June Carter Cash
Famous Fiction Authors
Donna Summer
Angelina Jolie
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
1 photo
Quick Facts
- NAME: John Galliano
- OCCUPATION: Fashion Designer
- BIRTH DATE: November 28, 1960 (Age: 52)
- EDUCATION: Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Gibraltar, Spain
- Full Name: John Charles Galliano
- Originally: Juan Carlos Antonio Galliano-Guillen
- ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius
Best Known For
John Galliano is a British fashion designer who served as head designer of the French haute couture houses Givenchy (1995-1996) and Christian Dior (1996-2011).
Videos see all videos
John Galliano - Mini Biography
A short biography of John Galliano who was the head designer for Dior from the late 1990s until his firing in 2011. He’s best known for his fanciful runway shows.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowJohn Charles Galliano. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:58, May 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/john-galliano-20656947.
John Charles Galliano. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-galliano-20656947 [Accessed 19 May 2013].
"John Charles Galliano." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 19 2013, 04:58 http://www.biography.com/people/john-galliano-20656947.
"John Charles Galliano," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/john-galliano-20656947 [accessed May 19, 2013].
"John Charles Galliano," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/john-galliano-20656947 (accessed May 19, 2013).
John Charles Galliano [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-galliano-20656947.
John Charles Galliano, http://www.biography.com/people/john-galliano-20656947 (last visited May 19, 2013).
John Charles Galliano. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/john-galliano-20656947. Accessed May 19, 2013.
Synopsis
Fashion designer John Galliano was born on November 28, 1960, in Gibraltar, Spain. After graduating from Central Saint Martins, he launched his own line. Famous for whimsical, outrageous designs, he headed the French haute couture houses Givenchy (1995-1996) and Christian Dior (1996-2011). In 2011, his career went into a tailspin when he was arrested for making anti-Semitic remarks in a Paris bar.
Quotes
Dressing up. People just don’t do it anymore. We have to change that.
Early Life
British fashion designer John Galliano was born in Gibraltar, Spain, on November 28, 1960. His Spanish mother and Gibraltarian father moved the family to South London when he was 6. The transition was difficult. His mother, a flamenco teacher, prided herself on the family’s appearance and would dress her son in elaborate outfits, even when toting him along on the simplest of errands. Despite being teased by his sloppily dressed schoolmates, Galliano’s mother instilled in him a bold and creative sensibility.
Professional Career
Galliano enrolled at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 1981. While in school, he worked as a dresser for Britain's National Theatre, the eminent company in London, ensuring that the company’s thespians looked perfect. His graduating collection in 1984, inspired by the French Revolution and entitled "Les Incroyables," was bought in its entirety by the independent London fashion boutique, Browns. Galliano soon established his own label and enjoyed the support of various financial backers. His collections were both dramatic and intricate, but within just a few years his elaborate visions were squashed by a lack of business prowess. He went bankrupt in 1990.
Galliano struggled financially for years, still producing work intermittently, until he met and gained the support of American Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Vogue’s creative director for the American edition, Andre Leon Talley. These high-powered connectors introduced him to the Portuguese fashion patron Saõ Schlumberger. To regain his footing, Schlumberger loaned him her house for a fashion show, and several top models worked for free. He designed the entire collection from one bolt of fabric. Schlumberger’s adoration brought several new financiers to the fore. As a result, Galliano was appointed head designer of Givenchy in 1995, thus becoming the first British designer to head a French haute couture house. In two year's time, he moved to Christian Dior.
Galliano created some of the industry's most famous collections, including the Blanche Dubois in October 2008 (inspired by the 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire), the Napoleon and Josephine in March 1992 (inspired by the love story of these famous historic figures) and the Princess Lucretia in October 1993 (inspired by the Russian princess). Beyond the clothing donned by his models, Galliano is known for his own dramatic final-bow-costumes, finishing his shows wearing fantastical get-ups inspired by the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte and U.S. astronauts.
Galliano was named British Designer of the Year in 1987, 1994 and 1997, and he was made a Chevalier in the French Legion of Honour in 2009, an award previously bestowed on fashion luminaries Yves Saint Laurent and Suzy Menkes.
profile name: John Galliano profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Cool Britannia - Cultural Icons: 1990s
View groupIn the 1990s, London's artists and cultural tastemakers embraced their British roots. Pop acts like Oasis, Elastica and the Spice Girls dominated 90's music, and reinforced British pride with symbolic use of the Union Flag—Oasis member Noel Gallagher famously used a Union Jack guitar while "Ginger Spice" Geri Halliwell wore the symbol on her trademark, flashy dress. The period was also marked by influential designers like John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, whose unique designs established numerous fashion trends for the decade. Biography.com celebrates these prominent figures, and the many others who led the way for "Cool Britannia."
Cool Britannia - Cultural Icons: 1990s 22 people in this group
-
Famous Sagittarians 565 people in this group
-
Famous Fashion Designers
View groupEach day, we put on clothes that do more than just cover up bodies. We choose clothes that represent our personalities, our moods, the times we live in, our ambitions and our desires. Who are the people behind the designs we wear every day? These fashion designers who have made fashion a huge industry, and whose work is as controversial, and as influential, as traditional art. These are some of the designers who have dressed the world's most famous people—and are hugely famous in their own right.
Famous Fashion Designers 58 people in this group
