×
3 526
Fashion Jobs
HOLLISTER CO. STORES
Hollister CO. - Graduate Manager in Training, Eldon Square
Permanent · Newcastle upon Tyne
ABERCROMBIE AND FITCH STORES
Abercrombie & Fitch - Graduate Manager in Training, Ashford Designer Outlet
Permanent · Ashford
COTY
Visual Merchandise Skincare Project Manager
Permanent · London
NEW BALANCE
Retail Area Manager
Permanent · Warrington
HARVEY NICHOLS
Security Officer
Permanent · EDINBURGH
BOOHOO GROUP
Talent Development Partner
Permanent · MANCHESTER
SELFRIDGES
Personal Shopping Consultant
Permanent · BIRMINGHAM
SELFRIDGES
Personal Shopping Operations Manager
Permanent · LONDON
FRASERS GROUP
Warehouse Control Room Supervisor
Permanent · SHIREBROOK
FRASERS GROUP
Stationery Buyer
Permanent · SHIREBROOK
FLANNELS
Loss Prevention Supervisor - Flannels
Permanent · SHEFFIELD
UNDER ARMOUR
District Manager
Permanent · BICESTER
BOOHOO GROUP
Product Compliance Coordinator
Permanent · MANCHESTER
BOOHOO GROUP
Product Compliance Administrator
Permanent · MANCHESTER
FLANNELS
Loss Prevention Supervisor - Flannels
Permanent · RUSHDEN
SPORTS DIRECT
Casual Loss Prevention Assistant
Permanent · LONDON
MATCHES FASHION
HR Business Partner - Technology
Permanent · LONDON
MATCHES FASHION
Freelance Content Management Specialist
Permanent · LONDON
MATCHES FASHION
Delivery Manager - Apps
Permanent · LONDON
MATCHES FASHION
Head of Performance Marketing
Permanent · LONDON
MATCHES FASHION
Senior Product Manager - Search And Discovery
Permanent · LONDON
MATCHES FASHION
Product Manager - Payments
Permanent · LONDON
By
Reuters
Published
Mar 5, 2020
Reading time
2 minutes
Share
Download
Download the article
Print
Click here to print
Text size
aA+ aA-

Fashion designers recall their first big celebrity breaks

By
Reuters
Published
Mar 5, 2020

For fashion designers having a major celebrity wear their clothing can immediately launch them into the limelight.


Japanese designer Tadashi Shoji became a household name after actress Octavia Spencer won her 2013 Oscar wearing one of his gowns - Reuters



The big break for Badgley Mischka almost did not happen after the brand’s designers spent their savings on a peach lace gown that Winona Ryder wore to the Academy Awards in 1996.

“It was a white lace dress the night before the Oscars and she wanted it to be blush coloured. So, James and I had to dip-dye it in the kitchen sink,” Mark Badgley said, recounting the drama with partner James Mischka.

The dress shrank six inches, forcing the designers to come up with a creative solution.

“We bought a first-class ticket to Los Angeles, first class for the gown, and we tied 22 Campbell’s soup cans around the hem. And by the time it got to L.A. that night it had stretched out and she wore it. It was beautiful on her,” Badgley said.

LaQuan Smith fondly remembered how singer Lady Gaga changed the trajectory of his brand in 2010 by wearing his racy 3-D mesh leggings.

“Then Rihanna one month later pops up in the catsuit in the ‘Rude Boy’ video,” he said of his gold lame design. “And it was just like (a) domino effect.”

Japanese designer Tadashi Shoji became a household name after actress Octavia Spencer won her 2013 Oscar wearing one of his gowns, and Michelle Obama wore several of his items while in the White House.

“I’m an immigrant from Japan and American First Lady is wearing my dress. It’s kind of a dream,” he said.

Obama was also a ‘game changer’ in 2012 for Caroline Herrera’s creative director Wes Gordon, who said it was “so, so exciting and incredible and surreal.”

Naeem Khan apprenticed for legendary designer Halston in the late 1970s, working with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars including Liza Minnelli when he was just 18.
“She was my first ever glamour experience,” Khan said.

Princess Diana was Irish designer Paul Costelloe’s first celebrity patron, wearing his designs from 1982 until she died in 1997. “She was a wonderful ambassador for the brand,” he said, recounting trying garments on her in Kensington Palace.

Princess Caroline of Monaco helped to launch shoe designer Christian Louboutin’s career by stepping into his first store in November 1991.

“I used to call her my second fairy, because ... she had a huge impact,” he said.

© Thomson Reuters 2023 All rights reserved.