Daphne Guinness

Hon. Daphne Diana Joan Susanna Guinness, born on November 9, 1967, is an English fashion designer, socialite, actress, film producer, and musician. She is the daughter of Jonathan Guinness, 3rd Baron Moyne, and Suzanne Lisney. During her childhood, she moved between family country houses in England and Ireland and a villa in Spain, where artist Salvador Dalí was a family friend. She later resided in New York with her half-sister, Catherine Guinness.

In 1987, Guinness married Spyros Niarchos, with whom she has three children, prior to their divorce in 1999. Following her divorce, she became increasingly involved in the avant-garde fashion movement. Having been named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1994, she established a multifaceted career as a model, curator, writer, and fashion consultant, serving as a consultant for Gucci in 2004. She has appeared on covers for international editions of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Tatler, and Zoo Magazine.

Guinness has contributed writing to Vogue, the Financial Times, The Times of London, and Harper's Bazaar, and co-authored Art/Fashion in the 21st Century. Her design ventures include a shirt collection with Comme des Garçons for Dover Street Market and Contra Mundum, an 18-carat gold glove encrusted with diamonds created alongside Shaun Leane and Alexander McQueen. She launched the fragrance Daphne with Comme des Garçons in 2009, modeled for NARS Cosmetics in 2010, and released a makeup line with MAC Cosmetics in 2011. In 2010, she purchased the complete fashion collection of Isabella Blow, later displaying it at Somerset House. She also curated an exhibition of her personal couture collection at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2011, directing the accompanying short film The Phenomenology of Body.

In film, Guinness produced the Academy Award-nominated short film Cashback. As an actress, she held roles in The Murder of Jean Seberg, The Legend of Lady White Snake, and the science fiction short Shakki. Following encouragement from David Bowie, she entered the music industry, releasing her debut album, Optimist in Black, in 2016. She subsequently released Daphne & the Golden Chord in 2018, Revelations in 2020, and Sleep in 2024, with producer Tony Visconti working on her albums. Her music career has also featured music video collaborations with directors such as Nick Knight and David LaChapelle.

Guinness's philanthropic activities include walking in Fashion for Relief shows, auctioning personal wardrobe items for the charity Womankind Worldwide, and donating footwear to the Museum at FIT. She lives in London and Manhattan.