Jean-Paul Gaultier

Always looking to push boundaries Jean-Paul Gautier is a French fashion designer who has never been afraid to embrace androgyny. His designs typically blur the boundaries between masculinity and femininity and incorporate unusual motifs like tin cans and corsetry. Before founding his self-titled label, Gaultier was working with established designer Pierre Cardin as his assistant. Between 2003 and 2010, this multifaceted haute-couture designer also worked as the creative director for Hermès. When he’s not working on his brand, Gaultier can be found rocking along to the Eurovision Song Contest as France’s primary dresser.

Herve Leger

Herve Leger was a French fashion designer who started his decades-long career as a hairstylist for Jean-Marc Maniatis. After a successful stint making hats for Tan Guidicelli, he became Karl Lagerfeld’s assistant for several years before starting his label in 1985. Preferring to highlight the female form instead of hiding it, Leger’s eponymous fashion house created the iconic bandage dress which remains one of the most popular dress styles today.

Stella McCartney

As the daughter of Paul McCartney, English fashion designer Stella McCartney has natural artistic talent running through her veins. In her early years, McCartney interned for Christian Lacroix before working with the Savile Row tailor Edward Sexton to refine her approach to dressmaking. After working as the creative director of Chloe from 1997 to 2001, she launched her eponymous line in 2001. Since then, this talented designer has released everything from high-quality womenswear and childrenswear to fragrances and chic handbags. As a staunch supporter of animal rights, McCartney refuses to use fur or leather in any of her collections.

Ralph Rucci

Ralph Rucci is an American fashion designer best known for creating the luxury fashion line Chado Ralph Rucci. Most of his pieces are haute-couture designs that are extremely lavish, making him a popular choice among celebrities and society’s elite. Throughout his career, Rucci has been nominated twice for the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s “Womenswear Designer of the Year Award”. If you’d like to take a closer look at his perfectly crafted designs, several of his impressive gowns are on display at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.