The French designer who revolutionized the runway took the prize as top earning dead celebrity. Since his death his namesake brand has taken in over $350 million in revenue. Other notable money makers included Michael Jackson ($90 Mil), John Lennon ($15 Mil), and Andy Warhol ($6 Mil).

1. Michael Lewis: Lewis is footwear’s best kept secret and has impressed the likes of Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, Christopher Bailey at Burberry and Tom Ford at Gucci with his shoe-shaped talents – before recently stepping into the role of creative consultant at Kurt Geiger. He brings his own label collection to LFW for the first time this season.

Has an eye for: What women really want – fun yet luxurious, affordable shoes.

Is inspired by: “Early Kenzo and Russian fairytales.”

Shop it: Exclusively at Dover Street Market for autumn/winter 2009.

2. Michael van der Ham: The Dutch born designer’s Warhol art-inspired dresses caught the attention of more than one fashion insider during his autumn/winter 2009 Central St Martins show – for which he also scooped the L’Oreal Professional Award. Prior to this, the young impresario honed his talents with stints at Alexander McQueen and Sophia Kokosalaki.

Has an eye for: The eclectic – van der Ham’s mismatch approach to design ensures there’s never a dull moment.

Is inspired by: Women who aren’t afraid to be bold.

Will be: Showcasing as part of NEWGEN’s Ready-to-Wear exhibition at Somerset House.

3. Fred Butler: New kid on the block Fred began life as a set designer and prop maker before packing a style punch with her first jewellery collection of bold, bright and sculptural designs for autumn/winter 2009. Since then she has presented workshops at London’s Design Museum, guest lectured at the London College of Fashion and collaborated with Asos.com on their limited edition ‘Hit’ line.

Has an eye for: Creating “wearable sculpture,” by using graphic shapes, clashing colours and tactile forms.

Is inspired by: The unpredictable in the everyday.

Shop it: Online at Kabiri.co.uk this season.

4. Mark Fast: Since the success of the 28 year old Canadian’s Central St Martins graduate collection in 2007 (which was quickly snapped up by Browns Focus) the young designer has gone from strength to strength. His autumn/winter 2009 show featured a bold collection of black knitted body-con dresses, embellished with fringing and dramatic cut-out panels.

Has an eye for: Exquisite pieces that are contoured to the body.

Is inspired by: Finding innovative ways with knitwear.

Will be: Available from Browns Focus.

5. Eun Jeong: 2008’s Fashion Fringe winner, Eun Jeong leapt on the scene with a collection made entirely from white cotton lace. The Korean designer has since been working hard to develop her own label ‘1st element by hong eun jeong’.

Has an eye for: Neat pleats and effortless tailoring.

Is inspired by: Uniqueness in others.

Shop it: at Net-a-porter.com

6. Emilio de la Morena: Having trained as a sculptor in his native Spain before sharpening his fashion skills at Central St Martins in 2002, de la Morena’s designs are inspired by structural shapes and traditional Spanish artisan techniques.

Has an eye for: Fluid and feminine sculptural lines.

Is inspired by: The relationship between organic shapes and defined silhouettes.

Shop it: Online at Browns Focus.

7. Josh Goot: His sleek and monochromatic autumn/winter 2009 collection had London based Goot dubbed the new king of modernism, for his simple yet sophisticated use of black and white on shifts and neatly tailored suits.

Has an eye for: Colour blocking and clean lines.

Is inspired by: Human anatomy and abstract forms for spring/summer 2009.

Shop it: At Liberty.co.uk.

8. Mary Katrantzou: Since her fun graphic print collection for autumn/winter 2009, that featured dresses emblazoned with images of perfume bottles, we have not been able to shake the feeling that Katrantzou is going places. Having worked under fellow Greek, Sophia Kokosalaki and freelanced for Bill Blass, the young print designer also makes jewellery to complement her collections.

Has an eye for: Digital prints and bold, industrial jewellery.

Is inspired by: Antique perfume bottles and 18th century portraits for spring/summer 2010.

Shop it: At Browns Focus and Harvey Nichols.

9: Maria Francesca Pepe: With style insiders dipping into Pepe’s jewellery box for her hand-crafted Italian pieces to adorn their fashion pages – including Harper’s Bazaar – it is little wonder the designer already has a loyal following. You might have seen her designs embellishing the shows of Roksanda Illincic (S/S09 and A/W09), Emilio De La Morena (A/W09) and Louise Grey (A/W09), for which she designed a shoe collection.

Has an eye for: Chunky tubular necklaces made using old, handcrafted Italian techniques.

Is inspired by: Pieces that appeal to all tastes and ages.

Shop it: At Dover Street Market and the label’s own online store that launches this December.

Mfpepe.com.

10. Veryta: Designer and Fashion illustrator Tanya Ling brings her talents to the role of Creative Director of not-for-profit label Veryta, which appears for the first time this season. Launched with the backing of Yves Saint Laurent’s Stefano Pilati and Filippo Binaghi of Italian Silk manufacturer, Lorma, 10 percent of sales from the collection will go direct to children’s charities in India.

Is inspired by: Her native India.

Veryta.com

(Harper’s Bazaar U.K.)

I don’t agree, I don’t disagree, and frankly I don’t give a shit, but I’m sure you indies have something to say about this. Let’s hear it people, is Demi onto something here?

Before you get too excited about these amazingly gorgeous trunks with original Warhol designs on the inside, let me just tell you that they’re only available in Tokyo.  Now if you’re planning (or now are) a trip over to Japan sometime between yesterday and September 23rd, then let’s continue in our lust over these!:

Japan-based Hysteric Glamour and international luggage brand Globe-Trotter have teamed up with the Andy Warhol Foundation to bring you handmade, all leather exterior with Warhol skull designs on the interior. These are so gorgeous, I can’t get over it!  If like me, these are a must-have for your Warhol collection, you can get them at Hysteric Glamour’s Isetan Shinjuku location in Tokyo.

LINK LOVE: Street Level

Seriously have a love/hate for this girl. Her look is so calculated and overdone for attention, like that chick in high school who decided to wear a cape everyday for attention or the cheerleader who “unintentionally” decided to not wear underwear during games. It’s so “look at me, look at me” that I hate it. But then again, I do find her music to be my true addiction…

LINKAGE: Completely Gratuitous

“Don’t pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.”

- Andy Warhol

Stephen might be long gone, but a new collection with Louis Vuitton means he’s on the tip of every thirty-something fashionistas tongue.  Here are some fun facts to hold your own during history lessons.

Artists and designers are quite analogous to one another. Fashion is art and, essentially, art is fashion. That mod-print dress hanging in your closet is no accident; it represents the art and culture of an entire era. Art has been one of this decade’s major fashion influences.

During the swinging 60s, people began viewing fine art in an entirely different light. Pop art and op art became extremely popular as artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Bridget Riley entered the scene. Op art visual illusions created through geometric patterns were turned into fabrics, which eventually were used to make clothing. Cartoon characters and glorified everyday objects made trendy through pop art influenced design on black dresses. Dutch painter Piet Mondrian inspired the most famous dress of this time. Yves St. Laurent designed the “Mondrian dress” in 1965, which was widely copied.

So, next time you throw on an outfit, check out the pattern or print that you’re wearing. Odds are you’re wearing something that once hung on a gallery wall.

Finally a Bible the textually impaired can enjoy.  The Book is man’s newest attempt to make God’s word seem cool. In a world of tabloids and gossip blogs it seemed the only way to make the herald of the worlds end to seem relevant is to make it look like V Magazine. The newest version of the book is an easier read with images of celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Andy Warhol filling in as modern reference points throughout. Oh, I get it. We should care for the poor like Angelina Jolie cares for the poor and we shouldn’t worship ourselves in the way Andy worshiped himself…

If Satan’s part isn’t replaced by Anna Wintour then I think the author may loose me.

