John Galliano's contribution to the fashion world is controversial and indelible. The designer, born in Gibraltar as Juan Carlos Antonio, studied at Central Saint Martin's School of Art in London and astonished the fashion world with his degree show, Les Incroyables, in 1984. The impressive combination of history and the present-day in this collection has now undeniably become 'Galliano', despite the fact that he has worked for a wide variety of fashion houses, including Givenchy, Christian Dior and currently Maison Margiela. The Passage 14 ensemble dates from his time with Dior and sums up his eclectic signature perfectly: ribbons and large gem stones, an extremely narrow waist and exaggerated elements such as extra wide sleeves and an extremely long skirt. The hunger for spectacle, colour and fantasy probably began in his early childhood: "I think the world of the souks, the markets, the woven cloth, the smells, the colours, all contributed to my love of fabrics."