Celebrating International Women’s Day: Part 2
After showing our appreciation and recognition towards some of the most influential and hard-working women in fashion from past centuries, we thought it was only right to recognise those still working in the present day too. After all, it is today’s women who are shaping the world for the next generation.
Whether you are an avid follower of those working in the beauty and fashion industry or not, you can’t help but notice the time and effort that goes into creating a name for yourself in this area of business. So, here we have chosen 3 women from the industry who have achieved great things and who should serve as inspiration to anyone else hoping to make their mark.
Stella McCartney
Born in 1971, Stella McCartney is the daughter of Paul McCartney. After creating only 2 fashion collections, she was appointed Creative Director of Chloe in 1997, before launching her own fashion house and showcasing her first collection under the brand in 2001.
Stella is best known for being a lifelong vegetarian and has never used leather or fur in any of her designs, something that other fashion houses are only just beginning to adjust to. This showed her true dedication towards sustainability and responsibility, before it became such a worldwide issue.
She has since grown her brand into 51 stores across the globe, with locations like New York, LA, London, Milan and Tokyo. She launched her first fragrance ‘Stella’ in 2003, she continued to achieve many different accolades.
Working alongside brands such as Adidas, she was appointed Team GB’s Creative Director for the Olympic Summer Games in both 2012 and 2016. Her own clothing label has also continued to grow, including lingerie, children, accessories and menswear. You will no doubt recognise the Falabella handbag with chain detail, which has become an iconic style over the last few years.
Stella McCartney fragrances are sexy, feminine and bold; just like the woman who created them.
Vivienne Westwood
Now known as Dame Vivienne Westwood, she began designing clothes in 1971 and opened her first shop, ‘Let It Rock’ in London. As quickly as 1976 she was dressing the likes of the Sex Pistols.
Vivienne Westwood revolutionised what was deemed appropriate to wear in public. She was the first to introduce the use of safety pins and chains into fashion mainstream, as well as more risqué styles. With her punk-inspired outlook and her outspoken, unconventional personality, you’d be forgiven for thinking she was unpopular with popular opinion. However, she has won more awards than you could imagine.
In 1991, she was named British Designer of the Year. In 1998, she won the Queen’s Export Award, and in 2007 she won Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design at the British Fashion Awards.
Never shy of controversy, Vivienne Westwood often created collections that were emblazoned with statements of all kinds; in 2003, she sent men down the catwalk with fake breasts. She is an activist on issues such as climate change, nuclear disarmament and civil rights, particularly freedom of speech. In the past she has been known to appear at protests across in London and created an Ethical Fashion Africa collection.
Westwood is known for supporting charity shops and has been involved in government campaigns; so much so, that she opened her 2013 collection at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Vivienne Westwood fragrances are strong, distinctive; designed to turn heads and perfectly embodies Westwood’s attitude.
Carolina Herrera
Carolina Herrera is a Venezuelan-born fashion designer who moved to New York. She appeared on many best dressed lists, which prompted her friends to encourage her to create a fashion label. Her career began as a publicist, but her personal style paved the way for a different career path. She launched her own label in 1981, and has become known for dressing some of the highest profile women over the years, including Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Michelle Obama.
She is particularly well-known for her bridal collections; she designed Caroline Kennedy’s wedding dress in 1986. A couple of years after, she expanded her business into fragrances and launched her first perfume in 1988, which was quickly followed by a men’s aftershave.
In 2000, Carolina Herrera opened her first flagship boutique in a 4-storey building. 4 years later, she received the Womenswear Designer of the Year award from Council of Fashion Designers of America, and also the Woman of the Year award from Glamour.
She is also an ambassador for the American Cancer Society.
“I have a responsibility to the woman of today – to make her feel confident, modern and above all else, beautiful” – Carolina Herrera.
Carolina Herrera’s fragrances are modern, fun and full of confidence; just like the women she is trying to inspire today.
