Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, referred to as Yves Saint Laurent or YSL, was a French fashion designer who, in 1962, founded his eponymous fashion label. He is regarded as being among the foremost fashion designers of the twentieth century. In 1985, Caroline Milbank wrote, "The most consistently celebrated and influential designer of the past twenty-five years, Yves Saint Laurent can be credited with both spurring the couture's rise from its 1960s ashes and with finally rendering ready-to-wear reputable."
Christian Ernest Dior was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses are known all around the world, having gained prominence "on five continents in only a decade."
Karl Otto Lagerfeld was a German fashion designer.
John Charles Galliano is a British fashion designer from Gibraltar. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. Since 2014, Galliano has been the creative director of Paris-based fashion house Maison Margiela. Galliano has been named British Designer of the Year four times. In a 2004 poll for the BBC, he was named the fifth most influential person in British culture.
Christian Dior SE, commonly known as Dior, is a French multinational luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. Dior holds 42.36% shares and 59.01% of voting rights within LVMH.
Balenciaga SA is a luxury fashion house founded in 1919 by the Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastian, Spain, and currently based in Paris. Balenciaga produces ready-to-wear footwear, handbags, and accessories, and licenses its name and branding to Coty for fragrances. It is currently owned by the French corporation Kering.
Elie Saab is a Lebanese fashion designer.
Steven Meisel is an American fashion photographer, who obtained popularity and critical acclaim with his work in Vogue and Vogue Italia as well as his photographs of friend Madonna in her 1992 book, Sex. He is now considered one of the most successful fashion photographers in the industry. He used to work regularly for both US and Italian Vogue, and W and now exclusively for British Vogue.
François Sagat is a French male gay pornographic film actor, model and director.
Jean-Paul Goude is a French graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, advertising film director and event designer. He worked as art director at Esquire magazine in New York City during the 1970s, and choreographed the 1989 Bicentennial Parade in Paris to mark the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. In addition, over the last three decades, he has created campaigns and illustrations for brands including Perrier, Citroën, Kodak, Chanel, Kenzo, Shiseido, Cacharel, H&M, Galeries Lafayette and Desigual.
Pierre Balmain S.A., trading as Balmain, is a French luxury fashion house that was founded by Pierre Balmain (1914–1982) in 1945. It operates 16 monobrand stores, including locations in New York City, London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, and in Milan's Via Montenapoleone.
Hannelore Knuts is a Belgian supermodel, actress, artist and certified mindfulness & meditation teacher known for her androgynous appearance and versatile shape-shifting abilities. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with numerous top photographers like Steven Meisel, Inez and Vinoodh, Karl Lagerfeld, Steven Klein and Juergen Teller as well as designers and brands including Alexander McQueen, Prada, Hermès, Chanel, Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Ann Demeulemeester and many more. She has appeared on multiple international covers of Vogue as well as V, Dazed, Harper’s Bazaar and L’Officiel - solidifying her position as an icon in the world of fashion.
Giles Deacon is a British fashion designer, Creative Director and Founder of Giles Deacon group, a fashion enterprise. Deacon joined the Paris Fashion Week in 2016. Deacon has been known to challenge the traditional ideas of womenswear and often uses wild prints and pop culture references in his designs. Deacon was employed by the fashion houses Bottega Veneta and Gucci, before founding his own label, GILES, in 2003. He launched his first collection for GILES at the 2004 London Fashion Week and was named "Best New Designer" at the British Fashion Awards.
Tao Okamoto, known professionally as Tao, is a Japanese actress and model, who is alongside Ai Tominaga and Hiroko Matsumoto, one of the biggest models from Japan. In 2009, she was one of the faces of Ralph Lauren.
ASVOFF, or A Shaded View on Fashion Film, is a fashion film festival founded by journalist Diane Pernet. Since its 2008 debut at the Jeu de Paume National Gallery, it is a three-day festival event showcasing feature films, documentaries, conferences, performances and installations. Participants thus far have included the likes of Mike Figgis, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Erwin Olaf, Nobuyoshi Araki, Wing Shya, Steven Klein, Chris Cunningham, Chloë Sevigny, Ruth Hogben, Georgie Greville, Elisha Smith-Leverock, Waris Ahluwalla, Maison Yves Saint Laurent, Nick Knight, Johan Renck, Jerry Schatzberg, William Klein, Tim Yip, Larry Clark, Ellen Von Unwerth, Bruce Weber, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Indrani, Rossy de Palma and Michael Nyman.
Haider Ackermann is a Colombian-born French designer of ready-to-wear fashion. He lives in Paris.
ANDAM is a French fashion award established in 1989 by Nathalie Dufour as a joint venture between the French Ministry of Culture and the Defi Mode fashion organisation. It has been recognised as a benchmark for designers, fashion professionals, and members of the international press, and as a pathway for young designers hoping to enter the Paris Fashion Week.
Thomas Devaux, born in 1980 in Marcq-en-Barœul (North), is an artistic photographer from France. He lives and works in Paris.
Bernhard Willhelm is a German fashion designer.
Simon Porte Jacquemus is a French fashion designer and the founder of the Jacquemus fashion label.
