The Progress 1000: London's most influential people 2016 - Trendsetters

Victoria Beckham poses as she arrives for the 69th Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony
LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images
7 September 2016

Victoria Beckham

Designer

Renowned for her love of monochrome, Beckham got colourful this year with her new VVB line. She became a fashion heavyweight through graft and talent in equal measure and her presence in the capital, alongside husband David and their increasingly trendy Beckham brood, makes London a cooler place. And for as long as the world turns, rumours of a full Spice Girls reunion will never cease.

Adwoa Aboah

Model

One of fashion’s most exciting new faces, Aboah has starred in Alexa Chung’s M&S campaign and shot for Italian Vogue with Steven Meisel. The feminist daughter of esteemed photographers’ agent Camilla Lowther, she is the founder of digital forum Gurls Talk and has spoken courageously about her struggle with mental illness.

Tim Blanks

Critic

Among the fashion world’s most influential critics, Blanks is editor-at-large of Business of Fashion and former editor-at-large of Style.com. Recognisable by his trademark printed shirts, New Zealand-born Blanks attends fashion weeks around the globe but resides in Maida Vale. A great review from Blanks is the holy grail for most designers.

Nick Knight

Photographer

London-born Knight is among the world’s most visionary photographers. Feted for his ground-breaking creative collaborations, Knight, founder of fashion website SHOWstudio, has shot campaigns for prestigious style titles and brands including Dior and Alexander McQueen. He has also created videos for Kanye West, Lady Gaga and Björk.

Alexa Chung

Designer and model

Having already collaborated with denim brand AG and handbag label Longchamp, Chung became a household name this year with a collection for M&S, Archive by Alexa, which remade some of the retailer’s classic styles. Chung, who is also behind shopping app Villoid, has an eponymous fashion line in the pipeline.

Alexa Chung
Zackery Michael

Anita Barr

Group fashion buying director, Harvey Nichols

Born and raised in east London, Barr worked on her sister’s market stall in Leather Lane. Having honed an interest in retail, she went on to the shop floor at Harrods and then to Selfridges, where she worked her way up to the senior buying team. Now a crucial member of Harvey Nichols’s staff, Barr is bringing a host of new labels to the rapidly transforming store.

Frances Corner

Pro vice-chancellor and head, London College of Fashion

A champion of sustainability in fashion as well as fresh, raw talent, the professor knows what it takes to get the best out of her students. Before joining London College of Fashion, she taught at the University of Gloucestershire and at London Metropolitan University. Corner’s alumni include designer of the moment Jonathan Anderson.

Alison Loehnis

President,Yoox Net-A-Porter Group

Formerly Dame Natalie Massenet’s right-hand woman, Loehnis took over the hot seat at Net-A-Porter last year following a merger with Yoox.com and her boss’s departure. Raised in New York but now a true Londoner, Loehnis got her big break at Saatchi & Saatchi before becoming a crucial figure in the rise of Net-A-Porter. She is the key player in the firm’s new incarnation.

Pat McGrath

Make-up artist

The brain behind a million pretty faces, McGrath has been the industry’s go-to make-up artist since the early Nineties. She cut her teeth working alongside the esteemed stylist Edward Enninful. Since then she has worked with every designer worth their salt as well as the world’s most prestigious photographers. This year she launched a limited-edition collection of her own products.

Russell Marsh

Casting director

One of fashion’s great known unknowns, Marsh is among the most powerful casting directors in the world. He has a long-term contract with Prada, where he launched the careers of a host of supermodels including Daria Werbowy. Marsh has also collaborated with London designer Christopher Kane.

Lucinda Chambers

Fashion director, British Vogue

Revered for her masterful ability to tell stories with fashion and for her irreverent personal style, Vogue’s go-to stylist has worked with everyone from David Bailey to Mert & Marcus. Chambers, who lives in Shepherd’s Bush, made history this year when she styled the Duchess of Cambridge for the magazine’s June issue.

British Vogue's Lucinda Chambers
Matt Writtle

Charlie Clark

Founder and director, Supa Model Management

Clark is the man behind the most exciting modelling agency in London right now. His Supa Model Management specialises in male models and unique new faces and has grown with the success of London’s menswear industry. Clark worked at a host of other agencies before starting up on his own. His finds include Sol Goss.

Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo

Co-founders, Ralph & Russo

Creative director Ralph and chief executive Russo are the duo behind Britain’s only official haute couture label, Ralph & Russo. The brand has created dazzling creations for Beyoncé and some of the wealthiest women in the world. In 2013, the label was given a rare invitation to stage its collections at Paris’s couture week, where it continues to hold a biannual catwalk show.

Belinda Earl

Style director, Marks & Spencer

The former chief executive of Debenhams and Aquascutum was enlisted by the high-street stalwart to revive its struggling fashion offering. Keen to bring a youthful customer back to M&S, Earl enlisted millennial favourites Alexa Chung and Jourdan Dunn to work with them on collections.

Jonathan Anderson

Designer

Jonathan William Anderson splits his time between Dalston and Paris, simultaneously growing his own label J.W.Anderson here in the capital while updating luxury house Loewe. Revered for his ability to make his own path, Anderson is a digital pioneer too — he streamed his show on the app Grindr and has staged an online trunk show.

Anya Hindmarch

Handbag entrepreneur

An accessory designer with a sense of humour — Hindmarch’s latest catwalk show was an homage to Pac-Man. She sold a majority share of her business to Qatari investors but remains chairman and creative director of the company, which has 50 stores worldwide.

Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou

Stylist

London’s own super stylist and the secret weapon of a host of fashion brands, Neophitou-Apostolou has an extensive client list and an action-packed schedule. She is the creative force behind the annual Victoria’s Secret show and works closely with designers Antonio Berardi, Elie Saab and Roland Mouret. She is also editor-in-chief of cult fashion bible 10 Magazine, president of the British Fashion Council’s reputation pillar and chair of the BFC press committee.

George Northwood

Hair stylist

Celebrity hairstylist Northwood holds the secret to Alexa Chung’s luscious locks and is the man every fashion editor in London calls on a bad hair day. Loved for his chair-side manner, Northwood worked at Daniel Hersheson and Josh Wood Atelier before joining forces with his sister Sally. This year he expanded his Wells Street headquarters to include a third floor.

Sarah Burton

Creative director, Alexander McQueen

Lee McQueen’s protégée Burton is credited with transforming the house of McQueen into a luxury fashion super force. A major player on the global fashion circuit, as well as in the wardrobe of the Duchess of Cambridge, the brand has blossomed to include a hugely successful menswear line, as well as accessories.

Betty Adewole

Model

Star of this summer’s For Every Victory activewear line by H&M, Adewole is a former track athlete herself — not to mention having been a keen skateboarder. Her elegant look is increasingly in demand and she has fronted numerous collections. As an East End girl, trainers and tracksuits remain staples beyond the catwalk.

Model Betty Adewole
Ivy Park

Christopher and Tammy Kane

Designers

Christopher Kane opened the doors to his first flagship store last year and remains London Fashion Week’s star attraction. His secret weapon is older sister Tammy, with whom he works closely on every collection. The duo are backed by luxury conglomerate Kering and celebrity fans include Anne Hathaway and Laura Carmichael.

Stella McCartney

Designer

This ethical fashion queen is the brains behind successful womenswear, sportswear, lingerie, childrenswear and skincare lines. Following her success during the London 2012 Olympics, McCartney designed the outfits for Team GB athletes who competed in Rio this year.

Stella McCartney (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Phoebe Philo

Creative director, Céline

Low-key designer Philo presents one of the hottest shows on the Paris Fashion Week schedule but is happiest away from the limelight. The creative director splits her time between London and the new Céline HQ in Paris. Her affection for white trainers sparked something of a style revolution among fashion diehards.

Ruth and Tom Chapman

Co-founders, Matchesfashion.com

Ruth and Tom Chapman began selling fashion from a tiny shop in Wimbledon in the late Eighties. Together, the couple now run five boutiques across London but recently rebranded them with “.com” in the title to reflect a global online presence. Pioneers when it comes to spotting the next big thing, the Chapmans were the first to bring hot French label Vetements to British consumers.

Alexandra Shulman

Editor-in-chief, British Vogue

It has been a huge year for Shulman who, two decades into her tenure, led British Vogue’s centenary celebrations, which included a popular exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and a sell-out festival ending with a star-studded gala. She and her fashion title are also the subject of a BBC documentary. Shulman persuaded the Duchess of Cambridge to appear on the cover of the magazine’s June centenary issue.

