Madeleine Vionnet
Vionnet influenced the design of mass production prét à porter (ready to wear) clothing. She had worked in mass production as a hospital seamstress, and could simplify her designs for the retail market. High fashion was too expensive for working people, and (unlike today) was not copied in the high street. Vionnet's ability to take her designs off the cat walk and into the high street revolutionised the fashion industry and popular culture.