Alexander McQueen (1969-2010)
First and foremost, he has returned rebellion and avant-garde into fashion. He was a fashion designer for whom no taboos existed and who always strived to push the fashion limits forward. He was called “the hooligan of English fashion”. He became the lead designer of the Parisian fashion house Givenchy in 1996.

Coco Chanel (1883-1971)
Induced a revolution in Haute couture by substituting the traditional corset by comfortable and casual elegance of simple suits and dresses. During the 1920s and 1930s, she recreated men´s designs into comfortable women´s leisure clothes, she practically invented sports clothes. “A little black dress” stemming from a simple shirt line became an indispensable part of her wardrobe. Her career peaked in 1954 when she made a comeback from her retirement at age of 71 to create possibly the most durable and notorious type of clothing – the “Chanel” suit.

Christian Dior (1905-1957)
He opened an art gallery in Paris in 1928. His first fashion designs were published in 1931 in the magazine Le Figaro Illustré. In 1946, he introduced his collection New Look that practically announced the end of the 1940s fashion. He made women show cleavages and dressed them into wide godet skirts. He gave them small waists in his designs as well as chest and impressive cleavages. That year, the Gallupe Institute named Dior one of the five world most important personalities. Thanks to him, Paris has become the world fashion centre. His influence on fashion was immense even though his time was limited by his sudden death.

John Galliano (1960)
John Galliano, also known as Juan Carlos Antonio Galliano-Guillén is one of the most influential contemporary British designers (he was born in Gibraltar). He worked for Givenchy and he became Creative Director of the fashion house Christian Dior in 1966 which he left in February 2011. Galliano´s inspirational influence has undergone many forms, from artistic performance to avant-garde elements. However, it was romance and tenderness that brought fame to his fashion.

Paco Rabanne (1934)
Francisco “Paco” Rabaneda Cuervo known as Paco Rabanne has begun his career by creating jewellery for brands such as Givenchy, Dior and Balenciaga; he established his own fashion house in 1966. He has completely broken the well-established tradition of fabric, as he used very unconventional materials for his designs as metal, paper and plastic. His designer heritage is a raincoat shaped from a single piece of plastic.

Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008)
In 1961 he created his first collection under his own brand YSL. He became famous creating unisex clothes and bringing masculine features into feminine fashion. He invented the women´s trouser-leg suit and created a women´s version  of men´s tuxedo for his 1965 collection called Le Smoking. “I have always wanted to protect women through basic wardrobe against becoming someone else in order to truly become themselves.”

Valentino (1932)
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, known as Valentino, worked in France in 1949-1959 when he cooperated with the French fashion house Jean Desses. After that, he returned to Italy where he introduced his own clothes collections for the first time in 1959. His collection of 1962 in Florence made him famous. His collections are synonyms for glamour, elegance and extravagance. Valentino has elevated woman to a goddess of heavenly beauty and seductiveness.

Vivienne Westwood (1941)
She is considered one of the most impressive fashion designers of the twentieth century. This fashion designer is a synonym for “punk style”. Her collections feature innovative ideas and also have a sexual undertone. Her designs from the punk period included safety pins, razors, chains and spiky neckbands; make-up and hairstyle carried a similar spirit. Thanks to her, corsets returned into fashion and here mini-crinoline also yielded much success.