Behind the success of every BoF 500 member is a human story.

To mark the launch of The BoF 500 Class of 2022 (Mobile App users: click here) — our latest additions to the definitive index of the people shaping the global fashion industry — we set out to unearth the human stories behind new and longstanding members of this community, from unlikely global fashion icon Khaby Lame, the 22-year-old Senegalese refugee who became the world’s most-followed TikToker, to 88-year-old Italian fashion billionaire Giorgio Armani.

With access to Armani’s secret garden in Milan, a roof terrace overlooking the Mumbai skyline and other locations from Paris to Los Angeles to New York, our BoF’s global team of editors, correspondents and contributors, along with photographers Campbell Addy, Ari Marcopoulos, Amanda Fordyce and more, captured the human side of eight members of the BoF 500. The result is a special set of cover stories, to be published on BoF starting on October 3rd.

• Giorgio Armani (Milan), Italy’s 88-year-old billionaire fashion icon, looks back on the arc of his life and addresses the mystery of his succession plans and the future of his empire.
• Deepika Padukone (Mumbai), Bollywood’s most popular actress, shares her journey from teenage badminton champion to Hindi film star to India’s most powerful global brand ambassador.
• Simon Porte Jacquemus (Paris), the charismatic storyteller who became fashion’s hottest young designer reveals the financial underpinnings of his business and his plans for its next phase of growth.
• Paloma Elsesser (New York), the most sought-after plus-size runway model in the world, reveals how she has suffered “fatphobia” and “tokenisation” to become a symbol of body positivity.
• Benoit Pagotto (Paris), the French provocateur behind Nike-owned virtual fashion brand RTFKT, breaks down why the metaverse will reshape fashion more than the streetwear revolution.
• Jens & Emma Grede (Los Angeles), the power couple behind the business triumphs of key Kardashian clan brands, shares the personal and professional chemistry that fuels their success.
• Vivy Yusof (Kuala Lumpur), an influencer turned modest fashion mogul, reveals her ups, downs and billion-dollar ambitions in a market as diverse and complex as the Muslim world.
• Khaby Lame (Milan), the world’s most-followed TikToker, shares his unusual journey from Sengalese refugee to global fashion icon and what it says about what works on social media.

To explore the full index, including the Class of 2022, click here (or for our Mobile App users click here).