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| Photograph of Charles Frederick Worth | Portrait of The Empress Eugénie (wearing one of Worth's designs), 1854, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art |
Karl Lagerfeld. Raf Simons. Marc Jacobs. Phoebe Philo…and so on goes the list of the leading fashion designers of today. If you are interested in the fashion industry you know these names, and even if you are just a casual observer of the fashion world chances are you can name off top designers. Whether you are deeply invested in the world of fashion or not you recognize the important role that fashion designer play in shaping trends and inspiring the very things you wear, no matter if they are from Target or Barney’s.
Did you know, however, that there was a time when fashion designers—and fashion brands, for that matter—were not a thing? It’s true! Back in the day there were no department stores to shop from, no all-important creative forces who dictated the trends du jour. Quelle horreur!
So who started this whole fashion designer thing? Who was the one to make that a trend?
For that answer, we turn (of course) to the city of Paris.
