Was she born with it? Or does it all just come to the right place at the right time with the right designer?
Every artist, regardless of their field, has a muse. Think of the Nine Muses of Greek mythology — daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who inspired science and various areas of the arts — Homer's invocation of his muse in The Odyssey, Andy Warhol's art-pop with Marilyn Monroe, or John Lennon's songs about Yoko Ono. In the world of creation, inspiration has always been sparking lights and keeping artists moving. And, in the world of fashion, it's been no different. From Madonna with Jean Paul Gaultier to Grace Jones with Azzedine Alaïa, many figures have served as catalysts for art — often not only inspiring designers but becoming sartorial idols for the public alike. But what makes someone a fashion muse?
While it is common to associate the muse designation with the concept of celebrities who influence creatives for a brief time — like Kim Kardashian for Olivier Rousteing back in the 2010s — or even with the current state of fashion, where brand ambassadors, such as Jennifer Lawrence and Lewis Hamilton for Dior, are becoming increasingly frequent, the dynamics of the muse-creator relationship goes beyond such ephemeral and financial interactions. Such a relationship is initiated by an exchange between two individuals — where a monetary gain may result — where the muse is an extension of the designer for quite some time, serving as the person they envision when creating their designs.
But in the fashion world, anything can become controversial. For some, the term muse diminishes the person being referred to — as often muses are women and creators are men, placing women not in an active position, but rather in a passive one.
Although indeed male-dominant, when one goes back in time to reconsider the muse-creator situation in fashion, the earliest duo that potentially comes to mind is Rose Bertin and Marie Antoinette from 1774 to 1792. Commonly referred to as the first French designer, Rose Bertin first met Marie Antoinette in the summer of 1774, amid Louis XVI's coronation, when the to-be-queen commissioned robes for the special event. While their relationship began as a service, Antoinette was immediately smitten with the milliner's designs — she appointed Bertin as her personal stylist and they formed a creative exchange that led to a lasting friendship.
Working together, they influenced the epoch's fashion and defined a royal dress code that positioned France as a fashion leader. The exaggerated yet distinguished look of the Versailles court was based on what Bertin saw Marie Antoinette emulating, admiring, and wearing — think of the lavish, ostentatious gowns we see in Rococo art. Case in point: in the late 1770s, after Bertin created a gown for the queen in comfortable fabrics for private wear, known as the chemise à la Reine or robe "en Gaulle" — which was one of Antoinette's favorite silhouettes because it accentuated the female figure — a fashion frenzy took France (and the rest of the world) by storm in 1781. The rest is history.
While Bertin and Antoinette's artistic collaboration evolved from a prestigious client-couturier relationship to an intimate friendship, a muse-creator dynamic can arise for a variety of other reasons. Sometimes the inspirational figure can first be a client, a friend, or a collaborator, and then become a muse — or vice versa. Such was the case with the father of couture, Charles Frederick Worth, and his wife, Marie-Augustine Vernet. According to Debra Mancoff's book 'Fashion Muse,' after F. Adolphus, a British journalist, visited the couple at their home in 1870 and saw Vernet in white satin trimmed lace and black velvet banding, he was left with the lingering impression that ''...she and her dress were absolutely one.'' One, they were. In Adolphus' eyes, Vernet embodied the very essence of Maison Worth's charm. Indeed, she was who inspired Worth's creations and who, over the years, the couturier envisioned wearing his pieces. It was in 1851 that Worth first met his soon-to-be muse and wife, Marie-Augustine Vernet while working as a salesman for Gagelin, where she was a model — known as a demoiselles. After demonstrating that he was an exceptional tailor, he started working with Vernet to display the quality of the costumes to clients. Over time, the relationship grew. From model to wife and muse, she inspired his designs for the French textile company and then for the establishment they opened together, Maison Worth, the first haute couture house, for which she continued to model until 1865, when she retired for health reasons — but remained the guiding force that ignited his creativity until his demise in 1895.
The romantic couple dynamic as creator and muse has a long-established history in fashion — whether it is the designer Jacques Faith and the model Genevieve Boucher de la Bruyére, who married in 1939 and thrived for years in the fashion scene, or the infamous case of Paul Poiret and Denise Boulet.
After Paul Poiret joined the Maison Worth in 1901, working only on basic garments — dubbed "French fries" or "side dishes" — his resentment due to the limitations of his role fueled the rise of his signature irreverent style. In 1903, he opened his own house and challenged the established conventions of tailoring. From neoclassical silhouettes to Japanese kimonos, his label was built around modern and subversive creations, promoted through lavish parties. The first lady to wear his many hits was his wife, Denise Boulet, whom he married in 1905. During the promotion of the designs, it was she who modeled the flamboyant clothes. At parties, Boulet also wore her husband's opulent work. And, in public, she was never seen without a Poiret creation. In a 1913 interview for Vogue, the couturier credited his wife as his primary inspiration, describing her as ''the expression of all my ideals.'' As his muse and the archetype of la garçonne amid the Roaring Twenties, Denise was the embodiment of the decade's modernism and Poiret's designs. When the couple divorced in 1928 and Poiret closed his store as the sleek designs of Gabrielle Coco Chanel became increasingly in demand, Boulet's wardrobe endured as the ultimate symbol of their legacy.
