Celebrating Women in Fashion

Designer and philanthropist Tory Burch founded her brand in 2004, and what began with a boutique in New York and an e-commerce site has since grown into a leading American luxury lifestyle brand with an estimated revenue of $1.75B in 2022. Her trajectory has been remarkable—yet it is still often regarded in the context of her gender. Burch is routinely described as a “female CEO,” and in an early interview, a New York Times journalist asked if she was “ambitious.” Would he have posed the same question to a successful male entrepreneur?

With the exception of figures like Jeanne Lanvin and Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, many women designers from the past century, as well as the workers who created clothing (such as seamstresses), remained unnamed or lesser known. Consider the story of Adèle Henriette Negrin Fortuny, wife of Mariano Fortuny, who was renowned for the revolutionary pleated Delphos dress he designed in the early 1930s. It turns out that Negrin Fortuny actually created the iconic garment, but her husband was credited as the inventor because it was easier for him to file the patent.

Both Burch and Negrin Fortuny are included, along with approximately 70 other makers of the last century, in Women Dressing Women, a new exhibition from The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sponsored by Morgan Stanley, the exhibition explores the creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and artistic legacy of women fashion designers. 

Morgan Stanley and The Met: A Shared Vision

Joan Steinberg, Global Head and President of the Morgan Stanley Foundation, notes that the exhibition shows Morgan Stanley’s commitment to giving back: “We are enormously proud of Morgan Stanley’s leadership and involvement with this important exhibition. Women Dressing Women shows that women of varying backgrounds can—and do—make impacts far outreaching the limitations of time or art.”

The exhibition features designers whose work has had an important impact in fashion, including both household names and lesser-known designers. Among them are Ann Lowe, an African-American designer who was the granddaughter of an enslaved woman and who is best known for creating Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding gown; Anifa Mvuemba, the Kenyan-born founder of Hanifa, a label worn by Beyoncé; Grace Wales Bonner, who collaborated with Adidas to create new takes on the classic Samba that have sold out in days; and Native American fashion artist Jamie Okuma. The work of Donna Karan, Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons, Miuccia Prada, Madeleine Vionnet and Vivienne Westwood is also on display.

“We hope to provide an opportunity to engage with the critical histories of innovative women designers, all of whom played pivotal roles in the conception of fashion as we know it today,” says Mellissa Huber, Associate Curator in The Costume Institute. Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and CEO, adds, “The spectacular garments on view will inspire a renewed appreciation for the multidisciplinary talents at the heart of this vibrant art form and for the countless women whose contributions were, and continue to be, the lifeblood of the global fashion industry.”

Emphasizing True Commitment

In addition to its sponsorship, Morgan Stanley had the opportunity to select employees to be trained as guides, serving as resources for firm events. For Morgan Stanley, the sponsorship is yet another example of initiatives meant to champion women. “As a firm, we value the kind of grit and innovative thinking that allowed these remarkable women to unlock new ideas and transform their industry,” says Alice Milligan, Chief Marketing Officer, Morgan Stanley.  “Like them, we bring a passion for what’s possible to all that we do.”