A definitive fashion encyclopedia featuring the most influential fashion designers of the 20th and 21st centuries — from Coco Chanel and Cristóbal Balenciaga to Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, and Vivienne Westwood.
Fashion Designers A–Z. 2020 Edition is an essential fashion reference book celebrating over a century of haute couture, luxury fashion, and iconic design. Curated from the permanent collection of The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York, this expanded edition showcases approximately 500 historic garments and introduces 15 new designers and fashion houses.
Beautifully photographed and thoughtfully curated, each featured piece represents the creative philosophy, aesthetic language, and cultural influence of the designer behind it — making this book both a visual archive and an invaluable source of fashion inspiration.
Inside the book:
– Iconic fashion designers from A to Z
– Haute couture and luxury fashion history
– 500 garments from The Museum at FIT collection
– Fashion photography and archival fashion pieces
– Designer biographies and historical context
– Fashion illustration portraits by Robert Nippoldt
– 20th and 21st century fashion evolution
Featured designers include:
– Coco Chanel
– Alexander McQueen
– Cristóbal Balenciaga
– Yves Saint Laurent
– Vivienne Westwood
– Azzedine Alaïa
– Sonia Rykiel
– Phoebe Philo
– Patrick Kelly
– Jean Paul Gaultier
– Comme des Garçons
– Thierry Mugler
From embroidered couture gowns and avant-garde tailoring to minimalist silhouettes and revolutionary streetwear influences, the book traces the changing language of fashion across decades of cultural transformation.
Contributions by internationally recognized fashion authorities including Valerie Steele and Suzy Menkes provide deeper insight into fashion history, museum curation, and the cultural significance of designer clothing.
The volume also includes over 125 illustrated portraits by celebrated artist Robert Nippoldt, adding an artistic dimension to this comprehensive fashion archive.
Perfect for:
– Fashion designers and stylists
– Fashion students and researchers
– Luxury fashion collectors
– Creative directors and visual merchandisers
– Fashion photography and editorial professionals
– Coffee table book collections focused on fashion and art
Editors:
Valerie Steele — Director and Chief Curator of The Museum at FIT, internationally recognized fashion historian and founder of Fashion Theory.
Colleen Hill — Senior Curator of Costume at The Museum at FIT and author of multiple fashion publications.
Contributing Author: Suzy Menkes
One of the world’s most influential fashion critics and former International Vogue Editor at Condé Nast International.
Illustrator: Robert Nippoldt
Award-winning illustrator known for his work for The New Yorker, TIME Magazine, and internationally acclaimed art books.
Hardcover, 26.2 x 33.6 cm, 4.68 kg, 720 pages