Although many assume that the muse is the romantic flame of the creator, this is not always the case. In the 1930s, Elsa Schiaparelli created a shoe hat inspired by one of Salvador Dalí's paintings, turning his art into her "muse" for the first time. Shortly after, the Italian designer and the Spanish painter joined forces in one of the first collaborations between fashion and art, creating a compact powder case shaped like a rotating telephone dial, which marked the birth of the ongoing creative relationship between the duo and the merging of their surrealist visions. Both provocative and unconventional, Dalí's reflections on humanity, subversion, and time were easily translated into Schiaparelli's clothing and accessories. Fragrances such as Le Roy Soleil, oversized jewelry such as a giant bee brooch, the skeleton dress, the sheepskin hat, and the now iconic lobster dress are forever etched in fashion history and represent a creative exchange between two artists who inspired each other and regarded each other's artistic creations as muses.
Sometimes, creatives can be their own muses. Many legendary fashion designers, like Diane von Fürstenberg, Vivienne Westwood, and Gabrielle Coco Chanel, only had to look in the mirror to be touched by the sparkling energy to inspire. But sometimes spontaneous encounters generate muses, too. In 1953, Hubert de Givenchy was visited in his Paris studio by an individual who he believed to be actress Katherine Hepburn. But he was actually meeting Audrey Hepburn, a relatively unknown actress at the time, who was working on the film Sabrina and was interested in him designing the dresses for the movie. Despite his initial reluctance, over dinner, the star convinced him with her beauty, personality, and serenity. Forty years of friendship and inspiration ensued. From the 1950s until her death in 1993, Hepburn served as Mr. Givenchy's greatest muse — she was the face of the perfume L'Interdit in 1957 because he made it for her; donned his creations on the red carpet and in her daily activities; and, from 1956 onward, included a contract that Givenchy would design costumes for all of her future films, which is seen in Breakfast at Tiffany's and Funny Face.
Aside from attitude, a muse can appear in the light of her very own needs. One of the most notable cases is that of Jane Birkin and Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas. Amidst fortuitous circumstances, such a connection was forged during a flight from Paris to London. When Birkin reached her assigned seat, her seatmate was none other than Dumas. As she settled in, Birkin accidentally spilled everything she had in her iconic straw bag on the floor. Hermès' CEO assisted her in picking it up and recommended that the actress switch to a bag with pockets. She responded that if Hermès designed a spacious bag that was perfect for the daily life and needs of a young mother, she would end up ditching her memorable straw bag for it. As the flight took off, the pair kept themselves busy — not with coloring books or movies, but rather by sketching such a purse in a sick bag. Once the bag was produced, Dumas proposed naming it after the actress, who accepted. Finally, the Birkin bag was launched in 1984, and since then, the legendary Anglo-French singer was seen everywhere carrying her own.
There is an inherent beauty in witnessing muses adopting what was inspired by their own essence, needs, and preferences. Betty Catroux, for instance, an androgynous model who was considered Yves Saint Laurent's greatest muse, was never a fan of fashion — so it was Saint Laurent who was in charge of curating her carefree wardrobe from the moment their paths crossed in the late '60s. The two first met at a nightclub called Chez Régine, instantly connecting ''morally and mentally,'' as Catroux shared with Whitewall. From then on, the model would be known as the embodiment of the post-gender femininity the designer introduced, as seen in garments such as the iconic safari suit and the cult-like Le Smoking.
For Gianni Versace, it wasn't such a random situation that introduced him to his muse, but rather his family. As the middle son of dressmakers Francesca and Antonio Versace, the environment in which he grew up sparked his love for fashion. And, as the very embodiment of what he would create, his younger sister Donatella Versace would become his muse. Sharing a passion for creation, they were incredibly close. "I was his doll and his best friend. He dressed me up in cool clothes, took me out to discos and clubs from when I was 11," Donatella Versace told The Guardian in 2017. She first dyed her hair when she was eleven, and, as she grew up, she possessed the kind of exuberant and exaggerated energy that is now associated with Versace. Although many saw her as just a muse, she was much more than that. When the label was already a success in the late eighties and early nineties, Gianni always asked her opinion, with her approval being crucial to him — because she had a profound influence on the brand's image, from photo shoots to runway castings. And then, after the tragic loss of her brother, Donatella became the creator, bringing with her the same spirit that was known during Gianni's years — after all, she has always been the spirit of the brand.
