Time magazine has unveiled its annual 100 list — and it includes a few familiar faces from the fashion world.
Now in its 15th year, the much-heralded tabulation recognizes the world’s most influential people of the moment, from politicians and celebrities to athletes and artists. Footwear and apparel designer Christian Siriano is recognized in the Artists category, alongside screen stars such as Nicole Kidman, Millie Bobby Brown and Gal Gadot.
In addition to overseeing his own namesake collection, Siriano — one of the biggest success stories to come out of “Project Runway” — has been a guest designer for Payless ShoeSource since 2009 and has cranked out countless collaborations with such big-name partners as Puma, Starbucks, Disney, HSN, Victoria’s Secret and Nordstrom. Comedian and actress Leslie Jones wrote a piece about Siriano for the Time feature, describing how he stepped up to make her a dress for the 2016 premiere of “Ghostbusters” when no other designers were reaching out to her.
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“[Christian] makes every piece feel like you are supposed to have it and like it was made for you. He has his talents and then incorporates them into what you want, which in the end is something that both of us want, making him a one-of-a-kind designer,” Jones wrote. “It was a ‘Pretty Woman’ moment because when I was on the red carpet, all I kept saying to the designers was, ‘You made a huge mistake … HUGE.’”
Also landing on the 100 list in the Icons category is Virgil Abloh, the creative force behind the haute streetwear label Off-White. Writing for Time, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami described Abloh — (who won FNAA’s Shoe of the Year Award) last month was announced as the new artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton — as a fashion visionary who is here to stay. “Kids’ fervor for the stripe patterns and arrow marks he created for Off-White is not a passing trend; rather, it shows how Virgil’s young followers, with their unclouded eyes, have been seeing right into the core of his creativity all along,” he said. “With his [Louis Vuitton] appointment, his full merit will be understood even more widely around the globe.”
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos also is recognized this year among the Titans (in good company alongside Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Pony Ma and others). JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon praised Bezos — who yesterday revealed that his company has amassed 100 million Prime members worldwide — for his steadfast focus on customer satisfaction. “Jeff’s relentless attention to consumers is not defined by any boundaries. As Amazon has grown and Jeff has set his sights on media, entertainment, fresh produce, space travel and recently (in a joint effort with us) health care, among other areas, he has never lost sight of the millions of people he is serving. And that is how you win in American business and raise the standards of what customers come to expect,” Dimon wrote.
Not surprisingly, royal power couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — whose wedding is just 29 days away — feature on the list. Tennis ace Roger Federer, Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, Olympians Adam Rippon and Chloe Kim, and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt are among the athletes recognized. Hollywood is, of course, well-represented with stars including Cardi B, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Kesha, John Krasinkski and Jimmy Kimmel.