Jourdan Dunn

Model

This hard-working model recently took a break from the catwalk to launch a childrenswear line with M&S. Dunn remains a favourite with a host of international houses including DKNY and Alexander Wang. West London born and bred, she became a charity ambassador for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America after her son Riley was diagnosed with the condition.

Jourdan Dunn
Andreas Rentz/Getty

Guido Palau

Hairstylist

Palau specialises in cutting-edge photoshoots and catwalk shows. He got his big break when he was invited to style the hair for George Michael’s Freedom video. Among his most memorable works are a series of headdresses created for the blockbuster Savage Beauty exhibition at the V&A.

Dame Natalie Massenet

Entrepreneur and chairman, British Fashion Council

More than a decade after launching shopping site Net-A-Porter, Dame Natalie sold her stake and resigned from the business, taking with her an estimated £100 million. The west Londoner is the chairman of the British Fashion Council and is determined to support young home-grown designers.

 British Fashion Council Chair Dame Natalie Massenet
Dave Benett

Caroline Rush

Chief executive, British Fashion Council

The former PR has made it her mission to turn London Fashion Week into a big hitter to rival Paris and Milan. The transformation of the British Fashion Awards into a glittering, internationally renowned event is among her most recent achievements. This year they will be held at the Royal Albert Hall.

Kate Moss

Model and designer

The supermodel remains hot property where luxury brands are concerned, enjoying lucrative contracts with the likes of Burberry and Matchless. A contributing editor at British Vogue, Moss has also launched a range with French shirt brand Equipment. This year she appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue alongside her daughter, Lila Grace.

Kate Moss
Mario Testino for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer

Craig Green

Designer

Green, who was trained at Central Saint Martins, is among the most exciting menswear designers in the capital. He hit the big time in 2014 with an innovative collection which moved critics to tears. His debut menswear show, which featured head pieces inspired by driftwood, received the ultimate compliment: criticism from the Daily Mail.

Katie Grand

Editor, LOVE and stylist

Grand styles campaigns for major brands across the globe and is a long-time collaborator with Marc Jacobs. The gap-toothed beauty has a strong affection for Prada coats. Grand’s day job is editing LOVE magazine for Condé Nast, after making her name with style title Pop.

Alasdair McLellan

Photographer

McLellan counts the world’s most prestigious magazines as his collaborators. Inspired by Corinne Day and David Sims, his work is firmly rooted in reality. The photographer, who still prefers to use film, regularly shoots advertising campaigns for labels including Louis Vuitton, Armani and Calvin Klein.

Dylan Jones

Editor, GQ and chairman, London Collections: Men

The godfather of British menswear, Jones is the chair of London’s men’s fashion week and, along with a team of industry insiders, has proved pivotal in its growth into a global event. He has been at the helm of GQ for 17 years.

Naomi Campbell

Model

Streatham’s finest is a television star and supermodel. No stranger to confrontation, Campbell is outspoken on a range of current affairs and has been crucial in the fight against racism within the fashion industry.

Naomi Campbell
Dave Benett

Erdem Moralioglu

Designer

Canadian designer Moralioglu is a London Fashion Week heavyweight. Revered for his modern approach to femininity and an aptitude for red-carpet success, he counts Alexa Chung and Keira Knightley among his loyal ambassadors. His label Erdem, which is stocked in luxury stores across the world, opened its flagship store in Mayfair last year.

Alasdhair Willis

Creative director, Hunter

Brand guru Willis has transformed a Scottish welly boot label into a global phenomenon. The husband of Stella McCartney, Willis also consults for high-street brand Warehouse, which recently unveiled a new look. He came to the fashion world from publishing, having co-founded Wallpaper magazine and established brand consultancy Announcement Creative.

Emilia Wickstead

Designer

The daughter of a fashion designer, New Zealand-born Wickstead was raised in Milan and worked for Armani before decamping to London. Her brand, which began as a bespoke atelier, counts Samantha Cameron and the Duchess of Cambridge as key customers. She has a store on Sloane Street. Functional occasionwear for the modern woman is her label’s USP.

Edie Campbell

Model

Known for her insouciant androgyny, Campbell is a favourite with Marc Jacobs, Burberry and Chanel and is one of the hardest-working models in British fashion. This year St Paul’s-educated Campbell launched label Itchy Scratchy Patchy with best friend Christabel MacGreevy. A keen polo player, she also has a first in history of art from the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Model Edie Campbell
Felix Cooper

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