The Great Fashion Designers: From Chanel to McQueen, the Names That Made Fashion History

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.

Brenda Polan is a fashion writer, editor, lecturer and academic. She was Fashion Editor and Women’s Page Editor of The Guardian and has written for all Britain’s major newspapers and many magazines. She was formerly Programme Director (Media) at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.

Roger Tredre is Course Leader for the MA in Fashion Communication, at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Prior to his academic career, he worked in newspaper journalism and was the first Editor-in-Chief of WGSN, the online fashion trends and research business. He has consulted widely for many leading fashion brands.