24 Fashion Documentaries to Watch

“Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge” tells the story of von Fustenberg’s rise in a male-dominated fashion scene and how she built her million-dollar empire. Known for her fashion designs, most prominently for the wrap dress, and being a style icon in her own right, von Furstenberg pioneered women’s fashion and simultaneously garnered attention for her modern take on dressing.

“Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge” utilizes archival footage and interviews with the designer herself, those closest to her and interviews from late-night talk shows on which von Furstenberg appeared. Not only do her designs get the spotlight in this documentary, but also the pioneering way von Furstenberg owned her image and business and the glass ceilings she broke along the way.

“Catwalk” follows model Christy Turlington through the 1994 spring fashion shows in New York, Milan and Paris. While the idea sounds glamorous, “Catwalk” reveals the hustle and bustle of the major fashion seasons and shows throughout the year.

Turlington is captured throughout three of the biggest fashion shows in the world, working with designers, having her hair and makeup done and modeling the works of various fashion houses. There’s also a behind-the-scenes, unvarnished look at the world of modeling, as Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss cross paths and show their support for one another in a highly competitive world.

“Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton” follows designer Marc Jacobs across the globe in his time at the French luxury fashion house. Key moments from the documentary include Jacobs’ end-of-year party, for which the venerated designer once wore a pigeon costume so voluminous he had to ride in a truck because he could not fit in a car.

The documentary scrutinizes Jacobs’ influence on modern American fashion and his reach beyond the country, including his working relationship with Louis Vuitton and time at the fashion house. (Jacobs served as the creative director for Louis Vuitton from 1997 until parting ways with the fashion house in 2014 to focus on his own label.)

“Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel” tells the story of influential fashion editor Diana Vreeland and her influence and lasting legacy as the fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar from 1936 to 1962. During her time at the fashion publication, Vreeland made Harper’s Bazaar not only a style destination, but also a place for cultural conversations.

Vreeland was at the center of spaces like Studio 54 and The Factory, becoming a celebrity and personality within her own right and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Andy Warhol, Cher, Anjelica Huston and more. The documentary also credits Vreeland for redefining fashion and style for a new generation of consumers, readers and industry professionals.  

“The Super Models” chronicles the height of fame for 1980s fashion models, including Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, and how they molded the world of fashion and modeling.

Throughout the documentary series, the supermodels provide in-depth, firsthand accounts of the fashion industry and their time at its center. Campbell, Crawford, Turlington and Evangelista also recall significant moments in their careers and how their lives were completely altered by their chosen profession.

The series, while focusing on how the women came to be the superstars they were in the 1990s, also highlights the ways in which the women have influenced the world of fashion and redefined what it means to be a model, as well.

“Jeremy Scott: The People’s Designer” tells the story of Scott’s rise from a nondescript town in Missouri to the creative director of Moschino. The documentary highlights Scott’s various fashion shows and features interviews with the likes of A$AP Rocky, Rita Ora and more, each of whom discuss Scott’s idiosyncratic style and collaborative process.

But before the lights, cameras and fame Scott attained through his work in the fashion industry, the designer was a young boy trying to find his way in Missouri. The documentary goes back to Scott’s upbringing, and uncovers the circumstances that impacted the designer and made him a powerful voice in fashion.

“The First Monday in May” relays how The Metropolitan Museum of Art put together the “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibition. The “China: Through the Looking Glass” Met Gala, which took place in May 2015, is credited in the documentary as the most-attended ball in recent years.

Along with examining all the preparations for the event, the documentary highlights the art collection featuring Chinese-inspired Western fashion by Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton.

The documentary offers an intimate look behind the scenes of one of the world’s most famous fashion events and provides audiences with an inside look at how the Met Gala comes together.

“High & Low – John Galliano” follows the rise of fashion designer John Galliano and controversy that followed his career. Not only does the intimate documentary, featuring archival footage as well as interviews captured during the film’s production, offer a look into Galliano’s designs and process, but also the designer’s rise to fame.

The documentary also scrutinizes, however, Galliano’s fall from grace following an incident in 2010 when he was recorded using antisemitic slurs. Galliano was removed from Dior as the French fashion house’s creative director.

“We unequivocally condemn the statements made by John Galliano, which are in total contradiction to the long-standing core values of Christian Dior,” Sidney Toledano, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture, said in a statement released after the incident.

