Were they right? Frankly, I’m not sure. Stella McCartney, described recently by British Vogue as ‘the conscience of the fashion industry’, seems to me to have emerged as potentially the most important of them all, leading the way towards a sustainable future. Likewise, Virgil Abloh, for all his complications, is an essential voice as a kind of Marcel Duchamp of modern fashion. And just as McCartney has an important role as a signifier of a change of mood in consumer culture, so Abloh – as an African American – represents a new spirit of diversity sweeping through the creative industries.

All that said, this time round for this second edition I wondered whether we were writing a valedictory book to designers. The academic debate these days seeks to play down the role of individuals and explore the input of everyone from the stylists to the pattern cutters, and put the spotlight on the unsung heroes – les petites mains toiling long hours in the ateliers of Paris. There’s also a school of thought that argues we should really be writing about Mr Nike and Mr Levi Strauss, not autocratic designers (as most of them are, truth be told) refining their very singular visions.

The skills needed to be a fashion designer are certainly changing. There is less emphasis on technical prowess and more on an instinct for trends. And there are other changes in the air – for example, in future, more consumers are likely to design their own clothes and order items directly from the manufacturer.

Many great designers have had good business instincts – particularly the Americans – while others have benefited from entrepreneurial partners (Yves Saint Laurent from Pierre Bergé, most famously). But all have in some way been servants of commerce. Fashion is an applied art and designers cannot toil for long in a garret and wait for posterity to acknowledge them. All have understood the need to please a customer while expressing a creative response to the world around them. An observant reporter for The New York Times, writing back in 1913, said of Jeanne Paquin: “She maintains the attitude of an artist, but we know she is the most commercial artist alive.”