The Power List: the faces setting 2017's fashion agenda

Meet the creative talents and business titans setting the fashion agenda now...
Dave Benett/Getty Images for GUC
Laura Weir|Laura Craik14 September 2017

CELEBRITIES

A$AP Rocky

His claim to have been responsible for the return of gold jewellery to the hip-hop community notwithstanding, A$AP always wears it well; an aficionado of Raf Simons and Jeremy Scott, a collaborator with JW Anderson and a dapper dresser who never disappoints.

Rihanna

If 56.3m fangirls are living for your every outfit post on Instagram, you may as well bottle it — and she has, with 10 perfumes to her name. But Ri is also a major fashion force, thanks to her Fenty x Puma range, as well as collaborations with Dior (sunglasses), Manolo Blahnik (shoes) and Chopard (fine jewellery). But her newest, and possibly most lucrative venutre is Fenty Beauty: watch it fly.

Céline Dion

Her heart will go on: thankfully for all of us, her devotion to designer labels will go on, too. Dion’s celebration of Dior, Prada, Valentino and (obvs) Céline is a joyous thing to behold, and the fun she has wearing it is a welcome antidote to all the po-faced seriousness out there, both in the fashion industry and in the world at large.

Bella Hadid

No longer just Gigi’s little sister, Hadid’s chameleon-like looks ensure she’s always in demand, whether on Tom Ford’s catwalk or Victoria’s Secret’s.

WireImage

Beyoncé

For someone with the heft and majesty of Queen Bey, Knowles entered fairly cautiously into the fashion market, eschewing collaborations for the creation of an activewear range, Ivy Park. Its launch last April marked what is no doubt only the beginning of Bey’s fashion ambitions.

Skepta
Eric T. White

Skepta

‘The clothes don’t make the man, the man makes the clothes,’ Joseph Junior ‘Skepta’ Adenuga told the Evening Standard back in June at the launch of his menswear range. Grime’s golden boy rarely wears his beloved Gucci, Vuitton and Chanel these days: he usually dons his own Mains creations instead. He says you can do great things in a tracksuit, and has a Mercury and an Ivor Novello to prove it.

Cara Delevingne

With a personal fortune estimated at £14m, Cara can afford to be picky about the fashion brands she works with, such as Burberry, Rimmel and Chanel. Since her successful move into the film world (Valerian and Kids in Love) a Cara catwalk appearance is as rare as a hen’s tooth.

Kim Kardashian West

Whatever you think of this unapologetic figure, Kim shifts units, whether of husband Kanye’s Yeezy range or any other label she gets in front of the eyeballs of her 103m Instagram followers. Balmain, Givenchy and Valentino are just some of the beneficiaries of her patronage — seeing her as anything other than an astute businesswoman is a grave misjudgement.

DESIGNERS

Azzedine Alaïa

Tunisian-born Alaïa is the designer’s designer, a man who eschews fashion diktats (such as showing seasonally).

Rei Kawakubo

The arch Japanese avant-gardist who recast fashion in black is as reclusive as she is revered.

Phoebe Philo

Philo has been at Céline for nearly 10 years, in which time she has, oh, only redefined the working woman’s wardrobe.

Stella McCartney

For her wide-ranging partnership with Adidas (she designed Team GB’s Olympic kit) and for championing environmental issues: she refuses to work with fur or leather.

Karl Lagerfeld

Ruling the house of Chanel with a glove-clad iron fist since 1983, Lagerfeld is all-round boss.

Manolo Blahnik

For his integrity and unerringly elegant shoes. Impostors can but dream of equalling him.

Silvia Venturini Fendi

Always innovating, Fendi is as dynamic and luxurious as ever, with a heavy dose of Roman wit making it one of the most covetable labels around.

Erdem Moralioglu  
WireImage

Erdem Moralioglu

The much-loved designer, renowned for fabulous, figure-flattering florals, is the latest creative to lend his signature to H&M.

Miuccia Prada

For many in the fashion world, the Milan-born designer’s edicts are the only ones to follow.

Michael Kors

A recent £896m acquisition of Jimmy Choo only strengthens his position as one of fashion’s most powerful players.

