Theyre the brains behind the beauty of your favourite high street brands. From Jane Shepherdsons Whistles to Kate Phelan at Topshop, women are in the driving seats of our aesthetic compulsions today. So its about time you became acquainted with them.
When Kate Phelan left her position as fashion director at Vogue to go to Topshop as creative director, the move surprised many, most of all herself. But her impact has been palpable: from working with Emma Farrow to create a pared back and directional AW12 collection that had fashion editors leaping out of the front row to place orders, to the stream of ultra-cool designers she’s brought on board for collaborations (J.W Anderson and Jordan Askill to name but two), Phelan has her finger on our fashion pulse.
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Rocha. John Rocha faux leather skirt, £38, at Debenhams
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Jones Bootmaker animal print shoes, £79, at Debenhams
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Rocha. John Rocha floral printed dress, £80, at Debenhams
Suzanne Harlow - Group Trading Director for Debenhams
ELLE: How do you think you have influenced the way women dress today?
'We pioneered the designer collaboration, and were the first to do so over 20 years ago. Today, we offer women something no one else offers – the opportunity to shop catwalk inspired fashion, at fantastic value. No one else collaborates with the best in British fashion. Be it Jasper Conran who we’ve worked with for many years or our latest “edition” designer, Marios Schwab. We pride ourselves in making sure our ranges appeal to women of all shapes and sizes and work hard to offer inspiration and advice on how to wear the latest trends, and be a responsible retailer'
Gemma Metherington – MD and Creative Director of Karen Millen
ELLE: How do you think you have influenced the way women dress today?
‘As a brand I believe how we have influenced the way women dress today is through our absolute commitment to quality and by creating all our collections in-house to ensure all our pieces feature our unique design signature. I believe we have elevated the offer that is available on the high street by consistently delivering attainable luxury and quality at accessible prices; we are the anti-thesis of throwaway fashion. We consistently deliver really beautiful staples that people treasure and that become your wardrobe favourites, our pieces make people smile because they love them whether it is one our great leather jackets or the perfect dress.’ – Gemma Metheringham, MD and Creative Director of Karen Millen.