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Scandalous fashion feuds: Anna Wintour vs Naomi Campbell and more

We delve into the biggest fashion industry bust ups from top dog designers to supermodels

Fashion features writer
September 5, 2024

Nothing sparks intrigue like a fashion fall-out.

Feuds regularly pierce the fashion industry. After all, it’s a world run by creative minds who often lock horns aesthetically.

Honourable mentions include Coco Chanel vs Elsa Schiaparelli, Naomi Campbell vs Tyra Banks and André Leon Talley vs Anna Wintour. The latter was the latest to tickle the headlines, following her recent speech during Harlem's Fashion Row Fashion Show and Style Awards.

© Getty

Anna Wintour and André Leon Talley at the Gucci fashion show at Milan Fashion Week spring/summer 2009

The Vogue editor-in-chief presented Naomi with the honour of the evening, the Fashion Icon Award. However, the supermodel wasn’t in attendance. Noting her famously poor time-keeping, Anna said of Naomi: "I am a very punctual person, and I have the honour of presenting tonight to someone who is often late." 

Such instances of tension are not uncommon. Even the film world satirises fashion for its penchant for stylish blowouts. Think Monica battling it out mid-sample sale for her dream wedding dress in Friends. Tyra Banks and Hannah Montana getting in a scrap over striped shoes. Ben Stiller’s Derek Zoolander vs Will Ferrell’s Hansel McDonald. The list goes on. 

© Getty

Anna Wintour spoke of Naomi Campbell's tardiness during the 17th Annual Harlem's Fashion Row Fashion Show & Style Awards

The fashion sphere may be fickle but we know one thing is concrete. Sartorial scandal is always around the corner. 

Discover the most iconic fashion feuds between iconic industry figures.

Iconic fashion feuds:

Anna Wintour vs Naomi Campbell

As mentioned, Anna Wintour and Naomi Campbell don't always see eye to eye. 

Following her comments regarding the supermodel's questionable time-keeping at Harlem's Fashion Row Fashion Show and Style Awards, the Vogue editor left the event, leaving Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Samira Nasr to present Naomi's award later in the evening. 

Naomi subsequently said: "I want to say this, everything is meant to work out the way it is meant to work out. It wasn’t my choice to have the other lady [Anna]. I’d much rather have this lady," referencing Samira.

© Rose Hartman

Anna Wintour vs André Leon Talley

One of fashion's most eyeballed fall-outs was between the late André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour. 

In his 2020 memoir, The Chiffon Trenches, the Vogue editor called his former boss and friend Anna "ruthless" and "incapabale of simple human kindness," after he was dismissed from various roles at the magazine. 

However, rumour has it the pair made up before he passed away in 2022.

© Eric VANDEVILLE

Anna Wintour vs Azzedine Alaïa

One doesn't became fashion's top dog without a string of sartorial spats. Anna Wintour and Turkish designer Azzedine Alaïa first fell out in 2009, after the designer's work was excluded from the MET's 'Model As Muse' exhibition organised by the Vogue veteran. 

In response, the designer pulled the dresses he had designed for a handful of supermodels to wear to the exhibit's MET Ball, including a look designed for Naomi Campbell, who consequently refused to attend the party unless his work was included.

© Horst P. Horst

Coco Chanel vs Elsa Schiaparelli

Coco Chanel encountered several memorable feuds across her career. Christian Dior and Cristóbal Balenciaga included. However, her biggest rival was Elsa Schiaparelli. The pair were the most eminent names in fashion during the 1930s. Yet, Chanel famously refused to acknowledge Schiaparelli's sartorial influence, referring to the surrealist designer as "that Italian artist who makes clothes." In response, Schiaparelli called Chanel a "hat maker," nodding to the designer's roots as a milliner.

The drama didn't stop there. Tensions escalated when Chanel "accidentally" pushed Schiaparelli into a candle arrangement at a costume ball, leading passersby to douse her with soda water. 

© Jamie McCarthy

Tyra Banks vs Naomi Campbell

Catwalk fight! Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks are credited as two of the 90s most iconic supermodels. They both flew the flag for black representation in the industry, yet they are famously not fans of one another. 

Tyra has previously claimed that Naomi did not welcome her into the industry, with the McQueen muse reportedly telling her: "You'll never be me." 

The two seemingly reconciled on The Tyra Banks Show in 2005. Yet, in 2020, Naomi shared an article published by The Things, entitled, Here's Why Fans Are Starting To Think Tyra Banks Is The Real Mean Girl, Not Naomi Campbell. Shots, once again, fired.

© Matthew Peyton

PETA vs Gisele Bundchen

While storming the Victoria's Secret catwalk in 2002, supermodel Gisele Bundchen was accosted by PETA activists in response to news of her contract with the furrier Blackglama.  

The animal rights activists were quickly removed from the premises as Gisele continued her walk. 

© William STEVENS

Yves Saint Laurent vs Tom Ford

Before founding his eponymous brand in 2005, Tom Ford served as the creative director of Yves Saint Laurent. However, after five years at the Parisian fashion house, the designer went out on his own, much to the chagrin of Yves Saint Laurent himself. 

During an interview with CNBC a few years later, Ford noted that his time at YSL was far from fun, saying: "I have letters from Yves Saint Laurent [...] I remember one line: in thirteen minutes, you've destroyed 40 years of my work."

© Win McNamee

Aquazzura vs Ivanka Trump

Trumps and public tiffs go hand-in-hand. Back in 2016, luxury Italian footwear label Aquazzura filed a lawsuit against Ivanka Trump, alleging that the entrepreneur had copied its designs.

The shoe in question was Aquazzura's 'Wild Thing' style, which appeared to be near-identical to Ivanka's 'Hettie Shoe.'

The dispute was legally settled in November 2017.

© J. Vespa

Giorgio Armani vs Donatella Versace

One of many inter-designer clashes, Giorgio Armani and Donatella Versace's quarrel was a notable one. 

In a 2015 interview with the Sunday Times Magazine, Armani alleged that the late Gianni Versace, brother of Donatella, uttered a misogynistic comment to him regarding their consumer bases. 

Donatella subsequently commented on her late brother’s behalf, saying Armani’s comments were "rude and tasteless, especially because he is sadly no longer with us to reply." She went on to say: "When my brother spoke about fashion, the only word that ever came from his mouth was glamour."

© Robin Platzer

Halston and Charles James

The feud between fashion designers Halston (Roy Halston Frowick) and Charles James was rooted in professional rivalry and personal conflict. Charles James, a British-American designer known for his intricate, couture-level craftsmanship, was celebrated for his sculptural gowns. 

By the 1960s, however, his career was in decline. In contrast, Halston, a rising star in the 1970s, became famous for his minimalist, modern designs that epitomised the glamour of the Studio 54 era.

Initially, Halston hired James as a mentor, but their relationship quickly soured due to creative differences and personal resentment. James, who valued complex construction, dismissed Halston's work as too commercial and lacking in technical skill. As Halston's fame and financial success soared, James’s bitterness grew, and he publicly criticised Halston as a "copyist," accusing him of borrowing ideas rather than innovating.

James's struggles with financial difficulties contrasted sharply with Halston's lucrative partnerships and success, further fueling the tension between them. Ultimately, their feud symbolised a generational clash, with James representing the old guard of fashion craftsmanship and Halston embodying a new, more commercially viable approach.

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