THE BRITISH HERITAGE ARCHIVEBritish English All entries

BRITISH 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

Alexa Chung: modelling, television and a distinctive fashion voice

From early music television to a fashion label of her own, Chung’s career has connected British broadcasting and style with an international audience.

Pat McGrath: the British make-up artist reshaping beauty

From Northampton and early work at i-D to a global cosmetics business, McGrath has built a career around experimentation, fashion and an unusually influential approach to make-up.

Mick Jagger: the voice and theatre of the Rolling Stones

From Dartford rhythm-and-blues fan to a defining rock frontman, Jagger helped shape the Stones’ sound, image and long career.

John Galliano: fashion shaped by history and theatre

From his London-trained beginnings to leading French couture houses, Galliano built a career around historical reference, theatrical presentation and reinvention.

Barbara Windsor: comic performer, Peggy Mitchell and British icon

From the Carry On films and Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop to EastEnders, Windsor built a career across stage, film and television.

Julie Christie: an actor who defined an era

From Billy Liar and Darling to later acclaimed work, Julie Christie’s screen presence and 1960s style became part of British cinema’s international image.

Boy George: pop, self-invention and the New Romantic era

From Culture Club’s international success to a long solo career, George O’Dowd made a distinctive voice and visual identity central to British pop.

Claudia Schiffer: the German supermodel with a British home

From a Düsseldorf nightclub to international fashion campaigns, Schiffer’s career has spanned modelling, film and design; her life has also become closely connected to Britain.

Bella Freud: fashion, language and a distinctive design voice

The London-based designer has made playful words and tailored clothing central to her fashion identity.

Cressida Bonas: dance, acting and British fashion

From ballet and dance study to theatre, television, film and fashion campaigns, Bonas has built a career across several creative disciplines.

Josephine Baker: performer, resistance agent and British stage presence

American-born and celebrated in France, Baker’s documented British connections include a London Palladium appearance and a lasting place in British performance culture.

David Hockney: painting, place and a restless eye

From Bradford and the Royal College of Art to Yorkshire landscapes, stage design and digital drawing, Hockney continually changed how pictures could be made.

Sophie Dahl: from fashion model to writer

The English author and former model has worked across fashion, fiction, food writing and children’s books.

Millie Mackintosh: from Made in Chelsea to fashion influence

The television personality developed a public profile around contemporary style, clothing design and social media.

Adwoa Aboah: fashion, film and the work of Gurls Talk

The British model and actor has built a public career in fashion alongside a platform for young women to discuss mental health.

Charles Jeffrey: fashion shaped by club culture and Scottish heritage

From a monthly East London club night to the LOVERBOY label, Jeffrey’s theatrical designs bring queer culture, self-expression and Scottish references into British fashion.

Amber Le Bon

Model and DJ known for her chic and modern style.

Poppy Delevingne: modelling, acting and British fashion

The English model and actress built an international career across fashion campaigns, film and television, while representing British fashion abroad.

Clara Paget: from early films to Anne Bonny

The English actress and model has appeared in British productions and international films, and played Anne Bonny in the television series Black Sails.

Freddie Mercury: Queen’s theatrical voice and British legacy

From his family’s move to England to Queen’s landmark performances, Freddie Mercury reshaped the possibilities of rock frontmanship.

Emma Corrin

The English actor whose work spans The Crown, the West End and international film

Matty Bovan

Fashion designer known for his bold and experimental designs.

Lily Donaldson: From Camden to the global runway

Discovered in London at 16, Donaldson built an international modelling career and returned to the capital’s spotlight at the London 2012 Olympic closing ceremony.

Charlotte Olympia Dellal

Shoe designer known for her playful and glamorous designs.

Phoebe Philo: a British designer with an international vision

From Central Saint Martins to Chloé, Céline and her own label, Philo has shaped contemporary fashion through distinctive, considered design.

Alice Temperley: romance and detail in British fashion

The Somerset-born designer built an international label around romantic silhouettes, intricate decoration and vintage-inspired references.

Lulu Kennedy and the designers who began at Fashion East

The founder of Fashion East built a London platform combining runway shows, mentorship and industry contacts for emerging designers.

Alexa Davies

Actress known for her stylish red carpet appearances.

Bip Ling: modelling, illustration and music

Born in Southwark and educated in fine art, Bip Ling has built a career spanning fashion, digital publishing, DJing and self-released records.

Leomie Anderson: fashion, business and advocacy

The London-born model has built an international career while creating a platform for women’s voices and speaking about racial discrimination in fashion.

Georgia May Jagger: modelling, design and British fashion

Born in London, Jagger built an international modelling career and represented British fashion at the 2012 Olympic closing ceremony.

Jodie Comer: from Liverpool stages to Broadway

The Liverpool-born actor’s work spans acclaimed television performances, international film roles and an award-winning one-woman play.

FKA Twigs: music, movement and a restless visual imagination

From Cheltenham and South London to internationally acclaimed albums, Tahliah Barnett has made experimentation central to her work as a musician, dancer and director.

Lottie Moss

Model known for her chic and modern style.

Jade Thirlwall: from Little Mix to a solo career

The South Shields singer became part of a chart-making girl group before building a distinctive solo career and championing LGBTQ+ rights.

Nicola Roberts: pop, self-expression and a voice against bullying

From Girls Aloud and an acclaimed solo album to campaigning on tanning and bullying, Roberts has built a career that reaches beyond the chart.

Alice Dellal: modelling across fashion’s boundaries

Raised in London, Dellal became known for an individual style and campaigns for Agent Provocateur and Chanel, as well as her work as a photographer.