Since its inception in 2018, the annual Vogue 25 list has celebrated the influential women pushing British society forwards – and this year’s list is not only dazzlingly impressive, but comprised of trailblazers finding success wholly on their own terms.
Take musician Raye, whose high-profile decision to part ways with her label and record independently has catapulted her to new creative heights, and director Raine Allen-Miller, who breathed fresh life into the great British romcom with her indie hit Rye Lane. Then there’s Alice Oseman, whose webcomic Heartstopper has evolved into one of Netflix’s most successful, and beloved, series, and activist Tori Tsui, whose urgent book It’s Not Just You brings the climate crisis’s impact on our collective mental health to the fore.
Just as notable as the next-generation talents in this year’s portfolio? The women who, after decades in the public eye, have assumed new roles. Following her coronation as Queen Consort in May, the former Duchess of Cornwall is bringing a renewed focus – and ever greater public awareness – to vital causes she has long championed, while broadcaster Naga Munchetty has added women’s health advocate to the many feathers in her cap, and Baroness Hallett has returned to the media spotlight in order to spearhead the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. Below, find the full cast of extraordinary leaders and luminaries shaping the Britain of today – and tomorrow.
Raye, musician
“It’s been a year of dreams,” says Raye with a big grin. The 25-year-old pop star has had an undeniably brilliant 2023. In January, the Beyoncé and Charli XCX songwriter secured her first No1 with “Escapism”; in May she won a prestigious Ivor Novello for best contemporary song; in June she played the Glastonbury Pyramid Stage to thousands of besotted fans; and in July she was nominated for the Mercury Prize. And she’s done it all as a newly independent artist, having quit her record label in 2021. “Speaking out could have meant the end for me as an artist,” says the south Londoner. Instead, her story’s become one of industry legend.
Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth secretary-general
Few can boast a CV as impressive and pioneering as Baroness Scotland of Asthal. Born in Dominica and raised in east London, in 1991 she became both the youngest and first Black woman to be appointed a QC, before moving into high-profile ministerial roles within the last Labour government, including becoming the first woman to be named attorney general. With the ascension of His Majesty King Charles III to the throne, Scotland’s re-election last year to the role of Commonwealth secretary-general comes at a particularly pivotal time. Now more than ever, she is central in shaping what a modern Commonwealth looks like. With great change potentially afoot, Scotland has promised she will not shy away from “challenging conversations”.
Kylie Minogue, musician
Gen X and millennials may not have been able to get Kylie Minogue’s infectious disco-pop out of their heads since at least 2001, but in 2023 the 55-year-old became a fully-fledged Gen Z icon, too, topping the UK charts with “Padam Padam”, a reworking of Edith Piaf’s 1951 hit that’s proved TikTok catnip (and become the unofficial anthem of Pride celebrations everywhere). Anticipation for her 16th studio album, Tension, out on 22 September, is accordingly at a cross-generational fever pitch, as it is for her Las Vegas residency, which will begin in November. As Kylie sings in “Padam Padam”: “I’ll be in your head all weekend” – and, based on her current meteoric trajectory, for many, many more years to come.
Raine Allen-Miller, director
In a year dominated by blockbusters (see: Barbie and Oppenheimer), it’s perhaps surprising that one of the most beloved films of 2023 remains a homegrown indie made by a debut director. Raine Allen-Miller’s Rye Lane was declared by critics and fans the best British romcom since Notting Hill when the Sundance-selected ode to young love (and Peckham) was released in cinemas in March. “I am so proud of it,” says Mancunian Allen-Miller of its success. The 33-year-old art-school dropout is currently developing her first TV show and two further feature films. “I’m excited about the future. Obviously, Rye Lane did really well. And so I’m a bit nervous about the next projects, naturally,” she says. Richard Curtis, move over. Raine Allen-Miller has arrived.
- CelebritiesBill Nighy is the Nation’s Agony Uncle
Naga Munchetty, broadcaster
It takes a lot to rattle BBC Breakfast and Radio 5 Live journalist Naga Munchetty. The unshakable broadcaster has reported live on everything from the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II to the capture of Saddam Hussein. But when it came to opening up about her agonising experiences with adenomyosis? “I was really nervous,” she says. And yet the 48-year-old pushed forwards, creating a radio show documenting her struggle with the painful gynaecological health condition, raising awareness of a disease that it’s thought impacts as many as one in 10 women but is so little-known that there’s scant “mention of it on the NHS England website”. The response from her listeners? “Amazing.”
