Women’s Day 2024: Celebrating Powerful Voices In Fashion
March 8th marks International Women’s Day and 2024’s theme is all about inspiring inclusion. With recent chatter that the fashion world is becoming increasingly dominated by male voices, we wanted to shed light on the women in fashion. In our sector, notable women have paved the way for fashion, craft, beauty and eyewear.
We’re looking at the women creative directors whose work has defined some of the biggest fashion and jewelry houses and how they have established heritage houses as contemporary voices of international recognition.
Virginie Viard, CHANEL
Virginie Viard studied fashion in Lyon and shortly after became a costume designer. Starting her career at CHANEL in 1987, Viard started a close relationship with the house that would surpass 30 years. She was a close confidant of Karl Lagerfeld; they worked at both CHANEL and Chloé together, with Lagerfeld once describing her as his right and left hand.
It was no surprise when Viard was appointed Creative Director of CHANEL following Lagerfeld’s death. While some have said Viard takes a more sober direction for the house, her technical know-how and craftsman’s precision perfectly mirror CHANEL’s heritage, while understanding the practicality and beauty of dressing oneself.
Miuccia Prada, Prada and Miu Miu
As a student, Miuccia Prada belonged to the women’s rights movement in ‘70s Milan. Her feminism and stance for liberal rights haven’t left her and are showcased throughout her work at both Prada and Miu Miu.
Both brands celebrate femininity in all of its nuances, from serious silhouettes to beautiful and naive ones. Heralded as the one who brought Prada and Miu Miu to the international acclaim that it is today, Miuccia and her work excel at showcasing images of gender equality and the modern woman’s image.
Miuccia spoke about this perspective recently to Vogue: “To have an idea of a woman as a beautiful silhouette—no! I try to respect women—I tend not to do bias dresses, super-sexy. I try to be creative in a way that can be worn, that can be useful.”
Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen
Sarah Burton started as an intern at Alexander Mcqueen while she studied print fashion at Central St. Martins. Upon graduation she worked full-time for the brand, becoming the Head of Womenswear, and then the Creative Director in 2019, following McQueen’s death. Her love for the brand and McQueen can be felt in all the collections she has created for the brand. Rebellious, stark yet romantic dresses and structured bags with the iconic McQueen skull became focal points of her design.
The SS24 collection in September marked Burton’s last show, completing more than 3 decades at the house. Fans have since speculated that the beloved director will begin her own brand. And if it’s true, we can’t wait to see it.
Chemena Kamali, Chloé
Last year, Chloé announced the change from Gabriela Hearst to Chemena Kamali. Following a long line of notable female creative directors like Phoebe Philo and Clare Waight Keller, Hearst and Kamali bring more contemporary female voices to the high luxury fashion world and a new perspective of nationality and culture to the Parisian house.
During her time at Chloé, Hearst was responsible for bringing more sustainable initiatives to the house’s clothing production and eyewear and helped achieve B-Corp status for the house. Chemena will showcase her first runway for the upcoming FW24 season in Paris; the new creative director brings hefty experience from both Saint Laurent and Alberta Ferretti, bringing excitement to the brand.
Donatella Versace, Versace
Extravagant, bold and powerful: Donatella Versace has become a synonymous image of the brand. After Gianni's untimely death in 1997, Donatella became the house’s Creative Director, a position she holds over two decades later.
Audacious and bold, much like the woman herself, the brand has followed Donatella’s expert eye season after season. She’s also responsible for extending the brand further than clothing into accessories, homeware and hotels, effectively transforming the name Versace into a lifestyle.
Catherine Holstein, Khaite
Founder of contemporary luxury label Khaite, Catherine Holstein is also the creative director behind the must-have brand. In a recent interview with Holstein, the Business of Fashion declared Khaite’s potential to become the next global fashion powerhouse.
We don’t doubt it. Jennifer Lawrence, Katie Holmes and Selena Gomez have been spotted in the brand among other celebrities and last year Khaite released their limited edition eyewear collaboration with Oliver Peoples.
Jacqueline Karachi, Cartier
Since 2009, Jacqueline Karachi has been the Creative Director of Cartier Prestige. She began her career with the house over thirty years ago as a designer and now leads the high jewelry team.
For Karachi, it is imperative to follow the house codes, maintaining the Maison’s style despite experimentation with new stones, designs, or looks. In this way, Karachi has become responsible for upholding the Cartier name, protecting its vision and teaching new designers how to participate in what she defines as ‘Cartier-style.’