The Power List 2026: Fashion's Most Influential Voices
The designers, editors, and iconoclasts reshaping what we wear and why it matters
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ImageÉlise Berger, Creative Director, Maison Vaillancourt
She turned a sleepy heritage house into the most talked-about label in Paris by embracing imperfection, casting non-models, and refusing to show on the official calendar.
Jonas Ekström, Founder, Vinter Studio
His Stockholm-based label proved that radical sustainability and commercial viability are not mutually exclusive. Every piece is made to order, and the waiting list is now eight months long.
Priya Naidu, Editor-in-Chief, Revue Mode
Under her leadership, the magazine has become the industry's moral compass — equal parts criticism, celebration, and uncomfortable questioning.
Tomás Guerrero, Independent Designer
Working from a shared studio in Mexico City, Guerrero's hand-woven textiles have caught the attention of three major luxury groups, all of whom he has politely declined.
Saskia De Witt, CEO, The Collective
Her resale platform has made second-hand luxury not just acceptable but aspirational, shifting consumer behaviour across an entire generation.
Power in fashion used to be simple. It belonged to the person who controlled the biggest advertising budget, the longest runway, the most recognisable logo. You could measure it in square metres of retail space and column inches of press coverage.
That calculus has shifted. The five figures on this year’s list wield a different kind of influence — one built on conviction, creative risk, and the willingness to say no. None of them run the largest companies. None of them have the biggest social media followings. But each of them has changed the conversation in ways that the industry cannot ignore.
1. Élise Berger
When Berger took the helm at Maison Vaillancourt three years ago, the house was producing competent, forgettable collections that sold to an ageing clientele and generated minimal press. Within two seasons, she had dismantled the entire operation: no more formal runway shows, no celebrity ambassadors, no seasonal drops.
Instead, Berger presents collections through intimate appointments, short films, and collaborations with dancers, architects, and musicians. The clothes themselves are extraordinary — deconstructed tailoring that manages to be both radical and wearable. Sales have tripled. More importantly, she has given permission to an entire generation of designers to question the format.
2. Jonas Ekström
Ekström’s Vinter Studio operates on a principle that would terrify most fashion executives: nothing is made until someone orders it. Every garment is cut from deadstock or organic fabric, constructed by a team of twelve in a converted warehouse outside Stockholm, and shipped in compostable packaging.
The model is deliberately small, deliberately slow, and — against all expectations — wildly profitable. The waiting list, which now stretches to eight months, has become a status symbol in itself.
3. Priya Naidu
In an era when most fashion media has been reduced to sponsored content and celebrity worship, Naidu has turned Revue Mode into something rare: a publication that the industry actually fears. Her editorial team produces investigations into supply-chain abuses alongside lavish photo portfolios, creating a magazine that refuses to separate beauty from accountability.
4. Tomás Guerrero
Guerrero works with indigenous weaving cooperatives in Oaxaca, translating traditional techniques into contemporary garments that command couture prices. Three major luxury conglomerates have offered acquisition deals. He has declined them all, arguing that scale would destroy the very thing that makes the work valuable.
His latest collection — twelve pieces, each taking over a month to complete — sold out within hours. The fashion world is watching him carefully, uncertain whether he represents the future or a beautiful anomaly.
5. Saskia De Witt
De Witt did not invent luxury resale, but she made it glamorous. Her platform, The Collective, applies the same curation and presentation standards as a first-market boutique, complete with authentication guarantees, editorial content, and a membership model that has attracted over two million users.
The impact extends beyond her own business. Major houses that once threatened legal action against resale platforms are now partnering with The Collective, recognising that a thriving secondary market extends the life — and the desirability — of their products.
The full Power List portfolio appears in the August issue of Vanity Lane.