Louise Casey, member of the House of Lords
“Rigorous, stark and unsparing” is how Baroness Casey of Blackstock described her utterly damning landmark review of the Metropolitan Police – commissioned following the murder of Sarah Everard by officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021 – in which she declared the UK’s largest police force to be institutionally racist, homophobic and sexist. Uncovering a culture of denial at the Met, where predatory behaviour had been allowed to “flourish”, the protection of women, Casey subsequently said, had been “thrown out the window”. Over a year on, it remains to be seen whether the fundamental change to the Met the Casey Review desperately called for will come to pass.
Sandra Igwe, maternal health advocate
In the UK, Black women are four times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth than white women. It is a shocking statistic, made even more so by the fact that, to date, so little has been done to address it. It’s why the work of Sandra Igwe, founder of The Motherhood Group, and previous co-chair of the Birthrights Inquiry – an investigation into British maternity care that found “systemic racism” is experienced by Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity women – is paramount. With news that the government has rejected recommendations by the Women and Equalities Committee to set targets to end racial disparities in maternal deaths, it is abundantly clear Igwe’s campaigning is more crucial than ever.
- CelebritiesBill Nighy is the Nation’s Agony Uncle
Carol Vorderman, broadcaster
“Mischievous” is how Carol Vorderman would describe herself. The Welsh 62-year-old certainly hasn’t been afraid to cause trouble of late. In fact, the former Countdown presenter’s current standing as one of social media’s most outspoken critics of the government has won her legions of new fans. Using her Twitter account to hold those in power to account for their “blatant corruption” and sharing Companies House information about dubious businesses linked to MPs, her fearless approach to taking on what she believes to be a “despicable government” has been one of the more unexpected, but nonetheless inspiring, turns of 2023. “So many people come up to me every day and say thank you for giving them a voice,” she says.
Victoria Jenkins, fashion designer
“There’s an assumption that Disabled people don’t need any other forms of clothing except leisurewear,” says Victoria Jenkins, founder of Unhidden, the first adaptive brand to show at London Fashion Week. Unhidden offers made-to-order tailoring and eveningwear in sustainable fabrics, with adaptive elements, such as invisible zips and wrap sleeves that enhance wearability for those living with a disability. Jenkins – who became Disabled in her 20s – brings a sense of ease and enjoyment to dressing, in an adaptive fashion space predicted to grow in value to $400 billion by 2026. “I’ve got lived experience and garment experience,” she says. “Disabled people want colour and print, and to shop like anyone else.”
Jodie Comer, actor
If Jodie Comer spent the bulk of her twenties cementing her status as the brightest star to come out of Liverpool since The Beatles dropped “Love Me Do”, her third decade might well see her crowned the greatest stage actor of her generation. Since turning 30 in March, the Bafta and Emmy winner has already added Olivier and Tony Awards to her trophy cabinet for the one-woman show Prima Facie, which sees her play a criminal defence barrister whose world is upended by a sexual assault. Opening in the West End in 2022 before transferring to Broadway this April, it was her first time performing for a live audience since senior school, but it’s safe to say it won’t be her last theatre run on either side of the Atlantic.
Sarah Burton, fashion designer
In 2011, millions swooned before their televisions, as they caught sight of the nine-foot white satin-gazar train of the wedding dress Kate Middleton wore to marry His Royal Highness Prince William, designed by Sarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen. Twelve years on and the newly titled HRH Princess of Wales arrived at Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles wearing another ceremonial-yet-ethereal Burton creation: an ivory crepe number embroidered with rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock motifs, representing the four nations of the UK, proving that, when it comes to dressing royalty, Burton is queen.
- CelebritiesBill Nighy is the Nation’s Agony Uncle
Eva Langret, director of Frieze London
As London gets ready to host the 20th anniversary of Frieze this October, Eva Langret is in a buoyant mood. Since her appointment to the role of artistic director in 2019, she’s been pushing for the fair to do a better job of reflecting “London’s art scene now”. The curator, who grew up in Paris, has diversified the team behind the event and improved access for new and less-connected artists. For its milestone birthday, the fair will also, for the first time, see a Modern Women section, dedicated to solo exhibitions by female talents. “There is still much work to be done,” says Langret, but she is certainly making steady progress.
