Buzz
The world of renowned fashion designers is an exclusive domain dominated by beauty and wealth. However, lurking beneath the surface of red carpets and couture gowns is a deep, roiling mixture of hatred, anger, and despair. The atmosphere is so toxic that it could turn even the most exquisite fragrance sour. This is the shadowy underbelly of the fashion industry.
10. Yves Saint-Laurent
Yves Saint-Laurent was born in Algeria in 1936. A shy and sensitive child, he faced bullying at school, but at the age of 17, he escaped to Paris after winning a prestigious design competition. Saint-Laurent quickly caught the eye of couturier Christian Dior, and his innovative designs rejuvenated the brand’s classic image. After Dior's sudden death in 1957, Saint-Laurent was appointed as head designer.
Saint-Laurent’s avant-garde, futuristic designs failed to resonate with Dior’s loyal clientele. When he was drafted into the French Army in 1960, his employers were more than willing to let him go.
Saint-Laurent’s time as a soldier lasted only 19 days. The harsh conditions and mistreatment by fellow recruits led him to suffer a mental breakdown. He was admitted to a military hospital where he underwent controversial electroshock therapy and was prescribed powerful psychotropic drugs. During his recovery, he was fired by Dior and replaced by a competing designer.
After his recovery, Saint-Laurent established his own fashion house, but his battle with mental illness continued. He became dependent on hallucinogens, cocaine, and alcohol for much of his life, often citing the traumatic experience in the army as the root cause of his addictions.
9. Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana, the internationally renowned Sicilian design duo, became embroiled in controversy in 2018 after the release of an ad featuring a Chinese model struggling to eat spaghetti with chopsticks. The ad was part of their 'D&G Loves China' campaign, but it sparked widespread outrage.
In China, stores pulled D&G products from their shelves, models refused to participate in a scheduled fashion show, and protests erupted as demonstrators burned D&G clothing in anger.
Interestingly, this wasn’t their first encounter with a boycott. In 2015, Dolce made controversial comments about babies born through IVF, calling them “synthetic.” His remarks led to a personal boycott from Elton John, who deemed them “archaic,” and a protest from an LGBT rights group outside their London store.
Dolce & Gabbana claimed that their actions were a result of their strict religious upbringings, yet this didn’t justify their next controversy in June 2018. Gabbana faced backlash after commenting on a blogger’s Instagram photos of Selena Gomez, writing “è proprio brutta,” which translates roughly to “just ugly.”
8. Halston
Roy Halston Frowick was born in Iowa in 1932. He started his career as a milliner and gained fame for creating the pillbox hat worn by Jacqueline Kennedy at her husband’s 1961 inauguration. By 1970, he was designing womenswear and owned a boutique on Madison Avenue. Halston’s name became synonymous with disco-inspired fashion, with celebrities often seen wearing his designs at New York’s legendary Studio 54. In 1973, he sold his business to Norton Simon Inc., but remained in control as an Executive, continuing to design for the brand.
As the years went by, Halston’s extravagant lifestyle and drug use became tabloid fodder. His wild spending habits, including regularly splurging thousands on flowers, spiraled out of control.
In 1984, Halston was dismissed by Norton Simon following the negative publicity surrounding his personal life. As a result, he lost all rights to design under his own name. Despite numerous legal battles, he never regained control of the brand and passed away in 1996.
7. Ossie Clark
Ossie Clark rose to prominence as a designer in the emerging 1960s London fashion scene, with his creations worn by stars like Mick Jagger and The Beatles. However, as the Swinging Sixties came to a close, his floral, bohemian designs fell out of favor, and by 1980, Clark found himself bankrupt and homeless.
In 2010, Clark was tragically discovered stabbed to death in his London flat. His former lover, Diego Cogolato, was convicted of the murder after experiencing a transient psychotic episode, during which he believed Clark was the devil. Cogolato was sentenced to six years in prison.
Clark’s iconic 1960s designs remain highly sought after on vintage clothing platforms, and David Hockney’s famous portrait of him continues to be displayed at Tate London.
6. John Galliano
Two friends were having a drink at a bar in Paris when they suddenly became aware of a man sitting alone at the next table. Without warning, he launched into a 45-minute tirade filled with hate speech, using offensive anti-Jewish language and making threats of violence.
The man was John Galliano – a renowned designer and the creative director of Dior. After the police escorted Galliano home, the victims filed a complaint, but he responded by accusing them of defamation. Soon after, a video emerged showing Galliano at the same bar months earlier, during another drunken outburst. In the footage, he made violent threats while slurring his words.
“I love Hitler.”
Galliano was suspended by Dior after the initial incident in February 2011. The case went to trial, and Galliano claimed he couldn’t remember the events due to his struggles with alcohol and Valium addiction. He was found guilty of making public insults, though his fine was suspended after he issued a public apology.
5. Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen began his tailoring apprenticeship on London’s prestigious Savile Row at the age of 16. He later ventured into theatrical design and eventually attended university, where he presented a graduation collection titled ‘Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims.’ The garments, which featured fake blood and human hair, were quickly picked up by influential stylist Isabella Blow.
Blow became both a friend and a crucial financial backer, helping McQueen forge important connections in the fashion industry. McQueen was known for his shock value – one of his most famous runway moments included using an amputee model. In 1996, he became the chief designer at Givenchy but found the house’s traditions restrictive, prompting him to return to London and create under his own name.