In the time since, Galliano has tried to rebuild his image and reputation, which is also covered in the documentary.

“Diana: Life in Fashion” focuses on the late Princess Diana’s relationship with fashion. The late Princess of Wales, who joined the British royal family when she was only a teenager at the age of 19, skyrocketed to fame. Not only was she a brand-new face in the House of Windsor, but Diana also represented the changing tide of interest in the British royal family.

Throughout her life, Diana’s fashion served as a way for the late royal to send various messages to the public and media. She was favored by several designers and wore pieces that left an impact on the world of fashion and global style for decades.

“Calendar Girl” tells the story of Ruth Finley, who for 70 years was responsible for the game-changing fashion calendar that scheduled every fashion event in New York City. At 95, Finley sold the calendar, marking the end of an era.

The documentary was made over five years. Production focused mainly on the last few installments of Finley’s Fashion Calendar, which was sold to CFDA. The documentary follows not only the Fashion Calendar production and in-office management but also Finley’s personal life, as the creative team behind the film follows Finley through her day-to-day life in New York City.

“Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful” focuses on famed photographer Helmut Newton and how his style of photography impacted the world at the intersection of fashion and art.

The documentary features archival photos and famous images captured by the famed photographer, as well as interviews with some of the fashion world’s biggest names, such as Anna Wintour and actress Isabella Rossellini.

Newton’s work challenged both the fashion and art world for its transgressive style and the ways in which Newton captured his subjects. The documentary not only distills the photographer’s work, but also scrutinizes its impact on the cultural conversation surrounding art and fashion.

“Very Ralph” chronicles the inception and growth of the Ralph Lauren label. The documentary goes all the way back to how the Ralph Lauren label began in 1967 with men’s ties.

Over time, the American label grew into a true fashion industry juggernaut, designing pieces for men and women and redefining American style in the process.

The documentary not only reveals the ways in which the label has survived and thrived in a changing fashion industry, but also reflects on Ralph Lauren, born Ralph Lifshitz, own impact on the world of fashion and American style over the course of his life and career.

“House of Cardin” chronicles the behind-the-scenes of the Cardin empire, with exclusive archival features and more.

The documentary not only distills the work of Cardin, but also his life. His modern, sleek and minimalist designs defined niche areas of the fashion and design industries, creating a new look for the time that impacted aesthetics for years to come.

“House of Cardin” also features other areas of the designer’s life, including his involvement with Espace Cardin as well as the Festival de Lacoste. The film premiered at the 2019 Venice Film Festival.

“Halston” chronicles Roy Halson Frowick’s rise and building of his fashion empire in the 1970s, through the Wall Street era and the biggest gamble of the designer’s career.

Along with focusing on Halston’s rise and fall from grace, the documentary also features a bevy of high-profile figures supplying their commentary on the noted American fashion designer. Interviews featured in the documentary include Liza Minnelli, Joel Schumacher and Pat Cleveland, among others.

Archival footage is also featured in the documentary, including pieces with Brooke Shields, Andy Warhol and Jaqueline Kennedy. Members of Halston’s family also appear in the aforementioned archival footage of the documentary.

“McQueen” chronicles the life of designer Lee Alexander McQueen, from his start as a tailor to the launch of his eponymous fashion label and his death at the age of 40.

The film goes back to McQueen’s upbringing from a child in Lewisham, a section of London, to his rise in the fashion industry.

“McQueen” is also a study in understanding the areas of inspiration that the designer found from his own lived experience, including the use of violence in some of the most notable fashion shows that garnered him mainstream success.

McQueen died by suicide in 2010.

“Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist” chronicles the life of British designer Vivienne Westwood and her struggle to maintain her brand’s legacy and her personal integrity.

The documentary focuses on Westwood’s impact on the fashion industry, particularly how the designer merged mainstream success with a punk rock aesthetic. Interviews included in the documentary feature the likes of Kate Moss and Christina Hendricks.

Along with her notable designs, the documentary also scrutinizes Westwood’s personal convictions, including her activism and dedication to bringing awareness to how climate change is impacting the world.

The film premiered in 2018, roughly four years before Westwood’s death at the age of 81.

“Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards” follows the rise of shoe designer Manolo Blahnik from his childhood to his fashion empire.

The film covers Manolo Blahnik’s professional career and rise in the fashion industry, as well as his upbringing and childhood. In addition to interviews with Manolo Blahnik himself, the documentary also includes conversations with Andre Leon Talley and Anna Wintour.