James Jebbia

His brand Supreme has never been more desirable than after its collaboration with Louis Vuitton. Cooler than cool.

Raf Simons

He only presented his first collections for Calvin Klein in February, but the Belgian has reinvigorated the fabled house.

Alessandro Michele

If power is measured by the high-street copies your catwalk shows spawn, Gucci’s creative director is omnipotent.

Giorgio Armani

The godfather of Italian fashion, master of elegant tailoring and the maestro of the red carpet.

Nicolas Ghesquière

Helming LVMH’s jewel in the crown, Ghesquière continues to dazzle with his modern approach to high fashion.

Demna Gvasalia

The Vetements creative is his own man, and as artistic director of Balenciaga he has put the French label back on the lips of the fashion cognoscenti.

John Galliano

The design legend is now the creative visionary behind the fantastic white-washed world of Maison Margiela.

Ralph Lauren

The design icon defines Americana and is the father of the fashion megabrand.

Maria Grazia Chiuri

The first woman to get the top job at Christian Dior, Chiuri backs a feminist agenda and a slick, strong silhouette.

Tom Ford

The designer and film director surprised by showing at New York Fashion Week this season, ditching the ‘see now, buy now’ model. Watch others follow.

INFLUENCERS

Slick Woods

She’s hot and she doesn’t give a damn. We respect that.

Sabine Getty

This fashion plate’s kaleidoscopic jewels are as colourful as her jet-set lifestyle.

Adwoa Aboah

The British model and ES cover girl is leading the feminist conversation with her Gurls Talk platform.

Susie Lau

An industry gem, Lau transcends the blogger bubble.

The Insta pack

Bianca Brandolini d’Adda, Derek Blasberg, Dasha Zhukova, Lauren Santo Domingo, Jess Hart and Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert — cliquey but stylish and on constant vacation.

Camille Charriere

Snaps for your insta captions, Camille.

STYLISTS

Alastair McKimm

i-D’s fashion director distils luxury and streetwear for the likes of Supreme and Saint Laurent.

Olivier Rizzo

The Belgian creative is Mrs Prada’s preferred in-house stylist.

Lotta Volkova

Gvasalia’s right-hand woman/muse embraces esoteric looks. Her Instagram feed is ace.

SOUND SCAPERS

Frederic Sanchez

Brands from Prada to Balmain enlist Sanchez for their shows’ ‘oral tableaux’.

Michel Gaubert

The catwalk mix-master is Karl Lagerfeld and Dries Van Noten’s musical maestro.

BEAUTY ARTISTS

Eugene Souleiman

His now starry career began with a Job Centre placement as a hairdresser.

Josh Wood

The London master dresses the tresses of the capital’s power set.

Pat McGrath

The glam icon who designed Armani’s make-up in 1999 has now launched her own.

Holli Smith

The hairstylist is a fast fave of Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello.

Lucia Pica

Chanel’s head of beauty (right) is known for her bold, disruptive use of colour.

Guido Palau

He’s the hair guru behind George Michael’s model-strewn ‘Freedom’ video.

TECH HEADS

Eva Chen

Nobody knows more about ‘Instabait’ than the platform’s head of fashion partnerships.

Federico Marchetti

CEO of Yoox Net-A-Porter Group is unstoppable.

Ian Rogers

Jumped from music to luxury as LVMH’s chief digital officer.

Jose Neves

Integrates the world’s boutiques at farfetch.com.

ART CROWD

Yana Peel

The Serpentine CEO bridges planets art and fashion.

Michael Clark

The Scottish dancer and iconoclast is always a step ahead.

Wolfgang Tillmans

The German photographer’s diverse body of work is to be revered.

Andrew Bolton

The British head curator of the Met’s Costume Institute in NYC specialises in blockbuster fashion shows.

Juergen Teller

The lensman (right) always gets the top shot.

DYNAMIC DUOS

Tom and Ruth Chapman

Matches started as a shop in Wimbledon in 1987: 30 years later, matches fashion.com this month sold a majority stake to Apax Partners for £800m. Such success is a reflection of the drive of the well-loved Chapmans.

