David Bowie: reinvention, music and British popular culture
From the Ziggy Stardust years to his final album, Bowie joined musical experiment with a striking visual imagination.
Read the entryBRITISH LEGACY / THE COLLECTION
Fashion Icons
Beyond designers, British fashion icons have influenced global trends and style. These individuals, through their unique fashion sense and public influence, have set trends and inspired millions.
77 entries
Twiggy: the face of a changing fashion world
From a teenage modelling sensation in 1960s London to a long career in film, theatre, music and television, Lesley Lawson built a public life beyond the image that made her famous.
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Princess Diana: fashion, public life and charitable causes
Diana’s widely watched style—from her wedding gown to the 1994 Serpentine Gallery dress—formed one part of a public life also associated with humanitarian causes.
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Kate Moss: the model who changed fashion’s image
From Corinne Day’s early photographs to campaigns, collections and British Vogue, Moss made an unmistakable mark on fashion and popular culture.
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Victoria Beckham
Former Spice Girl turned fashion designer, known for her chic and sophisticated style.
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Alexa Chung: from television presenter to fashion figure
The model and presenter moved between British television, international fashion and her own label, while making a distinctive personal style part of her public work.
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Naomi Campbell: a British model who changed the runway
From her London beginnings to global supermodel status, Campbell’s career has made her a defining presence in fashion and a prominent voice on racial representation.
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Alexander McQueen: British fashion’s dramatic rule-breaker
From Savile Row apprenticeship to theatrical catwalk shows, Lee Alexander McQueen made British tailoring the foundation for a radical fashion career.
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Kate Middleton
Duchess of Cambridge, known for her elegant and classic style, often dubbed the "Kate effect" for her influence on fashion trends.
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Vivienne Westwood: punk, fashion and a British design legacy
From a Kings Road boutique to internationally recognised collections, Westwood made historical dress and political provocation part of modern British fashion.
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Stella McCartney: fashion, independence and animal-friendly design
The London-born designer built an international fashion house around a distinctive combination of British design, commercial ambition and opposition to leather and fur.
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Cara Delevingne: from London catwalks to stage and screen
The English model, actor and musician built a career across fashion, film, music and theatre, while speaking publicly about identity and mental health.
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Paul Smith: tailoring with a twist
From a small Nottingham shop to an international fashion house, Paul Smith built a British design identity around classic clothes, colour and curiosity.
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David Gandy: modelling, British fashion and a wider career
From a televised model search to Dolce & Gabbana campaigns, Gandy’s work has also taken him into British fashion, publishing and motoring.
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Emma Watson: acting, equality and sustainable fashion
From Hermione Granger to HeForShe, Watson has used a British acting career and an international platform to promote gender equality and more sustainable fashion.
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Sienna Miller: from screen roles to a changing public image
Born in New York and raised in London, Miller built a career across film, television and the stage while becoming closely associated with boho chic.
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Edie Campbell
Model known for her versatility and influence in high fashion.
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Agyness Deyn: the model who moved beyond the runway
From Lancashire beginnings to international catwalks, Deyn became one of the most recognisable models of the 2000s before turning to acting and design.
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Zandra Rhodes: the designer who made print the centrepiece
From her first London studio to the Fashion and Textile Museum, Rhodes built a career around vivid prints, distinctive construction and a belief in fashion’s wider reach.
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Daphne Guinness: fashion as performance, design and music
The English fashion figure has built a career across couture, curation, film and music, carrying a distinctive style from London to international exhibitions and stages.
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Joan Collins: from British film ingénue to Dynasty star
A London-trained actor built a long career across British film, Hollywood, television, theatre and books before Alexis Colby made her an international icon.
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Jude Law: from London theatre to international screens
A career spanning British stages, acclaimed films and international productions, with sustained work in theatre and public campaigns.
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Lily Cole: modelling, film and environmental advocacy
The Devon-born model built a career across fashion, acting and enterprise, while using her public profile to support humanitarian and environmental causes.
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Benedict Cumberbatch: from the National Theatre to Sherlock
A classically trained English actor whose work ranges from Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes to international film roles.
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Gwendoline Christie: from Brienne of Tarth to the West End
The Worthing-born actor built an international career through distinctive screen roles, stage work and an unmistakable presence.
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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: from Devon to the global fashion stage
The English model built an international career across fashion, film and beauty, with work for Victoria’s Secret, Burberry and Marks & Spencer.
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Florence Welch: songs of scale, imagination and feeling
The London-born singer and songwriter built Florence + the Machine around a distinctive voice, vivid imagery and a striking visual style.
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Jasmine Guinness: modelling, fashion and a London shop
The Irish model and designer has worked in international campaigns, appeared for Jaeger and opened a toy shop on Portobello Road.
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Erin O’Connor: a model who reshaped fashion’s idea of beauty
From a school trip to Birmingham’s Clothes Show Live to international runways, O’Connor has combined a modelling career with advocacy for broader representation in fashion.
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Paloma Faith: a distinctive voice in British pop
From her Hackney beginnings to a UK number-one album, Paloma Faith has built a career across music, acting and television.
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Henry Holland: slogan T-shirts to House of Holland
The Ramsbottom-born designer turned pop-cultural wit into a distinctive fashion label, collaborations and a high-street range.
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Jourdan Dunn: a British model on the world stage
From her discovery in a west London shop to landmark runway appearances, Dunn built an international career while speaking out about representation in fashion.
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Jodie Kidd: from fashion model to racing driver and presenter
Discovered at 15, Kidd built a career spanning international modelling, motor racing and British television.
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Sam Rollinson
Model known for her chic and androgynous look.
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David Bailey: the photographer who helped frame Swinging London
From British Vogue and Box of Pin-Ups to films, books and exhibitions, Bailey made fashion photography part of the story of 1960s London.
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Jean Shrimpton
Model and actress known for her role in defining 1960s fashion.
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Barbara Hulanicki and the Biba revolution
The Polish-born designer helped make fashion more accessible and turned a Kensington boutique into a defining part of 1960s London.
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Tilda Swinton: an actor drawn to the unconventional
From Derek Jarman’s experimental films to international cinema, Swinton has made an eclectic career of challenging expectations on screen and beyond it.
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Christopher Kane: the Scottish designer who made neon his signature
From a 2006 Central Saint Martins graduate collection to an independent label and international collaborations, Kane built a career on restless reinvention.
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Mary Quant: dressing a new generation
From her King’s Road boutique to the miniskirt, Mary Quant helped make London youth fashion visible around the world.
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