International Women’s Day: the women that inspire us

Discussions between the team over content for International Women’s Day this year were plentiful, but the main thing we wanted to ensure was that whatever editorial we produced wasn’t simply a tick-box exercise to get the job done. So, we got to thinking about what International Women’s Day means to us on a personal level and felt a series, where each of us could talk about the women in design that inspire us, would be more poignant than a general round of applause to all women everywhere – because we do that anyway, not just because there’s one day of the year that dictates we should.

Thinking of the women I find most inspiring wasn’t a hard task in the slightest, and in the design industry three immediately sprang to mind. All are very different in their disciplines and careers, but they all share a level of nonchalance in their own brilliance – not that they have ever played down their abilities, more that they are so self-assured they see no need to bang a drum – their talent is that obvious. Unapologetic confidence is an immensely appealing trait that can’t be taught, but there is plenty to learn from those who have it.

Zaha Hadid

Image credit: Steve Double

I know, I know – you could have predicted Zaha Hadid would be on my list before you even finished reading the first sentence. She was an impressive woman and might just be one of the most important architects of the 20^th and 21^st centuries, gender aside.

A visionary in her approach to the fluidity of the structures she envisaged, Zaha Hadid was also well-known for her positive outlook and willingness to collaborate and forge meaningful relationships with her peers and students. Her designs were bold and dynamic, the likes of which hadn’t been seen before, and despite initial resistance to some of her early designs, Zaha knew she could deliver – and did so again and again, gaining her a high pegging in various ‘worlds most influential’ lists.

Among her many accolades, Zaha Hadid was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004, she received the Stirling Prize in 2010 and 2011 and the RIBA Gold Medal in 2015. She was appointed CBE in 2002 and made a Dame in 2012 for her services to architecture.

Actually, Zaha’s talent was recognised early on. One of my favourite quotes on her work is from acclaimed architect Rem Koolhaas, who on Zaha’s fifth year report at the Architectural Association in 1977 wrote: “Zaha’s performance during the fourth and fifth years was like a rocket that took off slowly to describe a constantly accelerating trajectory. Now she is a PLANET in her own inimitable orbit. That status has its own rewards and difficulties: due to the flamboyance and intensity of her work, it will be impossible for her to have a conventional career.”

How right he was.

To me, Zaha Hadid’s architecture has the power to stop people in their tracks to admire and take in the scope of her understanding of form and engineering and speaks to a wide audience – even those not fluent or familiar with the architectural language; myself included.

My first encounter of a physical space by Zaha Hadid was at the beginning of my career in design journalism, when I stood, gawping at the lines and curvature of the Roca London Gallery in Imperial Wharf and I have continued to marvel at her work and legacy since. I was reminded just recently of her impact on the world, when one of my foreign students, 17-years-old who studies art and not architecture, was so taken by the One Thousand Museum building in Miami, she made it the focus of one of her art projects.

Zaha Hadid has left a legacy that keeps on inspiring and will continue to inspire generations to come.

Vivienne Westwood

Image credit: Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert

An international household name born from northern working-class heritage, Vivienne Westwood was headstrong, rebellious, and hugely influential on popular design culture. Like Zaha Hadid, Vivienne Westwood leaves the legacy of a true powerhouse to the world beyond her own lifetime – and I love that she did that through pure determination and grit, despite facing a number of hurdles that would have thrown other people completely off course.

A trailblazer right from the get-go, Westwood hadn’t imagined an extraordinary career for herself and went into teaching following a stint at the University of Westminster where she took a jewellery and silversmith course. Although she didn’t initially think someone with her background would make a living in the arts world, she used her skills to make and sell jewellery on a stall on Portobello Road, which marked the beginnings of a more fruitful career than she imagined.

She was a talented dressmaker and was encouraged to utilise her skills by second husband, Malcolm McLaren, who she collaborated with on a number of out-there clothing collections which they sold at their Kings Road shop in Chelsea. At the time, McLaren was manager of the Sex Pistols, who regularly wore Westwood’s clothes, both helping propel her name forward and giving her the title ‘Punk Queen’.

Outlandish and opinionated, Vivienne Westwood made an impression on the world. She wasn’t simply a fashion designer, she was an activist and pioneer who used her platform to instigate debate and raise questions over what was happening in the world. I think this is why I admire her so much. In some ways she was an astute businesswoman, in other ways she was lucky, but she always took the initiative to make something more meaningful than just clothes.

The Vivienne Westwood label is a statement to the world that is non-conformist and still to a degree anti-establishment. One of the first fashion labels in the world to dare to address the exclusivity of the industry, she was also a keen campaigner right up until her dying day for climate change, and supported numerous charities from independent NGOs to Amnesty International and War Child.

The epitome of British eccentricity, in some ways she reminds me of my own mother who, although my teenage self would have never have admitted, I hope I will grow to be like in my later years.

Olga Polizzi

Image credit: Polizzi Collection

I first met Olga Polizzi five years ago (almost to the day) at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour. It was just before the world fell into Covid chaos in 2020 and I remember the elegance of Olga’s stature as she stepped off the stage she’d been speaking on to greet but politely turn down physical handshakes from the crowd. I approached and prattled off some unrehearsed line about being an admirer of her work and asking if she’d be open to an interview. She was so graceful even with a wry smile at my suggestion, but I was certain in that moment the interaction would amount to nothing. I was wrong. Six months later, and fully immersed in lockdown, I met with Olga (through the magic of Zoom) and she told me about her career to date, future projects, and her loathing of pillow menus.

Olga is easily one of the most hard-working people I’ve met. Not only is she Deputy Chairman and Director of Design for her and her brother’s family-owned business Rocco Forte Hotels, but also hotelier and owner of several properties under The Polizzi Collection with her two daughters. Not to mention a devoted mother, grandmother, and great grandmother – she has always placed family number one in the ranking.

As Lord Forte’s eldest daughter, Olga Polizzi grew up knowing hotels – and her understanding and acute awareness of what works and what doesn’t grew over the years as she joined the family business, and then helped older brother Rocco form Rocco Forte Hotels in 1995. This was alongside juggling single parenthood following the loss of husband Count Alessandro Polizzi to a car accident in 1980.

As a straight-talker and a striking presence in any room, Olga can be an intimidating figure, but actually what I most like about her is her honesty and humility. She openly talks about her life and work and is happy to offer advice – especially when it comes to keeping hotel guests happy. Talk to her about her beginnings and career to date and she’ll tell you how she learnt on the job, often getting things wrong – and admits to still making mistakes.

These three icons are all headstrong and direct women, but actually another common denominator between them is their ‘realness’. Women that have carved their own paths, but have accepted help and encouragement on the way – and who recognise their own misgivings. All of these women have faced tough times in their personal lives and careers, but have overcome tough times with forward-thinking and determination. I can only hope to inspire someone one day as much as any of them have inspired me.

Main image credit: Vivienne Westwood by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert