maid of honor dress, as well as the gown Kate wore to her wedding reception.
In 2019, Burton received the CFDA International Award, and she'd previously won Designer of the Year Award at the British Fashion Awards in 2011. Her impact on the British fashion industry led to her being awarded an Order of the British Empire in 2012.
Source: Business of Fashion
Chloé — Natacha Ramsay-Levi
Natacha Ramsay-Levi has been the creative director at Chloé since 2017. Ramsay-Levi presented her first Chloé collection in September 2017, and Tim Blanks of Business of Fashion praised it as a "spectacular debut."
Before Chloé, Ramsay-Levi trained under Nicolas Ghesquière, who is now the creative director at Louis Vuitton, while Ghesquière was still at Balenciaga. When Ghesquière moved to Louis Vuitton, Ramsay-Levi followed suit, becoming design director at that label. She held that position until she moved to Chloé.
Source: Business of Fashion
Givenchy — Clare Waight Keller
Claire Waight Keller has been the artistic director of Givenchy since 2017, when she succeeded Riccardo Tisci to assume the role. Before Givenchy, she worked at Calvin Klein, Gucci, and Chloé.
Keller is the first woman to serve as the artistic director of Givenchy, and she's best known for designing the gown that Meghan Markle wore to her wedding to Prince Harry.
In 2018, she won British Designer of the Year Womenswear Award at the British Fashion Awards.
Source: Business of Fashion
Chanel — Virginie Viard
After the death of Karl Lagerfeld in 2019, Virgine Viard succeeded the late designer as artistic director of Chanel.
She started at the brand in 1987 as an embroidery intern, and over time became known as Lagerfeld's right-hand woman. She is the first woman to lead Chanel since the house's founder, Gabrielle Chanel.
Source: Business of Fashion
Fendi — Silvia Venturini Fendi
Silvia Venturini Fendi is the creative director at Fendi. Previously, she was the creative director of menswear, accessories, and children's wear for the label, until the passing of former creative director Karl Lagerfeld in 2019, at which point she was promoted to lead the entire brand, as reported by CNN's Fiona Sinclair Scott.
She is currently the only member of the Fendi family who is still working at the label and has been at the company since 1995. She is noted for designing the famous baguette handbag, which currently retails for up to $9,000.
Source:Business of Fashion