Some fashion folk have even taken to referring to themselves as icons. Needless to say, if you have to shout it from the rooftops, it probably isn't so.
But I had the pleasure of meeting one woman who could be genuinely described as legendary last week: the purple-haired Natalie Gibson, long-time lecturer at Central Saint Martins, who received an MBE earlier this year for services to fashion.
We met at a panel discussion that I moderated recently, and in the cut-throat world of fashion, a character such as Gibson is a breath of fresh air.
In her 70s, and on her first visit to Hong Kong after several decades of teaching, Gibson revealed that this would be the first time she had used a microphone, or been part of a panel. She didn't have a clue about blogging, but held her own among the likes of industry powerhouses Sarah Rutson (Lane Crawford) and Joanne Ooi plukka.comGibson started the print textile department at Central Saint Martins more than 25 years ago, and she remains a major influence on many of its alumni. She was in Hong Kong to explore the possibility of teaching a short course at a university here.
Considering she nurtured such talents as John Galliano, Sarah Burton and Matthew Williamson, it will be a rare opportunity for local students and designers to learn from an expert, if the course goes ahead.
For all that is cold and hard about fashion today, there is a side of it that is warm, tactile and tangible - the side Gibson champions. She is a firm believer in collaborating with artists; after all, Gibson attended Chelsea School of Art to study painting, and then the Royal College of Art to study textile printing.
But this Hong Kong visit came with a mission. Gibson is part of The Travelling Fashionistas, along with fellow Central Saint Martins lecturers Elisa Palomino and Carol Morgan.
The group was formed to travel to various countries to deliver courses "for potential students and fashion businesses that would like to transform how they approach the industry".
As she never uses e-mail, and has only recently started texting, Gibson can be hard to pin down if she is on the move.
So if The Travelling Fashionistas courses do materialise in Hong Kong later this year, it will be a good chance to pick the mind of a proper fashion educator and, yes, a legend.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: A legend in her own classroom
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