#1: Miuccia Prada – $ 11.1 Billion
She always seems to be number 1. Not that strange, when you consider Miuccia Prada is a real business woman, who happens to have the most astonishing sense of style the world has ever seen. She owns so many brands that it’s almost crazy, the conglomerate has brands like Fendi, Helmut Lang and Jil Sander. That $ 11.1 billion is explained just like that.
#2: Giorgio Armani – $ 9.9 Billion
You’re almost at 10 Giorgio. He launched his brand in 1975 and was awarded most successful fashion designer from Italy. With 7 brands as a part of this fashion house it’s one of the biggest in the world. With over 300 stores worldwide in 37 different countries, Armani is always around the corner!
#3: Ralph Lauren – $ 7 Billion
Ralph Lauren is one of the most famous fashion designers in the world. He’s American born in 1939 and is in the top 200 of richest people in the world. He opened his first store in 1967 with the help of clothing manufacturer Norman Hilton under the name ‘Polo’. He was declared Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur by French president Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris in 2010. Lauren’s also famous for his huge collection of cars, which he has plenty of money for…
#4: Stefano Gabbana – $ 1.7 Billion
At least we know they share their capital evenly, which is nice. They have been a couple for a very long time, but split up eventually. A controversial fact about the two designers is that they are currently being investigated for tax evasion in Italy.
#5: Domenico Dolce – $ 1.7 Billion
He’s part of one of the greatest fashion duos in human history. Dolce & Gabbana launched their first collection in 1985 at the Milan Fashion Week, they hired friends because they didn’t have money for models. Obviously they came a long way since then. They expanded their collection slowly but steady, with perfumes, jewelry and clothing making one D&G fashion house.
#6: Valentino Garavani – $ 1.5 Billion
The 82 year old founder of the Valentino empire has a net worth of a staggering $ 1.5 billion. Although he retired in 2007, he’s still one of the most influential people in the world. With fashion houses in Rome and Paris, has been in movies, has a museum and so on. It’s crazy, but this man truly is a legend.
#7: Diane von Fürstenberg – $1.2 Billion
Born in 1946 in Brussels, Belgium, Diane von Fürstenburg has a dark history, with her mom being in the Auschwitz concentration camp 18 months before she was born. Her dad was from Romania. She married the elder son of a German prince in 1969, and her name changed to HerSerene Highness Princess Diane of Fürstenberg. They divorced 1972. She started designing clothes in 1970 and has made quite a name for herself. In 2005 she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2006 she was named president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
#8: Michael Kors – $1 Billion
Everyone knows him as a judge on Project Runway, but he’s also been running his own brand since 1981, when he sold his first collection to a couple of large department stores, among which were Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue. It has a rich history, including bankruptcy in 1993 and multiple awards. In 2013 he was selected for The Time 100, which is the magazine’s list for the most influential people in the world. He’s one of the freshest billionaires in the world.
#9: Allegra Versace – $ 800 Million
She is the daughter of famous fashion designer Donatella Versace and ex-model Paul Beck. It must be nice to be multi-millionaire at the age of 28. She divides her time between the houses in Milan, New York City and Los Angelas. The funny fact here is that the money is not from her mom, but actually from her uncle Gianni Versace who left her a 50% stake in his company.
#10: Pierre Cardin – $ 723 Million
Italian born, this French fashion designer is the classic of the classic. Pierre Cardin is world famous for his designs and his disregard for women’s body shapes. His geometric shapes and motives resulted in a unisex collection. A couple of words for this designer are: innovative, not always practical and style icon.
