TBT: BOF 500 Global Fashion Influencers & Visual Therapy

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Business Of Fashion released “BOF 500” this week – a list of 500 designers, executives, muses and bloggers that are shaping the fashion industry in 2014. As a celebration and a #TBT tribute, we’re looking back at Visual Therapy’s connections with some of these major influencers.

We have come to work with the industry’s finest in order to bring our clients the best image consulting and wardrobe management service possible, and it has undoubtedly been reflected on our blog. While our team is in Paris is getting ready to view the new Rick Owens, Dior, Celine and other shows in Paris, our NYC-based team takes a peek back at our behind the scenes coverage of some of the most important fashion influencers’ work – from Paris showrooms to private previews with designers at Bergdorfs and Barneys.

Raf Simons

Creative Director & Designer, Christian Dior & Raf Simons

The exacting, modern Belgian designer won praise for his creative touch at Jil Sander before being tapped as Dior’s creative director.

VT SAYS: Raf Simons is one of the most important designers of our time. Through his designs he has found a way to honor the history of the legendary Dior and add an absolutely unexpected twist to it. The result are original and innovative ideas that inspire other designers and revolutionize women’s wardrobes through a fresh combination of the old and the new. By adding bold color and modern details to his creations, Raf Simons catapults the collection straight into the future, setting new standards for modernist ladylike look.

Phoebe Philo

Creative Director, Céline

The onetime designer for Chloé returned to fashion and transformed a sleepy bourgeois label into a much-copied global fashion force.

VT SAYS: Do you have a style signature? In other words, is there a certain silhouette that you feel fabulous in no matter what, and that you are known for? A style signature comes together when you combine your uniform (pieces/shapes that work) with your formula (how you put them together/style them). Phoebe Philo has nailed this concept, both in her personal wardrobe, and in her modernist collections for Celine.

Frida Giannini

Creative Director, Gucci

Having trained at Fendi, the accessories specialist has kept Gucci growing with commercial hits and by referencing its heritage.

VT SAYS: One of the things Frida always brings to her collections is a feminine touch. Combined with Gucci’s traditional sexy edge, it’s pure perfection.

Mary Katrantzou

Designer, Mary Katrantzou

Known for her kaleidoscopic, hyper-real prints and demi-couture artistry, she has made fans of editors, celebrities and luxury consumers alike.

VT SAYS: We love Mary Katrantzou for her innovative approach to prints and pattern mixing. Her patterns are like a dreamscape that draw you in and take you on a journey. Considering that Greek-born Katrantzous’ parents were an interior designer and textile engineer, a certain artistic flair was inevitable and it’s not a surprise that her designs result in emotional, extravagant, and distinctively modern looks.

Rick Owens

Designer, Rick Owens

He has earned a cult following for his sharp, distressed leather jackets and an all-black, ‘grungy glamorous’ aesthetic.

VT SAYS: Rick Owens is the most influential avant-garde designer of the moment. He inspires a lot of great designers of our time in his rocked out avant-garde style. With his almost cultish following, Owens is the master at draping. The end result is always a goth goddess.

Ann Demeulemeester

Founder, Ann Demeulemeester

One of the original ‘Antwerp Six’ designers, she has built a successful business around her gothic, bohemian-inspired collections.

It was so inspiring to be behind the scenes at the showroom of our favorite avant-garde Belgian designer, a member of the “Antwerp Six”, Ann Demeulemeester. Her cut is innovative and the way things are mixed, draped, and tied is completely groundbreaking. Ann D is the kind of brand that lets you collect pieces that never go out of style.

Dries Van Noten

Designer, Dries Van Noten

One of the ‘Antwerp Six,’ the third-generation designer has built a profitable fashion business, known for its intelligent prints, on his own terms.

VT SAYS: The lines between inspiration and final objects are blurred in the utmost visionary way, and the exhibition becomes one story – the Dries Van Noten story of creativity – transcending fashion.

Christopher Kane

Designer, Christopher Kane

Straight out of design school, the British wunderkind began growing his own label, in which he sold a majority stake to Kering in 2013.

VT SAYS: We’ve been buying Christopher Kane’s colorful, whimsical printed designs for clients for several seasons and they’re always a hit! The Scottish designer, known for his modernist point of view and vibrant use of color, created another chic, young and sexy collection.

Victoria Beckham

Designer, Victoria Beckham

The former Spice Girl has garnered critical praise for her understated, modern take on womenswear.

VT SAYS: While on a shopping excursion to Barneys for one of our most stylish clients, Dr. Melinda Knight, we ran into Victoria Beckham. Her collection has been a go-to for powerful ladylike looks for many of our clients. We introduced ourselves, complimented her and explained how often we use her dresses when lining up wardrobes for our clients. She couldn’t be more approachable, lovely and grateful, and her daughter, Harper, couldn’t be more adorable!

Manolo Blahnik

Designer, Manolo Blahnik

The Spanish footwear designer has become a household name for his classically beautiful and elegant stiletto heels.

VT SAYS: On a slushy cold day during NYFW, Barneys New York rolled out the red carpet and hosted a meet and greet with the iconic Manolo Blahnik, and the Blahnikistas rallied. We’re firm believers of functional luxury and as stylists, we have sold thousands of pairs of Manolos. Not only are they beautiful, but clients say they’re the most comfortable.