Fashion in Focus: Top 5 Documentaries Spotlighting Industry Icons

Documentaries are essential to the fashion industry. Filmmakers like Lorna Tucker, Douglas Keeve, and R. J. Cutler have captured the work of fashion icons and solidified their impact on an ever-changing industry.

Here are the top five fashion documentaries:

Catwalk (1995) by Robert Leacock

This 1995 film follows supermodel Christy Turlington through fashion month. We see her interact with fellow supers Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, attend glamorous parties, and go to fittings with top fashion designers. While flying around the globe, we also get a peak at some ‘human’ moments. Turlington can also be seen washing her hair over the sink and sharing her relief at being boyfriend-free at the height of her career. 

Unzipped (1995) by Douglas Keeve

In this underrated documentary, Keeve follows Isaac Mizrahi through the process of designing his Fall 1994 collection. The viewer gets to experience the process and pressures of designing a collection while getting glimpses of their favorite fashion icons. 

The September Issue (2009) R. J. Cutler

Everyone knows that the September issue is forever solidified as the fashion issue. In 2007, R. J. Cutler went behind the scenes at Vogue as renowned editor Anna Wintour, alongside then creative director Grace Coddington, curated an 840-page September issue. Fashion enthusiasts get a real-life glimpse at the workplace that inspired ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. 

McQueen (2018) by Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui

This compelling documentary brings to life the impeccable genius of Lee McQueen. Bonhote and Ettedgui compiled interviews and archival clips to showcase Lee’s incredible talent from his teenage years to his time at Givenchy and creating his eponymous label. The film encapsulates the raw talent and unforgettable fashion moments that Lee McQueen shared with the world before sadly taking his own life in 2010. 

Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (2018) by Lorna Tucker

This documentary on Dame Vivienne Westwood has become a valuable insight into the work of a true fashion disruptor since her passing in 2022. Tucker weaves interviews with a sometimes reluctant Westwood into archival footage to showcase the journey of the punk fashion designer. 

The focal point of these documentaries twists from designers to models to editors with a familiar fashion face guaranteed to pop up at one point or another to show an insight into an industry that can at times seem untouchable. 

Up next, Capturing The Glamour Of 'To Catch A Thief' (1955).