THE ONE WHO STARTED IT ALL
From an early age the designer who has influenced every item of clothing I've purchased, every design Ive drawn and the way I view the fashion industry is the incredible Coco Chanel. Her inspirational ideals about style and her ability to revoluntionise the industry have made me aspire to create not just fasionable pieces but timeless ones, and to look at everything and think 'is this stylish rather then simply fashionable'. Although high fashion sells and is at the forefront of every designer and customer's
mind, the idea of style is always lurking in the subconcious.Chanel brought many statement pieces to the fashion table throughout her career, including the Little Black Dress – still a permanent fixture in every woman’s wardrobe - the Chanel two piece suit, which was elegant and embodied success, independence and confidence, and costume jewellery.
Chanel was also instrumental in the designing the image of the 1920’s flapper – a move which brought controversy to the brand.
Vivienne Westwood is one of the most influential and intriguing designers in British fashion. Her original creative pieces and pioneering efforts to use taboo subjects to influence her designs has been a constant source of inspiration of mine. The inspiration comes in the form that there is no limit to how far an idea can be taken. Westwood designs outrageously, passionately and unconventionally.THE ICON
Another major influence in my own designs is the late Isabella Blow, a true original. Blow inspires me to see the world of fashion in different and abstract ways and to understand the importance of individuality.
THE NEXT BIG THING
Gareth Pugh started out as a costume designer for the English National Youth Theatre, aged 14, until his formal education at Central Saint Martins, during which his final collection attracted the attention of the senior fashion editor of Dazed and Confused magazine, who placed one of his designs on the cover shortly after. After participating in several shows and articles, Pugh finally got his chance to show a collection at an alternative fashion week, which brought him to the attention of Fashion 
East, who invited him to show in its Autumn 2005 group show.Pugh’s solo debut was in London Fashion week in 2006 and has since shown collections for Spring 2007 and Autumn 2007, in which his collection was hailed ‘an un-missable show’. One of his trademarks is using balloons to depict the movements and joints of the human body.
Gareth Pugh’s work is elective, original and unique, and the designer himself is a great example of hard work, dedication and passion - and one of the most forward thinking new designers on the catwalks.
