25 People Whose Names We Know But Rarely See In Photos

Even if you don’t follow the fashion world closely, you most likely heard of a few big fashion brands, like Dolce & Gabbana or Calvin Klein. Many people seem to enjoy the products these brands create without really thinking about the designers themselves. In fact, even the most savvy fashionistas wouldn’t recognize most of them on the street. But worry not – We have compiled a list of some of the most widely known fashion brands and the designers behind them, that will help you to finally put a face to the name.

#1 Vera Wang

Image source: Vera Wang

Believe it or not, Vera Wang used to be an avid figure skater and even tried to make it to the US Olympic team. Sadly, she did not succeed and turned to her other passion – fashion. She graduated the Sarah Lawrence College and was hired by Vogue to work as an editor, where she worked for 17 years. After that, Vera spent two years at Ralph Lauren and, finally, at the age of 40 became an independent wedding dress designer.

#2 Giorgio Armani

Image source: Armani

Giorgio Armani was named the most successful Italian designer back in 2001 and is the pioneer of red-carpet fashion. Also after model Ana Carolina Reston starved herself to death, it was Armani that first banned models with a BMI of less than 18.

#3 Vivienne Westwood

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Vivienne Westwood is the queen of modern punk fashion, whose clothes are inspired by the shock-value of punk. She is known for always speaking her mind and her designs are often linked to many political causes, like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, climate change and various civil rights groups.

#4 Gianni Versace

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As his mother was a seamstress, Gianni spent a great part of his childhood learning how to sew. In 1978, he opened the first Versace boutique and it quickly became an international success. The designer took inspiration from the contemporary and pop cultures and linked fashion with the music world. His sister Donatella took over the business after Gianni passed away.

#5 Miuccia Prada

Miuccia Bianchi Prada is the youngest granddaughter of fashion designer Mario Prada. She took over the family business in 1978. Miuccia now works as the head designer at Prada and Miu Miu and was voted one of the best dressed women in the world by Forbes.

#6 Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs graduated from both High School of Art and Design in New York and the Parsons School of Design. He is currently the head designer at his own fashion label and was announced to be Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America back in 2016.

#7 Christian Louboutin

Image source: Claudio Conti

Christian Louboutin loved making shoes since he was young. He designed footwear for major brands like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent before creating his own brand when he turned 27.

#8 Diane Von Furstenberg

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Diane von Fürstenberg is a Belgian-born designer and former spouse of Prince Egon von Fürstenberg. Upon marrying the prince, she said: “The minute I knew I was about to be Egon’s wife, I decided to have a career. I wanted to be someone of my own, and not just a plain little girl who got married beyond her desserts.” She introduced the knitted jersey “wrap dress” in 1974 and it became an instant success. Von Fürstenberg is the current president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).

#9 Stella McCartney

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British designer Stella McCartney is the daughter of former Beatles member Paul McCartney. She designed her first jacket when she was just 13 years old as is currently known for her feminine designs that don’t use any leather or fur.

#10 Calvin Klein

Image source: David Shankbone

Most of us have heard of Calvin Klein and the clothes, perfume and accessories he designs – especially the undergarments with the iconic CK logo.

#11 Tom Ford

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Tom Ford is everything you can think of – a fashion designer, film director, producer and screenwriter. After moving to New York, the designer fell in love with the glamor and scene of the Studio 54 nightclub that inspired many of his creations. He first launched a line of menswear in 2006.

#12 Alexander Wang

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Alexander Wang is an American designer known for his sleek and modern designs. The designer moved to New York from San Francisco at the age of 18 to attend the Parsons School of Design. He presented his first fashion line for women in 2007, just two years after graduating.

#13 Dolce & Gabbana

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The two designers first me in Milan back in 1980 when they were working for the same fashion house. Five years later, they started their own fashion label together.

#14 Kenzo Takada

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After graduating from Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College, Kenzō Takada, the widely recognized Japanese fashion designer, moved to Paris, where he opened his first shop. The designer’s major success began in 1970 and he currently is the acting Honorary President of the Asian Couture Federation.

#15 Roland Mouret

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After graduating high school, the French designer attended fashion college for three months. Mouret’s lack of technical skills did not stop him from designing and his first breakthrough came in 2006 after introducing the Galaxy dress – it became the dress of the year.

#16 Manolo Blahnik

Image source: WWD

Manolo Blahnik started a column about footwear in Vogue when he was 28 and after a year, he opened a footwear boutique. He was the second man to appear on the cover of Vogue at the age of 32.

#17 Michael Kors

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Michael Kors is a Long Island-born fashion designer who showed passion for designing since he was a child. He used to sell the clothes he made from his parents’ basement when he was a teenager and eventually launched his own women’s fashion label in 1981.

#18 Tommy Hilfiger

Image source: thomasjhilfiger

Hilfiger tried many fashion ventures during his career. When he was 20, the designer opened his own clothing store but, sadly, it went bankrupt after 5 years. After that, Tommy moved to New York City and worked for several fashion brands before creating his own clothing company, Tommy Hill, at the age of 28. Six years later, he established the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation that eventually became one of the most well known fashion brands in the world.

#19 Roberto Cavalli

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Cavalli studied weaving techniques since he was young – it eventually inspired him to drop out of school and open his own business printing textile. He presented his first ready-to-wear collection in Paris at the age of 32.

#20 Jean Paul Gaultier

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Parisian-born designer Jean-Paul Gaultier was introduced to the fashion world in his childhood by his grandma. Believe it or not, the designer never received any formal training – he simply drew sketches and sent them to famous various fashion labels. Eventually he was noticed by Pierre Cardin, who hired Gaultier as his assistant in 1970.

#21 Donna Karan

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Donna Karan is an American fashion designer born in Queens, New York, known for the DKNY clothing label. After graduating high school, she went to the Parsons School of Design. Karan insists that all of the clothes she designs, she would wear herself.

#22 Thierry Mugler

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Thierry Mugler is a French-born designer who presented his first collection, “Café de Paris”, back in 1973. His designs are often inspired by all sorts of weird things, like insects, robots or aliens. And if you can’t already tell from the picture, the designer is an avid bodybuilder.

#23 Christian Lacroix (right)

Image source: jeremy

Initially, Christian Lacroix aspired to be a museum curator but fell in love with fashion when sketching historical costumes. He opened his fashion house in 1975 and after 13 years began creating ready-to-wear clothes.

#24 Jacquemus

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Simon Porte Jacquemus is a French designer born in 1990 t0 a family of farmers. After turning 18, he went to Paris and studied at the École supérieure des arts et techniques de la mode (ESMOD) for a few months. Two years later, the young designer started his own brand, Jacquemus, in honor of his recently deceased mother.

#25 John Galliano

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Galliano was named British Designer of the Year four times but, sadly, his career has been diminished after the 2011 scandal. The designer holds anti-Semitic views and often expresses them in public after a few glasses of wine. Galliano’s fashion label was shut down the same year and the designer was fired from Dior.