Charles Aboah and Camilla Lowther

London’s ‘other’ Charles and Camilla are fashion royalty. As founder of creative agency CLM, Lowther has steered the careers of Katie Grand and Tim Walker. Husband Aboah owns a location scouting company. Oh, and Adwoa Aboah is their daughter.

Christopher and Tammy Kane

This brother-sister pairing have worked side by side since founding Christopher Kane just over a decade ago. The dynamic duo are true creative alchemists, famous for delivering a subversive, sartorial reflection of Cool Britannia.

Ronnie Cooke Newhouse and Jonathan Newhouse

Few couples are as well-connected. Jonathan’s family has owned Condé Nast since 1959. Ronnie runs House + Holme, the creative agency behind campaigns for Lanvin and Moncler.

GEN Z

As the first generation to grow up online comes of age, they bring the promise of a revolution. Their brains may as well be smartphone interfaces, so in tune with technology are these digital natives. They are unique — in the way they think, act and shop — and they may just present the most intriguing challenge the industry has ever faced. Born between the mid Nineties and mid Noughties, as consumers they are like no generation before: supremely smart with saving (they’ve seen the excesses of the past and loathe debt), suspicious of advertising and prepared to stand up for the greater good (60 per cent will support brands that represent issues they believe in). As for pinning down their gender or sexuality — good luck with that. Forget your narrow categorisations. Gen Z are global citizens, digitally connected to their peers around the world, able to find virtual communities where analogue ones are absent. They are the ultimate influencers: sharing their opinions and experiences online comes naturally. Which means that, when it comes to quality, they expect the best of the best. The message? Feckless frittering is out, conscious consumerism is the future.

Generation Z are arguably the most important people in the world of fashion right now.

MODEL ICONS

Kate Moss

You might have heard of her. Twenty-nine years and a £60m fortune later, she’s still the boss.

ES Magazine Power List: in pictures

1/44

Naomi Campbell

Whether dominating the runway or just going about her usual business of being iconic, the Streatham-born supermodel still rules.

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Mario Testino

Whether shooting Gisele Bündchen or Mick Jagger, Testino’s style is arguably the most recognisable of all the super-photographers. As well as his editorial work, he has shot 67 ad campaigns for Burberry, 48 for Michael Kors and 13 for Chanel: after a 35-year career, he is in a position to give back, to his native Peru and other countries. His philanthropy would make his friend (and most famous subject), Princess Diana, proud.

Ryan McGinley

The New York Times called him ‘the pied piper of the downtown art world’, but McGinley (below) is just at home in the world of high fashion, making a name with his fragrance campaigns for Dior, Stella McCartney and Hermès.

Tim Walker

He shot his first fashion story for Vogue aged 25, and has regularly lit up its pages ever since. Lavish sets are Walker’s trademark and no effort is too great when it comes to capturing the perfect shot. Fantastical landscapes, blue horses, giant birds and creepy dolls… you name it, a Walker shoot has featured it. ‘I create worlds and place them in front of you,’ he says. And what dreamlike worlds they are.

David Sims

He made his name in the early Nineties shooting for The Face: some 20 years later, Sims’ imagery looks as fresh as it ever did. Probably because it’s seminal. Oft imitated, never surpassed.

Harley Weir

After a degree in fine art, Weir taught herself photography, swiftly gaining acclaim for her unabashed challenging of the female gaze. Her work for Calvin Klein underwear may have been controversial (it featured candid shots of models in their pants), but her youth-focused images are a breath of fresh air.

Jack Davison

‘Brooding’ is the word most often used to describe the work of this self-taught 27-year-old from Essex, who shot to attention after documenting a 10,000-mile road trip through America. His landscapes and portraits are equally haunting; his editorial work for British Vogue, Another Man and i-D is never less than brilliant.

Tyrone Lebon

‘Perfectly imperfect’ would be one way to describe the work of London-born Lebon (above), although through his lens, all flaws are beautiful. That he even manages to imbue such oft-shot faces as Miley Cyrus and Gigi Hadid with mystique are the reason he’s a favourite of brands such as Gap and Céline.