At one point during the documentary, singer and multi-hyphenate Rihanna joins the famed footwear designer.

Following his rise to prominence in a highly competitive world, “Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards” discovers how the designer became a mononymous phenomenon.

“The Gospel According to André” chronicles the life of André Leon Talley, from his childhood to becoming one of the most influential figures in fashion before his death in 2022.

Released during his life in 2018, André Leon Talley’s documentary goes back to the tastemaker’s roots. Born in Washington D.C. at the end of World War II, Talley worked, unpaid, for Diana Vreeland, starting his trajectory in the fashion world.

Talley worked as both a stylist and fashion curator. He also served as the editor-at-large for Vogue.

Interviews included in the documentary feature Fran Lebowitz, Anna Wintour and Whoopi Goldberg, among others.

“The True Cost” scrutinizes the impact the fashion industry has on people and the planet.

The documentary focuses on the fast fashion industry. It exposes its facets, including the lives of low-wage workers creating the pieces in developing countries and its impact on soil and river pollution and pesticide contamination.

Along with the raw materials and impacts of fast fashion, the documentary also scrutinizes global capitalism and the ways in which mass media and intense consumerism have impacted the fashion industry at large.

The film premiered during the Cannes Film Festival in 2015.

“Invisible Beauty” is documentary film that came out in 2023 and tells the story of Bethann Hardison and her journey through the fashion industry as a revolutionary model, modeling agent and activist.

Hardison is credited as one of the first high-profile Black models, after she made her debut at the Battle of Versailles fashion show in 1973. Following her career as a model, Hardison became an agent and continued to push the boundaries of diversity in the fashion industry.

Along with Hardison’s own testimony on her life and career, Naomi Campbell, Zendaya, Pat Cleveland, Tracee Ellis Ross, Fran Lebowitz and Whoopi Goldberg appear in the film. The film won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary and earned Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng nods for Outstanding Directing.

“Dior and I” takes a deep dive into the world of Christian Dior’s French luxury fashion house and a behind-the-scenes look at creative director Raf Simons’ first haute couture collection.

The documentary was filmed over the course of eight weeks in 2012, following Simons throughout the process of designing and creating his collection. Along with taking place in the high-pressure presence through the lens of Simons, the documentary also weaves in excerpts from Christian Dior’s own autobiography, taking an abstract approach of mirroring the past with the present.

“Dior and I” served as the opening documentary feature during the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.

“Donyale Luna: Supermodel” is a 2023 documentary that delves into the cultural impact of model and actress Donyale Luna, born Peggy Ann Freeman. Celebrated as the first Black model to grace the cover of British Vogue in 1966, the film chronicles Luna’s rise to fame in the ’60s and ’70s, as well as her untimely death at the age of 33 in 1979.

Beginning with her journey to New York City to become a model, “Donyale Luna: Supermodel” uncovers her celebrity — including time in Paris and Milan and hanging out with such figures as Mia Farrow and the Rolling Stones — as well as the way Luna defied boundaries as a Black model during the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

“Unzipped” is a documentary that debuted in 1995, chronicling fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi as he navigates his creative process while preparing for his fall 1994 collection. This playful lineup featured silk taffeta down jackets, massive ball skirts and sequined nightgowns that Mizrahi wanted to be “insane with color.”

During the production of the documentary, director Douglas Keeve was in a relationship with Mizrahi. The project placed significant stress on their partnership and ultimately led to their breakup

Alongside several behind-the-scenes moments with Mizrahi, Keeve captures appearances from supermodels such as Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Kate Moss working with the Brooklyn-born designer.

“Unzipped” originally premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, where it was named for the Audience Award for U.S. Documentary alongside “Ballot Measure 9.” The documentary was later released in the United States on Aug. 11, 1995.

“Black + Iconic: Style Gods”s a documentary hosted by Billy Porter that delves into the influence of Black icons on fashion and culture.

Through expert commentary and a wealth of archival footage, the film — the first in a four-part documentary series — chronicles the style evolution and cultural impact of figures such as Beyonce, Michelle Obama, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.

The documentary provides a detailed examination of how these trailblazers have navigated and reshaped the fashion industry, featuring interviews with prominent Black models, designers and style icons. It highlights their achievements in overcoming barriers and making a lasting impact on style.