Female friendships are basically just the best aren't they? These relationships can be anything you want them to be; tender and emotional, funny and brilliant, replacements for absent family, or all of the above.
With the fashion industry's persistent reputation for being cutthroat, however, it might feel to some that the 'fashion BFF' would be an oxymoron.
Happily, these days, the barbed stereotypes are receding. Women have always banded together IRL, but are doing so now more than ever before and some ridiculously great fashion friendships have come to the fore.
Whether it be designing duo Phoebe Philo and Stella McCartney bonding in the studios of their alma mater Central Saint Martins, or Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss taking on the '90s circuit hand-in-hand, there’s are so many excellent relationships within fashion's sisterhood to celebrate, so let's have a look at a few.
Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell
'She’s my friend because we both know what it’s like to have people jealous of us,' the hilarious Cher Horowitz in Clueless jibed of her best friend Dionne without a hint of irony. However, the it seems like the sort of statement that might actually apply to supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.
Moss was flung into the fashion world as a teenager, much like Campbell, and the two London natives met on set for a shoot in Los Angeles. Moss was only 15-years old and Naomi was a mere couple of years her senior, at 18-years-old, and the two schoolgirls instantly hit it off. Being photographed together leaving A-list parties quickly became a fixture of their friendship and something that delightfully still carries on today.
The supermodel duo were soon in the inner circle of just about anyone worth knowing in the 90s, and walked numerous shows together including for huge brands like Versace, but even for Stella McCartney’s Central Saint Martins graduate collection in 1995.
Most recently, last year they sported matching monogram trench coats and took to the runway side-by-side for Kim Jones’ final collection at Louis Vuitton. Proving that they're still owning it three decades later.
Phoebe Philo and Stella McCartney
So many life-long friendships are made during university years and this was no exception for designers Phoebe Philo and Stella McCartney.
But the Brits didn’t just meet in the smoking area of a Popworld and skip their 9am lectures together the following day. The industry mavens met in the Soho halls of the prestigious Central Saint Martins, way back in the early 90s.
Before Phoebe was Phoebe - a pioneer of refined, modest and grown-up dressing - she wore a gold tooth and diamanté nails (erm, goals); she and Stella spoke with 'mockney accents' and the two had a rich social life in London's West End.
McCartney graduated in 1995 (Philo a year later in 1996) and within two years she was whisked off to Paris with Philo in tow, to take over from Karl Lagerfeld at the helm of Parisian fashion house Chloé. The women brought a youthful, sexy flair to the label and were soon the toast of France.
In 2001, Stella McCartney left to start her own brand with the Gucci group’s backing, which made room for Phoebe Philo to succeed her as creative director.
‘It's something that was very unique, it's having that constant conversation, the ranting really, that I miss,’ said Philo of no longer working with McCartney to Evening Standard in 2002.
The two women are thankfully still great friends, which was confirmed when McCartney posted a selfie with Philo captioning it ‘Love this biyatch. Happy Birthday Phoebe! x Stella’.
Miuccia Prada and Manuela Pavesi
A tale of two Italian fashion heroines.
Miuccia Prada is one of the most powerful living designers in the world. In 2005, she was recognised by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential figures of the 20th century. Behind a huge chunk of the 69-year old's success, however, was her best friend and right hand woman Manuela Pavesi, who helped create some of Prada's most well known images.
Manuela’s career started as a stylist at Italian Vogue during the '70s, working with the likes of Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton, which helped shape her own aesthetic as a photographer. She went on to shoot for numerous respected titles.
Prada and Pavesi met in their mid-twenties, whilse Manuela was still at Italian Vogue. It is said that Prada greeted Pavesi, upon her entering of the original Prada store in Milan, only for the pair to realise that they were both wearing the exact same Yves Saint Laurent outfit. From then on, the duo became a fashionable force to be reckoned with.
The women remained good friends for 40 years, often continuing their habit of dressing very similarly.
Pavesi was taken on as Prada’s fashion coordinator in 2005, a position she remained in until her passing in 2015.
Miuccia Prada spoke at her funeral, noting the longevity of their friendship and their industry partnership.
A reminder to tell all our best friend(s) that we love them this International Women's Day.
