Introducing the Vogue Business 100 Innovators: Class of 2025

This article is part of the Vogue Business 100 Innovators: Class of 2025, an annual list of individuals Vogue Business editors believe have the potential to change the luxury industry for the better.

This summer may have seen tectonic tariff shifts, a difficult earnings season and zero trends, but as we move into September, it would be hard to miss the twinge of anticipation felt across the luxury industry. Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Demna at Gucci, Pierpaolo at Balenciaga… There are more than 10 debuts happening this fashion month, and after a chaotic five years, one could say the future of luxury is riding on what designers will present.

But while the runways can be space for the presentation of new ideas, the real breeding grounds for innovation tend to lie outside the traditional fashion channels. Because by definition, what is innovative changes constantly. So here’s a list of individuals the Vogue Business editorial team believes have the potential to truly change the luxury industry for the better.

Some work within the fashion and beauty spaces, while others operate from the tech, sustainability, and social justice realms. What this year’s class all have in common is the grit and determination to do things differently — from identifying new markets and new ways of doing business, to creating new fibres or dyes and using their catwalks as protest grounds.

Read on to find out who they are and how they’re going to shake up the industry.

Tech innovators

After the post-metaverse era lull, fashion tech came back in a big way this year.

Wearables, generative AI, digital avatars and more tech all became fertile ground for experimental fashion companies that had, for the most part, put tech innovation on the back burner. Some of this, like the AI surge, is a sign of a larger shift in how we search, shop and go about our daily lives — meaning it’s in fashion’s best interest to try to keep up.

This resurgence is led by a cast of founders, executives and visionaries who see a path forward for a fashion industry made better by technology. There’s a brand president with sights set on fashion for 2075; a founder of a creative agency on the frontlines of figuring out how digital twins fit into the advertising and e-commerce landscape; entrepreneurs who are using AI to finally crack digital try-on; a CTO combining her love for fashion with her ability to steer the AI strategies of major companies; a team that’s figuring out how to eliminate textile waste with technology; and that’s just an idea of who makes up this year’s Vogue Business 100 tech innovators. Discover the full list here.

Sustainability thought leaders

It was never easy to be a sustainability thought leader, but this year has tested even the strongest-willed. From the US to the EU, politicians have whipped up an anti-ESG frenzy, prompting regulators to roll back hard-won policy momentum, and taking the wind out of the fashion industry’s sustainability efforts in the process. Even the companies that have doubled down on ambition and raised targets are being stifled by budget and staffing constraints. All the while, the social and environmental impacts of the climate crisis are becoming more severe, especially for the vulnerable communities in the Global South that make much of the world’s clothing. Sustainability has never been more pressing, and leadership never more vital.

This year, our Sustainability Thought Leaders are recognised as much for their tenacity in the face of these challenges as for their vision of systemic change. Whether through grassroots organising, building localised fibersheds and recycling models, advancing material and technological innovation, or reshaping business models and consumer culture, each innovator is pushing fashion to confront its challenges head-on. Discover the full list here.

Entrepreneurs and founders

When the luxury industry is in such a lull — grappling with declining consumer demand and a diminished creative pulse — it needs new thinkers to reset and charge ahead.

That’s where the Vogue Business 100 Innovators 2025 class of entrepreneurs and founders come in. These are the people keeping fashion fun, fresh and exciting, whether it’s through a new spin on vintage shopping, a platform that changes the way we interact with influencers, a designer label offering actually interesting clothing, or a creative role that infiltrates a legacy company not so known for its fashion accolades.

There’s plenty to be down about in fashion right now. These innovators give us a place to channel our hope and optimism for what the future might look like. Discover the full list here.

Beauty disruptors

Beauty in 2025 is about so much more than what’s in our makeup bags.

The beauty industry has been upended by cultural shifts, new consumer demands and the warping definition of wellness, all of which have skewed beauty standards, introduced new it-ingredients to the market and prompted a need for new formulas and products that are more suited for the Ozempic era. This, as AI becomes more prevalent in the images we see online and our digital selves come to play a defining role in our identity, has moved the goalposts for a sprawling category rife with competition.

So who wins in beauty today? And who’s making sure the industry’s uglier side doesn’t win out? This year’s Vogue Business 100 innovators are ushering in beauty’s next era by bringing innovative brands to market, changing the way we shop for beauty, haircare, skincare and more, and reshaping how we interact with and consume beauty in the digital era. They include CEOs, founders, perfumiers, retailers and creatives, all of whom are changing the face of beauty. Discover the full list here.

Champions of change

Fashion and beauty are undergoing a shift, led by a generation of entrepreneurs and creatives who view their platforms as catalysts for change. For them, accessibility, inclusion, sustainability and a deep appreciation of heritage and craftsmanship are not afterthoughts: they are integral to the way business is conducted.

Our champions of change are building models that put people at the centre — from artisans and garment workers to underrepresented consumers — while challenging an industry that too often sidelines social and environmental responsibility. They believe that creativity carries weight beyond runways and campaigns, and together, they are reshaping what it means to build influence in fashion and beauty today. Discover the full list here.

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