In fashion, access is everything. But right now, it couldn’t be easier to go behind the scenes at a runway show, photo shoot or designer’s studio. Netflix and Amazon are currently offering documentary films about Vivienne Westwood, Dries Van Noten, Jeremy Scott, Manolo Blahnik and Raf Simons among their titles. And it doesn’t stop there. The celebrated Vogue editors Diana Vreeland, Carine Roitfeld and Franca Sozzani have all been the focus of recent films, while imminent releases include documentaries about Alexander McQueen and the stylist and writer André Leon Talley.

It was all so different 11 years ago, when the film-maker RJ Cutler decided to make a movie about a fashion magazine. Back then, investors weren’t particularly interested in financing a film about the inner workings of American Vogue and its indomitable editor Anna Wintour. “One financier said to me, ‘Who wants to see a movie about the making of a magazine? It’s just a bunch of people standing around flipping pages,’ ” says Cutler. The result, The September Issue, was a critical and commercial hit — and a flood of fashion features followed.

“The thing with the fashion world is that every few years there’s a new hot topic to dig into,” says Cutler. “And those who have survived the ephemeral nature of the fashion industry are even more legendary for their staying power. Who wouldn’t want to see a feature documentary exploring the extraordinary career of Karl Lagerfeld? Or a film about Saint Laurent? Now there’s a film about André — in a way, you’re telling the story of our times when you’re telling the story of André Leon Talley.”