The Good Book will be available at Barnes & Nobles just in time for Little Baby Jesus Day.

Photo WWD

Maybe one of Andy Warhol’s most famous muses, Edie Sedgwick inspired the fashion world more than anything else. Her short hair, huge earrings and furs, dark eyebrows and ultra-high heels beneath pin thin legs were avant-garde during her generation. Sedgwick’s time at The Factory would inspire fashion for decades to come.

…It can if its in a Spring 2009 collection!

We’ve all heard the cliche defense of the fashion-obsessed saying, “Fashion is a form of art!” The usual response is always soaked thoroughly with sarcasm and followed with a turn of the back. But upon reviewing the latest in trends from top designers, and some from those who have yet to burst out on the runway scene, it seems that today designers may be drawing their inspiration from, well…art!

Take a look at the footage from Martin Margiela’s Spring 2009 collection. The faceless models are reminiscent of Salvador Dali’s Mirage painting, in which the human figures are also, faceless. The extreme and exaggerated silhouettes of the jackets are comparable to the angles found in Dali’s Premonition of Civil War. The Surrealist movement in art no doubt played a role in the development of Margiela’s collection. It was that same avant-garde attitude and intriguing yet aesthetic awkwardess that catapulted artists like Salvador Dali and Max Ernst to the walls of MoMA in New York, and is now walking the runways of the world.

Need more? Okay… Remember the Spring 09 of Gaspard Yurkievich in Paris? The use of color in his line was most memorable to me. It was a perfect blend of greys and whites with splashes of color. The same color scheme is reflected in Charles Demuth’s My Egypt. Even the way the lights and camera flashes hit the prism-like shapes of the shoes was reminiscent in the cubist-influenced Demuth.

Designers need not look farther for ideas to inspire and enlighten them than a Modern Art Museum, or at the very least, a library/internet. Do you want an art-inspired look without having to wait for the sample sale? New and upcoming designer Jon Wye can hook you up with his Andy Warhol (pioneered the pop-art movement and cultivated fashion icons like Edie Sedgwick) tribute, in the form of a silkscreen tee shirt ($36, jonwye.com). Now breathe in that fresh new trend smell….and relax!

WRITTEN BY ARIEL (cultindie member)

Our Andy Warhol coverage is complete. Check out the stories that made the 80th Birthday of Andy Warhol so vicious. And all praise Spencer Pratt…

Five Contemporary Artist Which Will Have More Influence On Our Generation Than Andy Warhol and None of Them Are Damien Hurst

Trendspark: Anything Hedi Slimane Shoots (including the Velvet Underground)

Warhol’s In The Air

An Andy Warhol Inspired Dress That Is Bound To Get You Molested By The Tin Man

And The Warholics Keep On Flowing…

Andy Warhol Proves That His Art Is Easily Imitatable Using Computers…

Oh Snap: Andy & Diane

Fashion Quotables: Andy Warhol on His Collaborations With Levis, Royal Elastics, Diane Von Furstenburg, Bond No. 9, Gap, Loop Design and Burton Snowboards

Ten Reasons Why Spencer Pratt Might be is Our Generations Andy Warhol

“Andy Warhol Is An Overrated Hack Who Needs To Just Die Already” Day

Andy Warhol’s overrated and we can prove it. Here are five up and coming artists who are establishing their position in the art world as contemporaries who will stop at nothing to get noticed. 

Banksy – Little is known about the elusive graffiti artist (who till this day hasn’t been officially identified) and his criminal nature is what has drawn so much attention to his work. A modern day anarchist, Banksy’s subjects covers a multitude of daily vices drawing inspiration from pollution, African poverty, governmental influence, the war on terror, and adultery.  A true artistic renegade, Banksy’s work and history will one day resonate as the true start of the modern anti-art movement. Recently, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt put down $400,000 to own a Bansky piece a sign that this artists work will only appreciate in value. Suddenly makes you want to rip down some of his wheat pasting that line the Lower East Side, eh?