In 2007, Isabella Blow tragically ended her life by ingesting weedkiller. She had battled depression, and her once-close relationship with McQueen had slowly deteriorated.
In February 2010, just days after the passing of his beloved mother, McQueen was found hanged in his London home, leaving behind a legacy of bold creativity and emotional turmoil.
4. Paolo Gucci
Guccio Gucci arrived in London from Florence around 1898, where he worked as a porter at the prestigious Savoy Hotel. Inspired by the luxurious designs of the guests' luggage, he decided to start his own leather goods company. In 1921, the first Gucci store was opened in Florence. By 1953, his son Aldo had expanded the brand globally, moving to New York to oversee its international reach.
Aldo is credited with designing the iconic double G logo seen on all Gucci products and was instrumental in elevating the brand to worldwide fame. In 1977, he appointed his son Paolo as Vice President of the company. However, when Paolo tried to launch his own luxury goods brand under the Gucci name, the family opposed it, and Aldo fired him. In retaliation, Paolo exposed Aldo's $7 million tax evasion, leading to Aldo’s imprisonment at 81 years old.
In 1990, Paolo left his wife Jenny for a horse groomer at their country estate in England. Jenny accused him of abandoning her and their daughter, leaving them destitute, which led to a dramatic divorce and custody battle.
Paolo's attempts to avoid paying child support led to a bizarre and tragic event in 1994. Six of his prized Arab horses were found dead from starvation at his farm, an apparent attempt by Paolo to demonstrate he had no money. However, his plan backfired and he was imprisoned for failing to pay child support.
Paolo passed away in 1995, just one year after his cousin Maurizio was tragically murdered.
3. Gianni Versace
Gianni Versace was widely regarded as the most acclaimed fashion designer in the world when he left his Miami mansion in South Beach on the morning of July 15, 1997. He went for his usual walk to a nearby café, but upon returning home, he was fatally shot twice in the back of his head.
The man who killed him was Andrew Cunanan, already the target of a nationwide FBI manhunt, making Versace his fifth victim.
Cunanan, who came from a wealthy West Coast family and was privately educated, dropped out of college to become a male escort. Described as a compulsive liar by his friends, Cunanan traveled to Minnesota in April 1997, where he murdered his friend, Jeffrey Trail. A few days later, he killed his ex-lover, David Madson. Moving on to Chicago, Cunanan murdered a stranger, Lee Miglin, before stealing his car and driving to New Jersey. There, he shot and killed cemetery worker William Reese, then took his red pick-up truck.
After the murder, Cunanan fled to Miami, where he spent two months at a hotel close to Versace’s mansion. When he abandoned the red truck, police discovered newspaper clippings about his previous murders hidden inside the vehicle.
At this point, over 1,000 FBI agents were actively hunting for Cunanan. They tracked him to a houseboat near Versace’s residence, but as they closed in, Cunanan ended his life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
The exact motive behind Cunanan’s nationwide killing spree remains unclear, and no one knows why he specifically targeted Versace. The designer’s family believes the two had never even met.
2. Hugo Boss
Hugo Boss is a prominent German fashion brand known for its sleek and stylish advertising campaigns, though its history is tainted by a dark and troubling past.
In 1924, Hugo Boss established a factory in Metzingen, initially producing workwear and raincoats. Soon, he was tasked with manufacturing shirts for the National Socialist Party, which later became the Nazi Party. By 1931, Boss was an official member of the Nazis and became the exclusive producer of uniforms for the Waffen SS, the Hitler Youth, and the German military.
As World War II escalated and his labor force diminished, Boss was supplied with workers who were forcibly brought from occupied Poland and France to keep his factory running. The mainly female workforce was housed in a camp with inadequate sanitation and no protection from the nightly air raids.
Following the war, Boss, a known Nazi supporter, was prohibited from operating a business. However, he appealed the ban successfully, and the Hugo Boss brand eventually grew into the luxury powerhouse it is today.
1. Maurizio Gucci
Rodolfo Gucci, the son of Guccio, was determined to provide only the best for his only son, Maurizio. He strongly opposed Maurizio's marriage to Patrizia Reggiani, even going so far as to involve the Bishop of Milan in an attempt to prevent the union. Despite this, the couple married in 1973 and had two daughters, but their marriage ended in a bitter divorce in 1984. At the same time, Maurizio was embroiled in a power struggle with his cousin Paolo, which concluded when his father Rodolfo passed away, leaving his majority share of the Gucci empire to Maurizio.
As the CEO, Maurizio sold his shares in Gucci to an investment bank for approximately $120 million. Patrizia was enraged by his decision, feeling he had sold away their daughters' inheritance, and began sending threatening messages to Maurizio and his new fiancée.
On March 27, 1995, Maurizio was gunned down on the steps of his Milan office. Authorities suspected a professional assassination, but had no suspects until a man began bragging about his involvement. A complex wiretap operation was set up, and Patrizia, the hitman, the getaway driver, and another accomplice were all caught on tape discussing the details of the murder. One individual later confessed that Patrizia had insisted Maurizio be killed before his upcoming second marriage.
Patrizia earned the nickname 'Vedova Nera,' meaning 'Black Widow,' and was sentenced to 16 years in prison for orchestrating her husband's death.
After serving her sentence, a TV crew asked Patrizia why she had hired a hitman to kill Maurizio. Her response was:
'My eyesight isn’t what it used to be. I didn’t want to miss.'
