Christian Dior

British designer and Savile Row-trained tailor known for dramatic, technically complex runway shows and precise tailoring, who led his own label from 1992 and Givenchy from 1996 to 2001.

French couturier, born Germaine Krebs, known from the 1930s onward for intricately hand-pleated silk jersey gowns draped directly on the body in a technique resembling classical Greek sculpture.

English-born designer working in Paris, widely regarded as the father of haute couture; he founded the House of Worth in 1858 and was the first designer to label garments and show seasonal collections.

French designer who founded her fashion house around 1910 and popularized relaxed, jersey-based women's wear, the little black dress, and the collarless tweed Chanel suit from the 1920s onward.

Japanese designer known for technical innovation, notably the Pleats Please line launched in 1993, which heat-set permanent pleats into finished polyester garments rather than pleating fabric before cutting.