The '80s Fashion Designers Who Changed The Game

Jean Paul Gaultier found major success in the '80s, known for his over-the-top and unconventional designs that feature complicated motifs and often corsets. He is often referred to as the "enfant terrible" of the fashion world. His eponymous lable was founded in 1982, and he was never formally trained as a designer. He sent sketches to popular stylists until he was hired as an assistant. By 1984, his clothes were for sale at Bergdorf Goodman and his iconic cone bra corset was designed. His line of skirts for men was groundbreaking and controversial. Madonna was a major fan of Gaultier's designs, notably wearing his clothing in the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan. In 1990, Gaultier designed all of Madonna's costumes for the Blond Ambition World Tour. 

French designer Thierry Mugler defined '80s fashion in many ways, and celebrities today continue to reference his work. Like Gaultier, Mugler has also been referred to as an "enfant terrible" when he was coming up in the fashion industry. Mugler saw fashion as a tool to create drama and spectacle. He loved to push the boundaries of imagination in his designs, often creating otherworldly looks that tapped into futuristic fantasies. He opened his first shop in 1978 in Paris and spent the 80s building a cult following of models and celebrities who proudly wore his creations. Mugler was constantly juxtaposing popular modern styles with science fiction, mythology and whimsy. Wide shoulders, cinched waists and textures were constants in his work. Everyone from Naomi Campbell to Michael Jackson, George Michael and Demi Moore were sporting Mugler designs. Recently, he designed Kim Kardashian's 2019 Met Gala look and Zendaya made headlines when she wore an archival Mugler robot suit on the Dune: Part Two press tour..

Claude Montana earned his nickname of "King of the Shoulder Pad" for a reason. Known for his bold silhouettes that eventually led to the term "power dressing" being popularized, 80s fashion as we know it would not exist without Montana. His brand, The House of Montana, was founded in 1979 after having his first fashion show in 1976. He shot to fame in the '80s alongside Mugler. His designs were inspired by styles in the '40s and '50s, but he pushed the silhouettes into more exaggerated territories. Shoulder pads were a thruline in his designs for the first half of the 80s, as well as color themes of red, blue, metallics and neutrals, but by the late '80s, he had already toned down the intensity of shoulder pads in his designs. Even as he evolved into less harsh designs, he will be forever known as a champion for the '80s power dressing that was so popular.

Even after his death in 2017, Azzedine Alaïa is still one of the most respected names in fashion. A champion of the body-con silhouette and "quiet luxury" designs, Alaïa was once. described as "famously shy and infamously independent" in a biography by British Vogue. After studying sculpture, Alaïa moved to Paris in the late '50s and spent years working for major designers including Christian Dior and Thierry Mugler, who he later became close friends with. He showed his first ready-to-wear collection in 1980, which was also the year that a Bergdorf Goodman buyer discovered his designs and stocked his work in America. His designs popularized the body-con style that is still favored in dresses today.

Kenzō Takada was a Japanese designer who founded the brand Kenzo, which flourished in the '80s after he lead a silhouette change in the mid-seventies called the "Big Look," which prioritized looser, voluminous styles. Takada was part of a number of Japanese designers that hit it big in the fashion scene in Paris, and then eventually in America. His pieces heavily featured color and traditional Japanese designs. His runway shows were always high energy and entertaining, leaning into the element of performance that clothing can enable.

Though you may not initially recognize the name Stephen Sprouse, the American designer and artist was a quintessential part of the '80s fashion scene. Favored by Debbie Harry and Duran Duran and steeped in the NYC nightclub scene, Sprouse pioneered a style of mixing sophistication with punk in his designs. Early pieces were often graffiti-printed and neon, while in the mid '80s he turned towards more '70s inspired looks. He collaborated with both Keith Haring and Andy Warhol on collections. A constant throughtline in his work was a desire to mesh visual art and clothing in a modern context.

Karl Lagerfeld was already working in the fashion industry for decades before he became a household name as the creative director of Chanel from 1983 until his death in 2019. Before joining Chanel, he had worked for fashion houses like Chloé and Balmain. Lagerfeld was instrumental in reviving Chanel's influence and reputation in the industry, as the brand was dying out after Coco Chanel's death. He revamped the ready-to-wear line for Chanel and turned the monogram of Coco Chanel's initials into the pattern that has become instantly recognizable for the brand. Lagerfeld modernized Chanel's old style by adding shoulder padding, shortening skirts and exaggerating hardware and accessories. All of these changes were seen as controversial, given how historic and traditional Chanel was, but it was a necessary shift for the brand and it gave Lagerfeld a reputation as a powerful force in fashion. Lagerfeld also went on to be the creative director of Fendi and his own eponymous brand.

Donna Karan is an American designer known for founding the DKNY label. After studying at Parsons School of Design, she worked for Anne Kleini and became the head of the design team, carving out a name for herself in the industry until she launched her own label in 1984. Her goal was always to design modern clothing that she would actually wear in her daily life. Utility was essential to her designs, as well as modernity, so it makes sense that she is recognized for her "Essentials" line, a capsule collection that could be mixed and matched and easily integrated with looks from her other collections. Clothing like jersey dresses and opaque tights were common in her work in the 80s because of their comfort and popularity at the time.

Now one of the most powerful luxury fashion houses, Versace was founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. Versace was inspired by both ancient Greek history and modern artists like Andy Warhol, and he began working in fashion design in Milan when he was 26. With a penchant for designs that featured bright colors, loud, Italian-inspired prints and revealing cuts, Versace gained popularity in the 80s easily. Because he was not afraid to embrace sexuality in his designs, he was criticized just as much as he was praised. Gianni looked to his family to help build the company to what it is today. In the 80s, Versace developed what are now house codes of the brand, like lightweight chainmail.

French designer Christian Lacroix is known for luxury and effortless confidence. In the 80s, he was one of the champions of haute couture with his modern takes on gowns. In spite of an increased popularity in ready-to-wear fashion and prioritizing utility, Lacroix maintained his passion for haute couture and opulence. He studied art history and wrote a dissertation on 18th century French fashion in paintings while he was at school, so it makes sense that his designs often played with whimsy and featured modernized takes on 18th and 19th century inspiration. His fascination with folklore and history are reflected in his pieces. Lacrois also served as the creative director of Emilio Pucci from 2002 to 2005.

It's impossible to talk about 80s fashion without mentioning British designer John Galliano's rise to fame. Galliano worked as the creative director of his eponymous label as well as Givenchy and Dior, but he has currently been the creative director of Maison Margiela since 2014. He studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins, and his graduating collection made waves in the industry in 1984, launching him into the spotlight. The collection was titled Les Incroyables and was heavily influeced by the French Revolution, falling into the "new romantics" fashion that was so popular in the mid-eighties in the UK. Though he largely became a prominent designer in the 90s and then would fall from grace in the 2010s, Galliano's early work in the '80s saw the beginnings of a designer who will always push the boundaries of popular trends.