Fashion names make list of 100 most powerful women
Anna Wintour, Diane von Furstenberg, Gisele Bundchen, Miuccia Prada and Angela Ahrendts have all won places on Forbes' latest list of the 100 most powerful women in the world.
The Telegraph
BY BIBBY SOWRAY | 23 AUGUST 2012
Designers Diane von Furstenberg and Miuccia Prada, American Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts and Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen, all appear on the list , which is topped by German chancellor Angela Merkel
Surprisingly, Diane von Furstenberg beats Wintour to achieve the highest ranking of the four women, appearing at number 33. The publication cites the 65-year-old Belgian designer's fourth term as president of the CFDA, and her upcoming collaborations with Roxy and Evian, as well as her second marriage to media mogul and billionaire philanthropist Barry Diller (who is ranked 804th on Forbes' Billionaires List) as reasons for her positioning.
Wintour, who has edited the US edition of Vogue since 1988, is positioned 51st owing mainly to her increasing political prowess. According to a list published by the US President's re-election campaign organisers earlier this year, Wintour has raised more than $500,000 (£315,600) through various fund-raising events including a 2010 dinner at her private residence in New York's Sullivan Street attended by fashion luminaries Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, and Diane von Furstenberg; and a dinner co-hosted by film mogul Harvey Weinstein in 2011 for which tickets cost $71,600 (£45,000) per couple. Forbes also makes reference to the opening of US Vogue's revenue-making digital archives in 2011.
Miuccia Prada takes the 67th spot on the list thanks to the $13 billion value of her fashion empire, of which she controls 33.2% of the shares and includes both Prada and sister label Miu Miu. The company was floated on the Hong Kong Stock Exchangein 2011 .
Brazilian supermodel Gisele, who is currently pregnant with her second child , comes in 83rd, but she's noted not just for her wealth - she is still the world's highest-earning model - but also for her philanthropic deeds. She is credited with planting over 50,000 trees in her native Brazil this year through her work as an ambassador for the U.N. Environmental Program, she has donated $1 million to the Japanese Red Cross for Earthquake relief and she has recently launched a model search in Brazil's most impoverished areas in an initiative which aims to boost the self esteem of Brazil's slum dwellers.
Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts also features on the list, at number 45. The 52-year-old mother of three is credited with "infusing the classic clothier with Silicon Valley tech savvy". Other famous faces who appear on the list include Lady Gaga (#14), Beyonce Knowles (#32) and Angelina Jolie (#66).