5. Karen Millen was
founded in 1981 by
Karen Millen
Kevin Stanford and
Karen Millen. With a
loan of just £100 they
began manufacturing
and selling white shirts
to their friends. A
party plan network
followed, and in 1983
they opened their first
store in Kent.
In March 2009
Karen Millen became
part of Aurora
Fashions.
6. Christopher Kane
Design star and Central St
Martins graduate. He
quickly cultivated
celebrities such as Kate
Moss, Kim Kardashian
and many more. Not only
did his graduate collection
land him the highly
coveted Harrods Design
Award but it also got him
noticed by Donatella
Versace Donatella for
whom he now designs
the Versus collection. He
has been named Scottish
Designer of the Year twice
- in 2007 and 2008.
7. Fashion designer
Naeem Khan
Naeem Khan comes
from a family of
designers. His father
and grandfather
designed clothing for
Indian royalty; with
Khan's extensive
celebrity following,
it could be said that
Naeem Khan designs
for American royalty.
8. Anna Molinari is the
Anna Molinari
designer behind the
label Blumarine
which she founded in
1977 with her
husband Gianpaolo
Tarabini.
Anna Molinari's
parents owned a
knitwear factory
where the designer
honed his technical
skills. Known for its
modern and edgy
romantic look,
Blumarine made its
debut at Milan
Fashion Week in
1981.
9. Matthew Williamson
Graduating from Central
St Martins in June 1994
with a BA in Fashion
Design and Printed
Textiles, his first job
following graduation was
a freelance design project
with Marni. The luxury
fashion house Matthew
Williamson Ltd now
produces 4 women’s
ready-to-wear collections
annually and currently
has a customer portfolio
which includes 170
prestigious wholesale
accounts around the
world.
10. Nanette Lepore
Ohio native Nanette Lepore
has taken her boho
childhood and used it as
inspiration for her critically
acclaimed designs.
Launched in 1992, her
gypsy-influenced designs
are feminine and youthful.
The looks are full of bold
colors and bright
prints, with ruffles and lace
that manage to look good-
time-girly but not overly
frilly. Lepore has also
branched out into shoe and
fragrance design.
