Himid is just one of many British creatives making international waves and defining the global cultural landscape. While those in the Chinese capital were consuming the history of the African diaspora through Himid’s multidimensional and attractive works during the summer of 2025, a major exhibition of 400 David Hockney pieces was on display at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. New York theatre-lovers enjoyed two British treats on Broadway in the autumn of 2025: Jamie Lloyd’s rather genius Waiting for Godot (starring Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure icons Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, no less), and Robert Icke’s adaptation of the Sophocles play Oedipus with Mark Strong and the unstoppable Lesley Manville. Sarah Burton and Jonathan Anderson have taken new posts in the carousel of changes in the world of high fashion relatively recently, and Clare Waight Keller and Jonathan Saunders are both wielding great power as creative directors at huge international high street brands (Swedish & Other Stories and Japanese Uniqlo, respectively).
But what is it about these British culturemakers that resonates with a global audience? While it’s impossible to encapsulate that vast topic simply, there are a few themes that are true to the root of our current appeal. In many instances, recognition of the power of an idea is key. For Himid, there was the need to prove that Black artists, in fact, existed, and in a multiplicity of spaces. Cultivating the idea, nurturing and ushering it into existence is an act that shouldn’t be underestimated, especially in an era when there are many other imperatives, economic, political or otherwise.
Secondly, there is a strong sense of what came before. Icke and Lloyd’s redefinition of these classic texts is also a celebration of them, a reminder of Samuel Beckett and Sophocles’ legacies, and indeed that they are adding to that legacy with their own masterful interpretations, pulling out the themes that plague our society today. They are custodians who respect those who preceded them and those who will come after.
And finally, there’s the beauty of collaboration. To bring people with you to realise a vision is a unique skill, but one that is valued in the arts, whether corralling your own teams, or the cross-pollinating across disciplines such as fashion, design, art, music and literature. Indeed, Himid once wrote an essay for our annual magazine Bazaar Art dispelling the myth of the lone wolf creative. She cited the role of her team and her long-term partner, the installation artist Magda Stawarska, as being essential to her own success. So, while it’s true that we are, in essence, better together, it’s all delivered with a generosity of spirit and preferably a healthy dose of British irreverence.
harpersbazaar.com
Illustration by Jo Ratcliffe
