Female Designers Who Changed Fashion.

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Celebrating the women who left their mark on the fashion industry.

Designers are the celebrities of the fashion industry. They channel their visions into namesake lines, revive old houses, and build total lifestyle brands. From Jeanne Lanvin, who began her empire as an entrepreneur before the 19th century, to the thoroughly modern Rei Kawakubo, who has carved out a successful niche of fashion meets art, these power women created designs that changed fashion and still influence us today.

Jeanne Lanvin.

One of the earliest female entrepreneurs in fashion, Jeanne Lanvin, opened a millinery house in 1889. Later inspired by her daughter, Marguerite Marie-Blanche di Pietro, Lanvin began creating lavish dresses for little girls using delicate silks and gorgeous embroidery. Lanvin's matching childrenswear and adult ensembles flew off the shelves, and her department store strategy was ahead of her time —by the 1920s, her line expanded into sportswear, furs, home décor, lingerie, menswear, swimwear and fragrance.

Full story at ELLE.

By By Jennifer Algoo.