Who Run The World? Girls
We love the growing trend in business where savvy ladies are giving inspiration and hope to women everywhere when trying to climb the business ladder, showing that men are no longer top dogs in the business world and fashion is ours for the taking.
So it is the greatest pleasure to see that Burberry Chief executive, Angela Ahrendts, is now listed as Britain’s most paid person in the executive pay league knocking men off the top spot. Taking a wage of £16.9 million last year alone!
Your Coffee Break celebrates the success of women all over the world, but we kneel at the feet of those who have stood tall in the fashion industry and created a name for themselves, so we wanted to show you our top five women in the industry and just why they deserve their view from the top.
Angela Ahrendts, CEO Burberry
Starting with Miss Burberry herself, Angela Ahrendts took the iconic British Heritage fashion brand Burberry and turned it into the powerhouse it is now. One of three women on the Bluechip FTSE100 list, Ahrendts who became Chief executive in 2006 delivered a 186% increase in shares within five years of being at Burberry. This business woman was recently announced to be the highest-paid person in corporate Britain.
Notorious for minimising the iconic Burberry check on their products, due to the masses of counterfeit products being produced featuring it which were seen to be damaging the Burberry name. It is this kind of initiative that has seen Angela rise to the top of leader board and the beauty of Burberry really come alive in its collections season after season. Angela Ahrendts, we applaud you!
Delphine Arnault, Executive Vice-President LVMH
Delphine Arnault may be the daughter of France’s richest and most influential man but she has unquestionably made a name for herself in this industry. Her father, Bernard Arnault is the head of fashion and luxury brand conglomerate LVMH, but this isn’t the only reason Delphine has been given the role of executive vice-president of Louis Vuitton.
In 2011, Delphine, the deputy managing director of Christian Dior, saved the company after chief designer John Galliano’s unsavoury rant gave the brand a bad name in the industry. She convinced Raf Simons to take over Galliano’s role, which resulted in Dior being the hit of Paris Fashion week that season.
Proving that not only is Arnault a safe choice to eventually take over her father’s role but also the only choice in such a demanding and intricate industry.
Franca Sozzani, Editor-in-Chief Vogue Italia
Franca Sozzani, as editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, she is praised for her innovative thinking in the fashion industry. Sozzani has brought to light some of the biggest issues in the fashion industry. In 2011 she created a special pull out featuring only plus sized women and later oversaw the launch of Vogue Curvy, and in 2008 Sozzani’s release of an issue of Vogue featuring only black models caused Conde Nast to re-print as the issue sold out so quickly.
Franca, who is a goodwill ambassador for Fashion 4 Development, is now heavily involved in work in suffering countries like Africa, trying to make a difference through fashion. Even though some of her choices for Vogue have been met with controversy over her 20 year reign she is still the most influential woman in Italian fashion.
Diane Von Furstenberg, Founder DVF
Diane Von Furstenberg created the iconic rap dress in the 1970s and she has been a shining example of powerful women in the industry ever since.
The once Princess divorced her husband in 1971 and from there created DVF. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and later became the president of the CFDA.
Furstenberg also celebrates women’s success by hosting the DVF Awards which honours four women who show exceptional leadership skills and vision with funds to help them reach their goals.
Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief American Vogue
How could we ever forget the editor-in-chief of American Vogue as one of Your Coffee Breaks top five women in fashion, the illustrious Anna Wintour. Wintour has kept her throne at Vogue for over 25-years, and it is going to prove very difficult to supersede this tour de force.
Wintour created the world famous Fashion’s Night Out in 2008 and plays one of the most vital roles in the fashion industry today. She has found, mentored and showcased some of the most talented designers of era and raised substantial funds towards the Obama campaign, proving that not only is she powerful in the fashion industry but that she also plays an important role in the political sector, and really cares about the future for America and for Fashion.
Why not channel your inner power woman, and we don’t just mean coveting Wintour’s legendary bob cut and dark shades, and show the world what women can do for fashion and for the future?
Let Your Coffee Break know who your top woman in fashion is!