Terry Richardson – The photographer which questions the sexual depravity of todays youth, Terry Richardson’s kick to the balls style has garnered attention from mainstreamers looking to connect to indies everywhere. Often the subject of his own work, Terry explores the dirty little things that turn us on, the celebrity figures that influence our popular culture, and takes fashion photography to new heights with a gritty perversion that blurs the line between art and pornography.  A rebel without a cause, Terry’s own addiction level involvement with sex and his own phallus has given us some of the most controversial pieces every developed from a cheap little Sure Shot. 

David LaChappelle – One of the most visually engaging artists of today, David LaChappelle is a true voyeur of celebrity culture.  Transcending photography his feature film Rise was a stunning orgasm for the eyes and his continued shoots and fashion spreads have changed society’s perception of Hollywood. And how can you not love the man that put Amanda Lepore on the map.

Shepard Fairey - Andre the Giant has a Posse may remain the defining piece for this artist, but his more recent work focussed around Barack Obama is what will cement Shepard as a true creative for indies everywhere.  The founding father and mastermind behind OBEY, Shepard has taken the merger of art and commerce to a new level by forgoing the galleries for the runway with a collection of graphic tees that have allowed thousands to wear their art on their sleeves. 

Takashi Murakami – While it’s his collaboration with Louis Vuitton that has garnered this artist the most statewide praise, it’s his years as a contemporary craftsmen in Japan that will deserve this indie his memory.  Exploring themes in anime and sex, Takashi’s work has created a tailspin of interest in Japan’s hypervisual culture.  With a new collection on the horizon with Marc Jacobs and a highly successful exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, Murakami will most likely become a major influencer on style and the art scene.

Bond No. 9 is certainly not new to experiencing the tribute to Andy Warhol. Coming in on their third round, the fragrance titled “Lexington Avenue” celebrates some of the first days Warhol spent in New York City. The perfume was released in commemoration of what would be Mr. Warhol’s 80th birthday. The company is certainly proud of their mission:

“Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue celebrates the fashionable, sophisticated, and successful women of New York City through the whimsical lense of Andy Warhol and his artwork.”

Not only is this the most impractical thing I have ever seen, it has almost touched the peak of my all time ugliest clothing items list. This dress by Pepe Jeans really displays the hideousness that Warhol has turned into. To make matters worse, this item was ranked as the “Number One Andy Warhol Fashion Item” by LA2DAY Fashion. They credited it as…

 truly bizarre but absolutely brilliant mastery of the end product of copulation between art and fashion.

For their top five list of Andy Warhol fashion items click the link below, but beware of the lameness and all around ugliness of the pieces.

LA2DAY Fashion

Diane Von Furstenberg

Levi’s

Burton Snowboards

Gap

Sphinx

Seiko

Royal Elastics

Loop

Paul Frank Industries

Bond No. 9

Barneys

I think it’s been made clear that the, often overrated, work of Andy Warhol is becoming widely used and revealed; however, until this stops, we’ll keep on telling you. Brands across the board refuse to stop the sale of designs featuring Warhol’s images; in fact, some designers are just joining the pack! What is this? The long list of designers and stores include Diane Von Furstenberg, Levi’s, Burton Snowboards, The Gap, Sphinx, Seiko, Royal Elastics, Loop, Paul Frank,  Bond No. 9 and Barney’s. Some of the designers are new to the Warhol scene; however, some just keep at it. Barney’s featured Warhol images in 2006 and recently they’ve swapped the images for “inspiration quotes” on Warhol’s behalf.

Once he was done fiddling with the image, he printed it and sold it for $100,000.

Sidenote: Debbie Harry was a fox!

Seriously, Diane was a cougar on the prowl…