24 People Who Decide What's 'Cool' In America

Job title: CEO, Burberry

Influence: Ahrendts solidified Burberry's position as one of the most aspirational brands in the world. Since becoming CEO, she's signed top spokesmodels like Emma Watson. In October, Apple poached Ahrendts to run its retail and online stores, a job she'll officially start next spring. There are even rumors that she could become the tech giant's next CEO.

Job title: Quarterback, New England Patriots

Influence: Brady, known for his preppy-casual style, is one of the few fashion icons whom most men can relate to. He's landed fashion campaigns with Movado watches and Ugg shoes.

Job title: Fashion designer

Influence: Browne's menswear collection is groundbreaking because it is based around the newfound acceptance of business casual in workplaces. He also designed First Lady Michelle Obama's inaugural jacket.

Job title: Costume designer, Mad Men.

Influence: The highly popular television show Mad Men has led to a resurgence in vintage fashion. The show has a popular collaboration with Banana Republic.

Job title: CEO, American Apparel

Influence: While Charney can be controversial, his impact on the fashion industry is notable. His popular apparel is made in the USA and contributed to a resurgence of demand for these products.

Job title: Model, designer, television presenter, and magazine contributor

Influence: Chung is known for her quirky style and has collaborated with brands including Urban Outfitters. Her geek-chic style has been emulated by everyone from actress Zooey Deschanel to model Karlie Kloss.

Job title: Creative director, Vogue

Influence: While Anna Wintour holds the top title at Vogue, Coddington is more involved in the creative direction and styling of the iconic magazine. Many of the outfits worn in editorials were selected by her.

Job title: Menswear expert and executive merchandising stylist at GQ

Influence: Fahlgren works to find the best merchandise for GQ's ads, meaning that he basically tells American men what to buy. He is also a frequent style contributor to the magazine.

Job title: Celebrity stylist to Julianne Moore, Charlize Theron, and Scarlett Johansson.

Influence: Fremar topped The Hollywood Reporter's list of most powerful fashion stylists. A former assistant to Vogue editor Anna Wintour, she is said to inspire top designers like Raf Simmons.

Job title: Fashion critic, New York Times

Influence: Horyn's opinions are revered by the fashion world, and she has the ability to put unknown designers on the map. She's been credited with starting the career of mega-star Raf Simons.

Job title: Head designer for Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and creative director for Louis Vuitton

Influence: Jacobs has dressed countless celebrities, and has designed some of the most iconic handbags of our time at Louis Vuitton. His highly-successful Marc by Marc Jacobs line is sold in thousands of department stores around the world.

Job title: Reality television star and entrepreneur

Influence: French designer Roland Mouret told Fashionista that dresses the reality starlet wears are the most likely to sell out. She's also credited with starting the hugely popular bodycon dress trend. She's become even more of a style icon since she started dating Kanye West, who's said to have given her a wardrobe makeover.

Job title: Fashion designer

Influence: Kors' fashion brand has exploded as one of the top names in the industry. His handbags and watches are among the most desired in the world. Michael Kors was one of the most-Googled luxury brands of the year, according to Google Zeitgeist.

Job title: Former creative director, Coach

Influence: Krakoff just left Coach this year and started his own label. His fashion sense transformed Coach from a $500 million company to a $4 billion company, and his designs are seen in handbags across the world.

Job title: Editor of style website MRPORTER.com

Influence: MR PORTER is seeking to reinvent how men shop by curating the coolest items from around the internet. "With men, you just can't shout 'Shop shop shop!'" Langmead told GQ. "You've got to make it a journey they're going to enjoy."

Job title: Chief creative officer and president, J. Crew

Influence: Lyons, along with CEO Mickey Drexler, is credited with turning J. Crew "from ugly duckling to fashion arbiter." Today, the brand is one of the hottest in retail, with designers lining up to do collaborations.

Job title: Fashion blogger at the Man Repeller

Influence: Medine's blog is founded on the idea that men hate fashion trends women love. She's been named as one of the most influential bloggers by Forbes and Time. She has a whopping 473,000 loyal followers on Instagram.

Job title: Duchess Of Cambridge

Influence: Middleton is often cited as the most-copied woman in the world. Her shoes, dresses, jewelry, and handbags sell out within minutes of her publicly wearing them. She also is credited with bringing back pantyhose as a fashion category.

Job title: CEO, Nordstrom

Influence: Nordstrom is at the forefront of spicing up the department store model. The brand had a collaboration with British retailer TopShop in a move that brought in a younger consumer than the typical Nordstrom demographic, and has started using Pinterest to determine which merchandise to display in stores.

Job title: CEO of H&M

Influence: Persson was responsible for H&M's inclusion of a plus-sized model in a recent swimsuit campaign. He recently said that many of the models the brand has featured in the past were too thin, leading to speculation that other brands could follow his example.

The brand also collaborated with singer Beyoncé Knowles for its summer 2013 ad campaign, which included a TV commercial and photos shot on a Bahamas beach.

Job title: Fashion designer and creative director of Givenchy

Influence: Tisci has reinvented Givenchy into one of the most desirable designer labels. His close friendship and collaborations with Kanye West have made him an icon in fashion circles.

Job title: Musician and fashion designer.

Influence: While West can be a polarizing figure, he has great influence over men's fashion. From leather to varsity jackets to overstated sunglasses, West's choices often become widespread trends. And as half of "Kimye," his style, along with fiancé Kim Kardashian's, is more closely scrutinized than ever.

Job title: Fashion designer

Influence: Wu has become a household name because he's Michelle Obama's favorite dress designer. She wore his gowns to both inaugural balls, cementing his status as an icon in American fashion. This year, he collaborated with Lancome for a makeup collection, and his earlier collection for Target was a major success.

Job title: Celebrity stylist, designer, and reality television star

Influence: Rachel Zoe dresses celebrities from Jennifer Lawrence to Anne Hathaway. Through her Bravo reality show, she's dispensed fashion advice to millions of Americans. She's also widely credited with starting the fashion trends of oversized sunglasses and boho chic.

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