John Galliano

Some creative people are successful from the word go and fashion designer John Galliano is a prime example. He was named Juan Galliano when he was born to Spanish parents in 1960 on the British colony of Gibraltar. The family re-located to London when he was a child. Galliano attended the prestigious St.Martin's School of Arts there, graduating in fashion design in1984. His graduate collection, which he based on the French Revolution, was a great success and everything was bought.

The young man was well on his way to a stellar career and he launched his own label. He based himself in Paris during the 1990s and was appointed as head designer for the renowned house of Givenchy in 1995. This was indeed an honor as he was the first British designer to take charge of an haute couture company in France. Givenchy came under the control of Christian Dior and the first show for Dior that John Galliano designed was in 1997. His time is now divided between his work for Dior and his own label.

Awards have been heaped on the inventive designer. He was named the British Designer of the Year on three occasions and shared the award in 1997 with Alexander McQueen. The Queen bestowed the CBE (Companion of the British Empire), on him in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honors List. His career has been helped by the patronage of some high profile movie stars, including Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman and his creations have graced the red carpet at Academy Award ceremonies. Supermodel Kate Moss has walked the catwalk for John Galliano on many occasions.

The designer does have his critics as well as plaudits, particularly because of his continued use of fur in his designs. The animal rights organization, PETA picked him out for special attention, launching an advertisement campaign against him. His lines have included fur jackets, calfskin and crocodile bag and silk pants with a fur trim.

As one of the most flamboyant designers around, he cannot please all of the people all of the time. A lot of his creations are outlandish in the eyes of the everyday consumer. John Galliano has a very individual vision and extrovert personality in public. He dressed in a black leather outfit and paraded down the catwalk, brandishing a dueling sword at the 2006 Paris Fashion Show. His models had startled the audience by wearing skirts festooned with artificial splashes of blood and painted on skeletons.

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