Kruti Patel Goyal, CEO
When Kruti Patel Goyal became Depop’s CEO in September 2022, Etsy’s former chief product officer outlined the resale platform’s mission to “redefine the future of fashion”. One year in, it appears the Canada-born, London-based executive is already on track: Depop has given a second life to more than 25 million items since it was acquired by Etsy for $1.625 billion in 2021. Now, Gen Z’s favourite secondhand clothing destination has set out its targets to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and enable more people to participate in the circular economy. It’s also committed to supporting underrepresented communities on the platform, such as Now/Next, which last year offered grants to six Black sellers.
Alice Oseman, writer
Alice Oseman’s award-winning Netflix teen drama Heartstopper, an adaptation of her webcomic and graphic novels of the same name, has been revelatory in its profoundly joyous depiction of queer love, resonating with millions of viewers around the world – the first season was in the streamer’s top 10 list for television shows in 54 countries. Following a sun-drenched second series, which catapulted actors Kit Connor, Joe Locke and Yasmin Finney to even starrier heights, Oseman is penning a third instalment and gearing up for the publication of the hotly anticipated fifth volume of her bestselling book series. A self-identified asexual and aromantic, Oseman is also an outspoken advocate for equal rights and representation.
- CelebritiesBill Nighy is the Nation’s Agony Uncle
Cora Corre, activist & model
When Vivienne Westwood died last December, no one was more devastated than her granddaughter, Cora Corré. “My grandmother – whose career spanned decades – for a long time was laughed at to a degree and ridiculed. But she was always ahead of the curve,” she says. The 26-year-old model and activist has spent 2023 determined to keep the legendary fashion designer’s memory alive. Firstly, by closing the autumn/winter 2023 show in March in a peak Westwood bridal look, but also by taking the reins of The Vivienne Foundation, set up to fight and fundraise for the kinds of human rights-defending and climate change-defeating causes the anarchist cared deeply about. The debut campaign with Corré at the helm? A Stop War project with the Refugee Council, War Child and CAAT, aiming to lessen the impact of conflicts and raise awareness of how governments can do more to help stop them. “I think it would be totally irresponsible and immoral to our fellow human beings, and our wildlife and this planet, to not use those outlets and reach,” the Londoner says.
HM Queen Camilla, member of the Royal Family
In May, the former Duchess of Cornwall – glorious in a Bruce Oldfield coatdress – was crowned Her Majesty Queen Camilla, alongside her husband, King Charles. In her new role, the 76-year-old will build upon the work she’s already been celebrated for during her 18 years of marriage to the King, and put an even brighter spotlight on the areas she is passionate about, including domestic violence organisation SafeLives, and her book club, freshly renamed The Queen’s Reading Room.
Alva Claire, model
Growing up, south London born-and-raised model Alva Claire was obsessed with clothes, but when it came to seeing faces and bodies in magazines like hers, she drew a blank. “Seeing yourself represented in spaces that you are not, whether that’s in fashion, film or politics, does a lot for a person’s self-esteem and sense of belonging,” Claire told British Vogue. Thanks to the body diversity that the Jamaican American 31-year-old brings to catwalks and campaigns alike – from Marina Rinaldi to Mulberry, Nike to Luar – girls across the globe have reason to be uplifted. Claire’s sensational curves and delicately freckled face are setting an aesthetic agenda for change, one powerful page at a time.
Heather Hallett, chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry
The truth is important to Baroness Hallett. From 1998, when she became the first woman to chair the Bar Council, to 2011, when she led the inquest into the 7 July bombings, the barrister’s always been rigorous in her search for it. It was to be expected then, that when the 73-year-old became chair of the Covid public inquiry – an investigation into the government’s handling of the pandemic, spanning preparedness to Partygate – she promised “truth not opinions”. With access to Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages with fellow ministers – which Hallett will decide whether or not to make public – the government will be placed under a microscope like never before. “Every single story will matter,” she has said.
- CelebritiesBill Nighy is the Nation’s Agony Uncle
Tori Tsui, author & activist
“We need to stop blaming individuals for a crisis that was not created by sole individuals,” says 29-year-old Tori Tsui, the Bristol-based, Hong Kong climate activist and author who has become one of the world’s leading young voices in the fight to save the planet. That sentiment is the focus of her recently published debut book, It’s Not Just You, which reframes eco-anxiety as an urgent mental health crisis and “shows there are actual systems that are making people unwell”. Though her work to date has been amplified by the likes of Stella McCartney, Billie Eilish and Greta Thunberg, Tsui is determined the movement remains a community affair. “I don’t want to ever get to a point where the end goal of people’s liberation is to have just one person spotlighted,” she says.
