Designing Woman
Zaha Hadid
Founder // Zaha Hadid Architects
Thirty years ago, Zaha Hadid's designs were considered innovative but too radical and complex to be built. Her first building, a fire station made of exposed reinforced concrete with layered walls, got other architects to take note, and since then, her reputation has grown by leaps and bounds.
Shaper of Things to Come
Chris Bangle
Chief of design // BMW
Bangle is the car designer that other car designers watch. Before his arrival in 1992, most BMWs were square and boxy. He reshaped them into curvaceous cars with rounded corners. He's recently updated the BMW look further with the strikingly angular Z4.
Queen of All Media
Oprah Winfrey
Founder // Harpo Productions
It takes a certain kind of brilliance to see that launching the talk-show careers of Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray might go beyond being simply relevant and deliver hundreds of millions in revenue. Winfrey's television show and magazine bring in about $600 million a year. Now she's poised to launch a 24-hour channel with Discovery Communications.
From the Runway to the Everyday
Karl Lagerfeld
Designer // Chanel and Fendi
Since his name was bought by Tommy Hilfiger—now owned by the London private equity firm Apax Partners—Lagerfeld has managed to sell himself without selling out. He recently celebrated his 25th year as the head designer at Chanel, where he mixes Coco Chanel's classic lines with hipper street fashion, thus drawing new buyers without alienating the purists.
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