Famous American designers: the stars of the world fashion system
After traveling the long Champs-Elysees with you to discover the famous French designers, now it’s the turn of the legendary USA: then let’s discover together the names of the American designers who have made the history of the new continent on the fashion front, known and appreciated in Worldwide.
In the American imagination, being able to match the big names in European fashion was just a dream. A dream so big that it has become – with the Beautiful series – an infinite but fake soap opera.
Ralph Lauren
He could only be our first name on the journey to discover the greatest famous American designers ever.
Ralph Lifshitz , this is the first name of the better known Ralph Lauren, is an American designer whose family is of Jewish-Belarusian origins, who was born in 1939 in one of the most difficult neighborhoods of New York, the Bronx, in a rich period of contradictions.
Just as he pursues an education in line with his origins in a Talmudic school, his penchant for fashion begins to emerge in a marked way, making ties for his companions.
After a few years spent working in a tie shop, Ralph began producing his own garments in 1966, accompanying them with the “Polo” brand .
The 1970s marked the transition of Ralph Lauren production from ties to knitwear.
Between the 80s and 90s the worldwide consecration with the export of his unique garments and with his eclecticism that even led him to create a collection of luxury cars, often housed in many museums.
According to Forbes magazine, he is one of the richest men in the world to date, with a personal fortune of around $ 7.2 billion!
Calvin Klein
Among the most influential American designers in world fashion there is certainly Calvin Klein , who like Ralph Lauren has Jewish and New York origins, born to an Austrian mother and a Hungarian father and also born in the Bronx, but in 1942.
For Calvin the road is immediately more than clear: first he attended the High School of Art and Design and then the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York even if he did not finish his training.
His first fashion house was born in 1968 and to help his growth path has always been the positive judgment given to Klein’s art by the fashion journalist Julian West , who always writes wonders about him from the columns of Vogue.
Klein’s fame then became worldwide thanks to his great inspiration in the creation of jeans.
Today Klein is still firmly in command of his company, which over time has embraced the flexibility required of a fashion house, especially an American one, also starting to produce perfumes, jewels and watches.
To date, the brands held by what has meanwhile become a holding company are:
- Calvin Klein 205W39NYC;
- Calvin Klein;
- Calvin Klein Performance;
- Calvin klein Swimwear;
- Calvin Klein Jeans;
- Calvin Klein Underwear;
Marc Jacobs
From the big names of the past we are getting closer and closer to the present day and we do it with the American designer Marc Jacobs .
Also born in New York in 1963 (helping to strengthen the New York icon as one of the world’s fashion capitals) and coming from a family of Jewish descent, Jacobs did not have a simple childhood with his father passing when the little Marc was only 7 years old.
She began her career in the fashion world by attending the High School of Art and Design and later Parsons The New School For Design .
Already during his training Jacobs is able to sell his first collections, appreciated by many of his admirers.
Thanks to the victory of the prestigious Perry Ellis Award , the stylist Marc Jacobs begins to work within the company of the same name, holding important roles.
In 1993 he finally launched the fashion house that bears his name, but the real consecration dates back to 1997, when he was hired as creative director of Louis Vuitton .
Today Marc Jacobs is undoubtedly one of the most important stylists in the world and his collections are appreciated by stars of the show and cinema.
Cast: Marc Jacobs
Anna Sui
We continue our post dedicated to American designers with Anna Sui , an American born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964.
Daughter of Chinese parents, this American designer continued her fashion studies at Parsons The New School For Design .
Anna’s path to fame is very varied, so much so that the first company that bears her name decides to open it in the 90s.
Today his fashion house has over 300 stores in 30 countries around the world. In addition to the fashion collections, the American designer boasts lines of perfumes, cosmetics, as well as shoes and accessories.
Tom Ford
He was born in Texas in 1961 but immediately after high school he moved to New York to realize his dream: to create clothes!
He graduated in Design in 1986 , after a period of study also in Paris, and with a special tutor like Marc Jacobs (now the new star of American fashion) he started to realize his ideas for the Perry Ellis company .
Having landed in Gucci in a period of crisis, he was able to skillfully manage both the company and his own creations, giving a new imprint to the Italian brand.
Today he is the creative director of Gucci and his clothes are selling like hot cakes.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Alexander Wang
Not to be confused with the more famous colleague Vera Wang , who in any case is not his relative, this young Californian (San Francisco, 1983) launched his first line a bit for fun, in 2007. It was about women’s clothes but with a setting and practicality more “for men”, a strange mix that has been successful especially among a female audience under 40.
It uses very natural materials, such as cotton, linen, cashmere without special treatments and with daring but always winning cuts and shapes.
Today this American designer is on the rise.
Narciso Rodriguez
Born in 1961, of Cuban origin, he grew up in New Jersey and began working at the age of 30 at the Annie Klein fashion house and then moved on to Nino Cerruti in Italy.
He decides to start his own brand in 1998 after achieving fame by creating the wedding dress for John John Kennedy’s wife and the one for the Oscars ceremony for Sigourney Weaver.
In 2003 he was elected “best designer for women” in the United States .
Michael Kors
Born on Long Island in 1959, he graduated in Fashion Design and began working in New York almost immediately.
He launched his first line in 1981, casual and sporty style women’s clothes, but it was in 1997 that he achieved success with the men’s pret-a-porter that opened the doors to French fashion houses.
He worked for years with Celine , but in the 2000s he returned to the United States and opened his own Michael Kors atelier .
Today, in addition to his own designs, he manages the artistic side of other fashion houses, including Versace and Jimmy Choo.
Ilaria Urbinati
Don’t be fooled by the name. This beautiful blonde girl, born in Rome to an Italian fashion photographer, now has American citizenship and a very popular blog that makes her, on Instagram, the favorite designer of many stars.
She has not yet turned 40 and they already call her “the number one designer in Hollywood” and it is no mystery that the beautiful Ilaria, who lives and works in Los Angeles, has created classy clothes for many famous actors .
Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh was artistic director of Louis Vuitton and CEO of the Off-White brand, who passed away a few days ago at the age of 41 from an angiosarcoma.
Born in Chicago from a family of Ghanaian origins, Abloh has made luxury, with his creations, garments of the street style style.
In an interview he gave, he said:
“Streetwear is largely seen as cheap. My goal was to add an intellectual layer and make it credible ”.
He leaves behind his creations and the desire to amaze the world with his art.