Marcia Kilgore, founder of Beauty Pie
From her early days as a facialist in New York, treating a roster of A-list clients, to igniting the spa boom in the 1990s with her cult brand Bliss Spa, Marcia Kilgore has long been one of the great trailblazers of the beauty world. A serial entrepreneur, she is a self-confessed ingredient nerd with an innate ability to know what people want. That talent has seen her build – and sell – a further three stellar businesses (including FitFlop, Soap & Glory and Soaper Duper), but she’s holding on to London-based Beauty Pie – the super successful online beauty club that gives members access to luxury products at a fraction of their usual cost. It shook up the industry when it launched in 2016, and its soaring sales and membership have more than weathered a pandemic and cost of living crisis. Kilgore’s ambition for Beauty Pie to be the world’s biggest luxury buyer’s club is no pipe dream.
Sign Up To The Vogue Daily Newsletter
Penny Mordaunt, member of Parliament
Before King Charles’s coronation, few could have predicted that it would be the Leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, who would be unofficially anointed the star of the show. And yet, Mordaunt, 50, tasked with carrying the 17th-century Sword of State (the first woman to carry out the role), made such an impression – thanks, in no small part, to a striking teal cape by Safiyaa and headband designed by milliner Jane Taylor – that odds on her becoming the next Conservative leader were instantly slashed. Even the outspoken former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell conceded that he was in “awe” of Mordaunt, while the sword has since become an unexpected star attraction at the Tower of London. When it comes to the next Tory leadership battle, which, general election pending, could be as early as spring 2024, there’s no doubt who will be on people’s minds.
- CelebritiesBill Nighy is the Nation’s Agony Uncle
Emily Bridges, cyclist
Professional cyclist Emily Bridges never wanted to be a campaigner. Before May this year, she only had one goal: competing for Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then the British Cycling Federation banned transgender athletes from the sport. Now, the Welsh 22-year-old is fighting for inclusion for herself and other transgender sportspeople. “It’s very scary at the moment, but I genuinely believe that we will win,” says Bridges of the battle, which has seen her face “death threats”. Behind the scenes, she’s donating muscle samples to Loughborough University research to see, once and for all, if transgender athletes do have the “unfair advantage” some claim. What’s next? “To fight the decision legally, in the courts.”
Indhu Rubasingham, theatre director
When, in 2012, Indhu Rubasingham was named artistic director of the Kiln (then Tricycle) theatre, she became the first woman of colour to helm a major London theatre. In the 11 years since, Rubasingham has been lauded for her diverse programming, making it her mission to put the local community and emerging voices front and centre. The news that she will be stepping down from her tenure at Kiln next spring comes as the biggest job in theatre – the role as artistic director at the National – remains wide open. Regardless, there is no doubt Rubasingham’s next move will help maintain London’s reputation as the epicentre of boundary-pushing performing arts.
Lila Moss, model
The British Vogue cover star may have access to her supermodel mum Kate’s covetable vintage clothing collection, but on the red carpet or catwalk, one accessory always makes an appearance. The 20-year-old London-born model – who lives with Type 1 diabetes – wears an Omnipod, an automated insulin delivery system, on her arm and thigh, which means she does not have to administer herself with daily injections. Moss – who has starred in campaigns for Versace, Chloé and David Yurman – uses her social media platforms to draw awareness to a condition that affects some 4.3 million people in the UK, and to advocate for more widespread access to innovative life-enhancing diabetes tech.
- CelebritiesBill Nighy is the Nation’s Agony Uncle
Emefa Cole, jewellery designer
The standout look from this year’s Met Gala? Michaela Coel, clad in an embellished Schiaparelli gown and dripping in fully traceable, single-mine-origin West African gold. Ghanaian British designer Emefa Cole is the woman behind those epically proportioned jewels. “For a majority of people, jewellery is just a shiny piece of gold,” she says. “But we need to think about where things come from.” A pioneer of ethically sourced accessories, in September 2022 Cole was appointed by the V&A as its first curator of diaspora jewellery. The Londoner sees this as not only a career landmark, but “an opportunity to spotlight people who would usually slip through the cracks”.
