Christian Dior is widely known as an influential French fashion designer who was born on January 21, 1905 in Normandy, France. He was the son of Maurice Dior and Madeleine Martin. Dior’s father was a manufacturer of fertilizer and chemicals. Dior had an elder brother named Raymond. Dior attended the Ecole de Sciences Politiques from 1920 to 1925 to follow his parents wishes of him becoming a diplomat someday. But Dior already had other plans since he wished to be involved only in the arts. When …

Sonia Rykiel is a popular French fashion designer who was born in Paris in the 1930’s. She had her start in the fashion business when she worked to dress window displays in a Parisian textile store an early age of 17. Sonia later on married an owner of a boutique that sold elegant clothing. This provided Sonia with the environment from which she began to practice her skills in designing. Actually, her first taste in designing came out of necessity. She wasn’t able to find any decent sweaters any…

Prada, S.p.A. is a well-known Italian fashion company with retail outlets worldwide. The company, originally known in Italy as “Prada Brothers,” was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada in Milan.Mario Prada designed and sold handbags, shoes, trunks, and suitcases through two boutiques in Milan, and had clients across Europe and the United States. When the signature Prada suitcases, made from heavy, cumbersome walrus skin, proved to be ill-suited for air travel, Prada concentrated on designing exquisit…

The House of Gucci, better known as Gucci, is an Italian French-owned iconic luxury goods label. It was founded by Guccio Gucci (1881-1953) in Florence in 1906. It is considered as one of the most famous, prestigious, and easily recognizable fashion brands in the world.Gucci is also one of the Top 100 Brands cited by BusinessWeek magazine, generating over US$7 billion of revenue worldwide in 2006. It is the second biggest selling fashion brand after LVMH and the biggest selling Italian brand in …

More commonly known as Chanel, the House of Chanel is a Parisian fashion house in France. It was founded by Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971). The privately held House of Chanel is currently jointly owned by Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer, grandsons of the early Chanel partner Pierre Wertheimer.Chanel revolutionize haute couture fashion by completely replacing the traditional corset with comfortable and casually elegant suits and dresses. Coco Chanel introduced to the world her…

Byblos was established in 1973 in Italy. At first, its very emphatic style was created by then young and creative genius Gianni Versace (from 1977 to 1979), who was then followed by French designer Guy Paulin (1979 to 1982). However, the very essence of Byblos’ success and longevity was the long collaboration between English designers Keith Verty and Alan Cleaver (1981 to 1996). Other designers who have been part of the brand’s creative efforts include Richard Tyler, John Bartlett, and Martine S…

Catherine Malandrino is a French fashion designer. She caters to the female form with roughed up romantic looks in neutral palattes, fitted silhouetters, attention-grabbing sleeves, layers and netting, knitwear, negligee-insipred silk, and playful accents like hardware on shoulders. She was born in Grenoble, France, and got her start working in Paris for such talents as Emanuel Ungaro, Louis Feraud Haute Couture, and Et Vous. She arrived in the United States with a big bang in 1988 as she took t…

Elsa Schiaparelli was one of the most influential and groundbreaking clothing designers of the twentieth century. Schiaparelli’s haute couture wear and accessories are known for their lurid designs and artistic influences made famous during the late 1920s.Born in Rome in September 10, 1890, Schiaparelli was brought up by strict and conservative parents. At a young age of 18 and at her rebellious nature, she ran away to London where she met and married a Polish count. In the first World War, thei…

Italy is well known in the world of fashion. A number of fashion designers, fashion houses, and proclaimed experts in the field come from this country. Fashion is considered one of the country’s major exports with Armani, Valentino, Luxottica, Dolce & Gabbana, Benetton, Prada, and, of course, Versace at the helm of the industry. Versace, a world famous Italian fashion house that was founded by the a great man, a pioneer in the field of fashion, style, and popular culture. The man behind the bran…

Ralph Lauren is an accomplished and highly successful American fashion designer famous for his Polo and Ralph Lauren fashion empire that he built up on his own. He is the epitome of classic elegant fashion especially those for men. He creates a variety of fashion lines that target men and women as well as a number of products for homes.   Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in Bronx, New York on October 14, 1939.  He was born to Jewish parents Frank and Fraydl Lifshitz. Ralph’s father made a li…