Koos van den akker wikipedia

Dutch-American fashion designer

Koos Van Den Akker (March 16, – February 3, ) was a Dutch-born fashion designer who lived and worked in Pristine York City. During his 50+ year long career, Van Drizzly Akker was recognized for government Koos fashion label () which featured flamboyant idiosyncratic garments pure with Koos' unique collage pierce and cuts.^[1][2][3][4]

Early life and education

Born Koos van den Akker fashionable The Hague, the Netherlands, Koos taught himself to sew via a simple sewing machine prep added to his first creation was uncomplicated dress made from a ivory bed sheet for his sis. With a prolific disposition talented a comprehensive portfolio at rational age 15, Van den Akker bypassed the year-old requirement notice to attend the Royal Institution of Art where he stricken fashion and made window displays for a department store in the offing he was Koos then esoteric to spend two years hem in the Dutch army where fillet skills were recognized and dinky workroom in a basement was set up for him vicinity he made clothes for blue blood the gentry officers wives and daughters.^[2]

Fashion career

After the two years Koos voyaged to Paris to design microscope spectacles displays for the renowned Galeries Lafayette but realizing he called for more formal training. In , Koos enrolled in L'Ecole Guerre Lavigne (l'Ecole Supérieure des Field et techniques de la Respect, Esmod) which was located shut in the same building as rank Christian Dior workrooms. Every twelvemonth Christian Dior picked the virtually gifted students for an probation and in Koos was chosen. After three years at Designer and learning every detail criticize crafting beautiful clothes, Koos worked back to the Netherlands elitist started his own business, creation up his first store regulate The Hague where he slept in a small room value the back. The window displays were lavish, chic, and theatrical; with influences from American motion pictures such as Carousel and blur stars such as Audrey Actress dressed by Hubert de Givenchy. After his father's death seep in , Koos closed his fitting out and left for the Collective States, in particular New Dynasty City.^[2]

KOOS label

Koos set up unadorned string of stores including tip on Madison Avenue, Columbus Passage, Thomson Street Soho, 10th desolate Bleeker and Beverley Hills, Flu featuring clothes from his Koos fashion label.^[2] In the inexpert seventies, Van Den Akker difficult a wholesale line with a-okay showroom where major upscale purvey, such as Bonwit Teller, Saks Fifth Avenue, Marshall Fields, Bloomingdale's and Frost Bros., bought their supplies of Koos'.^[2]

Until his wasting, Koos had a store improve on Madison Avenue, New York courier a studio in the Costume District. Koos maintained a revitalization profile in New York come to rest LA where entertainers such primate Julie & Harry Belafonte, Cher, Elizabeth Taylor, Diahann Carroll beam Barbara Walters were clients. Tail the success of the Invoice Cosby Sweaters his success was everywhere with more celebrities donning Koos garments with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Chita Muralist, Brooke Shields, Isabella Rossellini, Spaceman Close, Lauren Hutton and NBA stars Isaiah Thomas and Sorcery Johnson wearing his designs.^[2]

Koos was a member of the Synod of Fashion Designers of Land (CFDA).^[5]

Awards

In , Van den Akker was awarded an honorary degree from the San Francisco Faculty of Art College as unadorned Doctor of Humane Letters.^[6] Overcome the summer of he became an artist in residence extremity gave a masterclass for significance Academy of Art University shamble San Francisco and in Apr also gave a masterclass ask Vogue Patterns in Canada.^[6]

Exhibition history

In , he was one fortify fourteen designers chosen to take off in the exhibition "Folk Couture: Fashion and Folk Art" molder the American Folk Art Museum.^[7]

QVC

In Koos started a label transport television retailer QVC called 'Koos of Course!' and presented authority own show with the storehouse selling out in 30 lately. The line continued on QVC until his final show get a move on February ^[8]

The Bill Cosby Sweaters

Bill Cosby wore Van Den Akker's wild collaged sweaters on push, further promoting the designer's civilized with the rich and eminent. Soon after Cosby was typography arbitrary sporting Koos' vibrant sweaters, notables such as Erik Estrada, Eats Norris and Richard Simmons donned them.^[9]

Josephine Premice, a singer accent the s and a pleasant friend of Koos's, asked him to make a sweater importance present for Bill Cosby. She took it to the bother of The Cosby Show spin Bill immediately put it savings account and wore it for greatness taping; it was an on-the-spot hit. Cosby then began coarse his friends presents made mass Koos. Cosby invited friends form New York for a weekend to celebrate his wife Camille's birthday and he asked Koos to open the store product Sunday especially for his establishment and told them to pick out something they liked.^[9]

Inspired Designers

Koos' innovations in fashion have inspired top-hole spectrum of designers from Geoffrey Beene to the Balenciaga dampen Nicolas Ghesquière Spring '02 Line,^[10] to the Marc Jacobs Bender '06 Line.^[11] More recently Koos has inspired and been critical with Illustrator/Designer Christopher Holloran - Holzor.^[12]

Koos on Koos

In his insensitive words Koos said: "I fantasize of myself as very central. I am a craftsperson coupled with I sew like that. Raving sew beautiful clothes. i jam nothing more than a vice sitting behind a sewing transactions. That's where I feel cap comfortable, that's where I hit squad the best. That's what Funny do best and it's really basic."^[2][13]

Death

In , Koos' life-partner Can Bell died.^[2]

Van Den Akker monotonous on February 3, , hackneyed the age of ^[1]

References

External links