Barbara Mary Quant was born in London, England. From a young age, she was prone to fashion, making her own clothes in her style. After graduating from Blackheath High School, she wanted to study fashion, but her parents disapproved, so instead, Quant studied illustration and art education at Goldsmiths College, receiving her degree in 1953. That year, she met her future husband and business partner, Alexander Plunket Greene. After school, Quant apprenticed couture milliner and began to design and manufacture clothes. In 1955, at 25, she opened her first boutique, Bazaar, on Kings Road, and two years later, she opened her second Bazaar store in Knightsbridge. Within a few years, her bold clothing style caught the attention of both buyers and the media, and in 1962 an American manufacturer purchased some of her dress designs, expanding her brand in Europe and the US. In her designs, Quant broke the standard styles of the time. She withdrew from the post-war practical clothing and used youth as inspiration, creating mature and sexier versions of the dancing wear of girls, with short pleated skirts, white anklets, and ankle-strap shoes. Although she didn’t invent the silhouette, Quant is best associated with the miniskirt, which she improved and popularized with her designs, wanting to make women clothing less restrictive, allowing them freedom of movement and the feeling of empowerment and liberation. Her version of the short shorts, or hotpants, also became a sensation and was recognized as a British fashion icon. Her uniqueness and innovation were not only in her designs but also in how she sold them. In her boutiques, Quant played music and offered drinks so people would come and hang out there for hours as if it was a club. Another way she differed herself from the standard department stores and the inaccessible high-class designer stores was by the boutiques’ window displays, placing models in quirky poses, drawing the pass-byers’ attention. In 1966, at 36, Quant launched Mary Quants Cosmetics, introducing the “paintbox” – a ready-to-use makeup pallet. A few years later, she expanded into household goods and interior and textile design, claiming to invent the duvet. In 2000, at 70, Quant resigned as director of Mary Quant Ltd, and the company was moved under her Japanese licensees’ ownership that has been running it ever since. In her later years, she resided in Surrey. She died at the age of 93. Read more...

Naomi Elaine Campbell was born in London, England. Until age two, she lived in Rome, where her mother worked as a dancer. Then, she returned to live with relatives in London while her mother toured with her dancing company. At the age of three, she began attending the Barbara Speake Stage School, and at 10, she enrolled in the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts to study ballet. In 1986, while window-shopping in Covent Garden, Campbell was scouted by the head of the Synchro Model Agency, making her first cover shoot for Elle magazine a month before her 16th birthday. From that on, her career took off, walking the runway for top designers, such as Gianni Versace and Isaac Mizrahi, and working with A-list photographers, including Bruce Weber and Peter Lindbergh. Within only a few years, alongside Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, Campbell formed the Trinity trio, which marked the beginning of the supermodels’ era. As one of the most recognizable and sought-after models, Campbell often broke the color barrier and made history as the first black cover girl in several magazines, including British Vogue (1987), French Vogue (1988), American Vogue (1989), and Time (1991). In the mid-1990s, Campbell began to branch out of modeling. In 1994, she published her first book, a novel titled Swan, released an album called Baby Woman, had various roles in films and TV shows, and in 1999, at 29, she signed with Cosmopolitan Cosmetics and launched her first signature fragrance. Over the following decades, Campbell continued to model both on the runway and for magazines and advertising campaigns for brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Victoria’s Secret, and Louis Vuitton. She also developed her TV persona, serving as a coach and judge for the modeling competition The Face and as a recurring character in the drama Empire and American Horror Story: Hotel. Despite her supermodel status and being the most famous black model of her time, Campbell encountered bias in the fashion industry and didn’t receive as many campaigns as her white colleagues. Throughout her career, she was outspoken about the subject, and in 2013, together with fellow black models Bethann Hardison and Iman, she established the Diversity Coalition. In addition to fighting against racism and discrimination, Campbell has been using her fame to advocate for many causes. She is involved with various non-profit organizations, from the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund to the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer. In 2005, she founded the organization We Love Brazil to fight poverty in Brazil. That same year she established Fashion for Relief, which organizes fund-raising fashion shows for the victims of humanitarian crises such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the earthquake in Japan in 2011, and the 2017 Syrian refugee crisis. She also serves as the honorary president of Athla Onlus, which works for the social integration of people with learning disabilities in Italy, and as a goodwill ambassador for the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood. Read more...

Diana Frances Spencer was born at Park House near Sandringham, England, to an aristocratic family. For several generations, her family was close to the British royal family, and as a child, she used to play with Queen Elizabeth II’s sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. At 7, her parents divorced, and she lived with her father. In her early years, Diana was home-schooled, and later she attended Silfield Private School and then the Riddlesworth Hall School for girls and West Heath Girls’ School. At 16, she studied a semester at the Institut Alpin Videmanette in Switzerland. On her return to England, she settled in London, working in various low-paying jobs, including a dance instructor, nanny, kindergarten assistant, cleaning lady, and a hostess at parties. In 1977, 17 years old Diana met 29 years old Charles, Prince of Wales, who was dating her older sister at the time. A few months later, they began dating. Their relationship got the approval of the royal family as well as the public, who adored her beauty, shy demeanor, and fashion style. They got engaged in early 1981, and on July 29th, 1981, they married in St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was a fairy tale wedding broadcasted and viewed by hundreds of millions worldwide. After the wedding, now with the title of Princess of Wales, Diana took on herself a wide range of royal duties. She went with The Prince of Wales on various royal tours, became a patron of more than 100 charities, and used her fame and the attention of the press to aid and promote causes that were closed to her heart, such as cancer, homelessness, and AIDS. She also channeled her fashionista statues to increase the profile of British designers. In 1982, at the age of 21, Diana had her first child, Prince William, followed by Prince Harry two years later. She wanted her sons to know the world outside the palace, and she often brought them with her on visits to hospitals, orphanages, and homeless shelters. She also took them on public transportation and to eat at fast-food restaurants. Diana became known as the People’s Princess for her compassion, accessibility, and personal warmth. From the beginning, her marriage to Prince Charles suffered many difficulties and infidelities on both sides, and throughout the years, the couple became estranged. During this time, she struggled with postnatal depression, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and the pressure of being chased constantly by the media, especially the paparazzi. By the early 90s, it became apparent that the royal couple was no longer together, and in 1992 they formally separated. The divorce got finalized in 1996. Despite losing the title of “Her Royal Highness,” the public still refers to her as a princess. After the divorce, Diana resigned from most of her patronages but maintained a public figure and continued the philanthropic and charity work. She served as an International Red Cross VIP volunteer and led a high-profile campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of leftover landmines in Angola. In 1997, Diana began a public relationship with the Egyptian heir Dodi Fayed. While attempting to escape a trail of paparazzi that followed them on the streets of Paris, Diana, Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul, had been killed in a car accident. She was 36 years old. Read more...