Famous for heart-rending music at his shows and a penchant for bagging mega star ad campaigns (Sienna Miller kissing her man, Tom Sturridge; Emma Watson straight out of Harry Potter; Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in nothing but a trenchcoat, Romeo Beckham larking around with an umbrella, Cara Delevingne and Eddie Redmayne's palpable chemistry - to name just a few), Christopher Bailey is credited with driving Burberry's global success since taking over as creative director in May 2001.

Responsible for the design of all Burberry collections and product lines including Burberry Prorsum, Burberry London and Thomas Burberry, Yorkshire-born Bailey is also responsible for the company's overall image including all advertising, corporate art direction and store design.

Prior to his appointment at Burberry, Bailey was the senior designer of womenswear at Gucci from 1996 to 2001.

From 1994 to 1996 he was the womenswear designer at Donna Karan. Since joining Burberry, Bailey has won numerous awards and accolades:

In 2003, he received an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Art, from where he graduated in 1994.

He won Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2005 - the same year that Angela Ahrendts took over as chief executive officer. The pair went on to become one of the most celebrated business partnerships in global fashion.

In 2006, Bailey was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Westminster, from where he graduated in 1990.

He was named Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2007 and, the same year, also received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Huddersfield, Yorkshire. In 2008 he scooped Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.

In the November 2008 issue of Vogue, Sarah Harris documented the diary of Bailey's Burberry Prorsum feather dress.

In 2009 Burberry began showing at London Fashion Week having previously always shown as part of Milan Fashion Week. The label's return to London is credited with having reignited the city's global fashion status and elevated the reputation of London Fashion Week as a whole.

In October 2013 it was announced that Bailey would take over from Ahrendts as chief executive officer of the business, while maintaining his chief creative director role - as she moved to take up a senior role at Apple.