Speaking of fashion muses who fully draw one in, the Jamaican actress, singer, and model Grace Jones comes to mind. An icon in her own right, Jones became Azzedine Alaïa's muse with her signature '80s power dressing and bold, unparalleled attitude. Whether promoting Alaïa's lines or portraying May Day in the 1985 Bond classic 'A View to a Kill' — in an extravagant hooded Alaïa bandage dress, with the kind of power that left a lasting impression on the industry and challenged its beauty standards — Alaïa and Jones' alliance was built on their passion for sultry, defiant, and artistic designs.
The significance of a muse to a designer and their demeanor will always remain relevant to the dynamics of inspiration and creation in fashion. Take Jean Paul Gaultier and Madonna, for instance. As one of the few artists to speak out about the AIDS crisis and the homophobia that gripped the world during the eighties, Madonna has always had an unconventional attitude that was sure to attract L'enfant terrible de la mode. With his provocative, cutting-edge, and non-conforming gender designs, Gaultier's creations matched Madonna's daring and rebellious spirit. From the iconic conical-breasted bustier the pop star wore on the Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990 to the equestrian dominatrix-esque look she wore on the Confessions Tour in 2006, an iconic partnership was forged between Gaultier and Madonna that has defined fashion, music, and pop culture forever.
And if there was another fashion collaboration between muse and creator that took pop culture by storm, it was Devon Aoki — also a darling of Karl Lagerfeld — as the true muse of the rebellious Jeremy Scott in the 2000s. From transforming into a mermaid in Jeremy Scott's Spring/Summer 2001 collection to walking in Moschino's Resort 2017 show in a '60s-inspired look, she quickly turned into the fearless designer's collaborator, working with him even after retiring from the fashion scene — as the face of Moschino's TOY 2 fragrance campaign, referencing her Little Mermaid-esque look first seen in Jeremy Scott's Spring/Summer 2001 collection.
In the years that followed, despite the ever-changing state of fashion and the increasingly commercialized nature of the industry, there were still instances of genuine creative collaboration between muse and creator. These included long-term friendships such as that between Riccardo Tisci and Maria Carla Boscono, who have maintained a close working bond despite their diverging professional paths, as well as unexpected pairings such as that between actress Taylor Russell and 2023 International Designer of the Year Jonathan Anderson.
But the current duo that stands out is definitely actress Zendaya and stylist Law Roach. A friend of Kazembe Coleman, Zendaya's father and manager, Roach first met the actress back in 2011 when she was 14 and still a Disney Channel star. On a recent episode of TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, the stylist revealed how it all started. ''We made a pinky swear that I would do everything that I could do in my power and my reach to help her grow, and as she’d grow, she would bring me along with her, '' Roach explained. Since their first collaboration, at the premiere of Justin Bieber's Never Say Never in Los Angeles, where Zendaya donned a metallic blazer and a grayish leather skirt with tights, they forged an unbreakable bond. ''She carries herself like a seasoned diva on the red carpet,'' the stylist told Fashionista in 2017 while trying to secure an Emanuel Ungaro gown for Zendaya.
As time went on while they grew, fashion has been smitten with their creative partnership, which has taken over red carpets, fashion events, and magazine covers. Whether it was wearing a Versace chainmail gown inspired by Joan of Arc at the 2018 Met Gala "Heavenly Bodies," the 2019 Met Gala ''Camp: Notes on Fashion'' where Zendaya transformed into Cinderella in a light blue Tommy Hilfiger gown — Roach obviously turned into her fashion fairy godmother to accompany her — the various tenniscore looks seen at Luca Guadadigno's Challengers premiere or the iconic Thierry Mugler archive robot suit pull at the Dune: Part Two premiere in London, always when styling the actress, Roach was inspired by her witty, referential, elegant sense and style.
When Roach announced his retirement in 2023 via Instagram, he immediately shared on X (formerly Twitter), "So y'all really think I'm breaking up with Z..... we are forever," solidifying the actress as his longtime muse.
But is it the artist who creates the muse? Or does the muse create the artist? Like the chicken and egg debate, fashion finds itself in a constant dilemma. In More Than A Muse, author Katie McCabe explores the controversial notion that a designer creates a muse, claiming that, in fact, the muse has credit, too. Thus, like a paradox, they create each other and thrive together. ''If I have an opportunity where he can come with me, he's always going to be there," Zendaya told Elle Magazine in 2023. "He's always been my creative director in a sense, and he continues to fill that role because it's more than just clothes on a red carpet. It's a bigger thing," the actress added. A bigger thing, it's indeed. 🌀
Ana Reitz is a Brazilian fashion writer who breathes fashion. As a Latin American fashionista, she values a diverse and inclusive fashion landscape and aims to make a difference in the complex yet beautiful industry that surrounds her. She writes anything fashion-related for her own Substack For Fashion’s Sake.