Alasdair McLellan

Whether shooting campaigns for high street chains such as H&M and Topshop, or working with luxury brands like Armani and Louis Vuitton, Doncaster-born McLellan’s restrained, sometimes candid, never clichéd images have seen him rise to be one of the most in-demand (and prolific) photographers of his generation. Does he ever take a day off?

CREATIVE COLLECTIVE

Veronica Ditting

From The Gentlewoman to COS magazine, this creative is a minimalist at heart.

David Lane

The editor of food magazine, The Gourmand, along with Marina Tweed — the pair also founded creative agency, Lane & Associates.

Jonny Lu

The east London creative director works with Chloé and Love magazine.

Christopher Simmonds

The creative director behind Gucci’s rebranding under Alessandro Michele.

Sylvia Farago

The in-demand fashion producer works with Ryan McGinley.

Anya Yiapanis

Founder of influential agency Intrepid.

Jasmine Raznahan

This art director’s agency ARPA’s clients include Stella McCartney and Pop magazine.

BUSINESS TITANS

Prosper Assouline

The founder of luxury book publisher Assouline turns tomes into status symbols.

Ivan Bart

Head of IMG Models (Bella Hadid, Lara Stone).

Karl-Johan Persson

The dashing Swedish billionaire heads up H&M.

Tadashi Yanai

The man who made cashmere affordable courtesy of Uniqlo

Pablo Isla

As CEO of Inditex, Isla is residing over Zara inc.

ARCHITECT

Peter Marino

The American ‘starchitect’ is never not dressed in head-to-toe leather.

THE EDITORS

Dame Anna Wintour

The editor-in-chief of US Vogue has just steered the magazine through its 125th issue, while arranging the Met Ball and addressing the Oxford Union in her spare time. After 30 years at the helm, Wintour is as attuned to her readers’ needs as she ever was, and has managed Vogue’s digital presence as adroitly as its print iteration.

Getty Images for Beautycon

Elaine Welteroth

Since taking over as editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, Welteroth has already made her mark by eschewing typical teen content in favour of hard-hitting political coverage that proves she is as #woke as her young readers.

Katie Grand

Why have one big job when you can have… nope, sorry, lost count. Editor-in-chief of Love magazine, contributing fashion creative director of W, stylist of Marc Jacob’s shows, art director of Balmain campaigns, consultant to more designers than there is room to list, the Leeds-born powerhouse is a true multitasker.

Edward Enninful

His first issue (December) won’t hit news stands for another couple of months, but hopes are high that British Vogue’s new editor-in-chief will deliver a shiny new dose of the diversity that he has championed throughout his career, ever since starting out on i-D magazine.

Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou

In between advising fashion’s key movers and shakers, the owner and editor-in-chief of 10 and 10 Men magazines somehow finds time to style the Victoria’s Secret show. No, we don’t know how, either.

Imran Amed

The founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of the Business of Fashion (BoF) launched the website from his sofa in 2007. Ten years later, it has become an industry must-read, with in-depth analysis of every fashion-related topic imaginable.

Sarah Mower

For her role as chief critic of vogue.com, but mainly for her passionate, invaluable, ‘what would we do without her’ support of nascent British talent.

Angelica Cheung

The charismatic editor-in-chief of Vogue China (married to a Yorkshireman, incidentally) wields her power benevolently, championing Chinese fashion at the same time as ensuring her 1.6m readers are well-informed about fashion on a global scale.

Grace Coddington

After 30 years as creative director of US Vogue, her role as contributing editor to British Vogue sees the former model enjoying a homecoming; she began her career there, aged 19. Her turn in the documentary, The September Issue, was a rare window into the self-effacing way she works. One of the few stylists deserving of the word ‘icon’.

Tim Blanks

The Canadian-born, hugely erudite editor-at-large of BoF is one of the few fashion critics who actually criticises — and who is allowed to, with designers happily taking it on the chin.

LUXURY LEADERS

Delphine Arnault

Plays a vital role in LVMH’s creative success.

Karla Otto

PR maven behind many of the world’s leading luxury brands.

Getty Images

Francois-Henri Pinault

Kering’s kingpin.

Marco Bizzarri

He gave Alessandro Michele the Gucci job.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in