Fashion wunderkind Marc Jacobs graduated from New York's High School of Art and Design in 1981, then became a star at Parsons before launching his own collection in 1986. Apart from a temporary set-back in 1993 when the Perry Ellis company fired him after his infamous Grunge collection failed, Jacobs has been top of the class ever since. With two CFDA Best Womenswear Designer awards, the success of the Louis Vuitton ready-to-wear line, and the spot-on casual chic of his own luxury sportswear, Jacobs has the fashion elite eating out of his hand.

"I remember walking the dog one day, I saw a car full of teenage girls, and one of them rolled down the window and yelled, 'Marc Jacobs!' in a French accent."