Were you awed by Julia Haart’s journey in the fashion industry like us? We bring you three more fashion moguls who made it big in their forties!
My Unorthodox Life featuring Julia Haart just premiered on Netflix. We saw how she grew out of her conservative Jewish community to become the head of Elite World Group, one of the biggest modeling talent agencies in the world. Haart is well known in the fashion world today but to think that the mogul started out at age 43. She started her career designing shoes and became an instant phenomenon. From there she moved on to La Perla and finally Elite. The former Judaic Studies teacher made it big later in life which points to the fact that it is never too late to chase your dreams. Here are three other fashion moguls who started out later in life.
Vera Wang, 40
Synonymous to gorgeous wedding gowns, Vera Wang is every bride’s dream. Wang did not become a fashion designer until age 40, however. Her name today is instantly recognizable but little do we know, Wang used to be a figure skater and a journalist. She began figure skating when she was eight years old and even tried for the US Olympic team. When she failed to get into the Olympics, she transitioned to the world of fashion. But Wang became a fashion journalist long before she was a fashion designer. She worked at Vogue for 17 years as an editor before moving on to work at Ralph Lauren. Two years later, she began her own label.
Giorgio Armani, 41
Italy’s most successful fashion designer and a phenomenon in menswear and womenswear alike, Armani had quite an interesting journey towards fashion. The dressmaker initially wanted to study medicine but a few years into college enrolled in the army. After working in the Military Hospital and returning to civilian life, he dropped out of college and became a seller at La Rinascente in Milan. After this, Armani began working as a designer for a company called Nino Cerruti with whom he stayed for a large part of the 60s. During this time, Armani developed a close friendship with Sergio Galeotti who later became the driving force into him starting a company, with Galeotti as a partner. Thus came into being Giorgio Armani S.p.A when the designer was 41 years old.
Christian Dior, 41
The inventor of the New Look and the creator of one of the biggest global fashion houses, Christain Dior also started his brand at age 41. Dior initially wanted to venture into the art world and opened an art gallery with his friend. The gallery closed three years later, however, due to the Great Depression and the death of Dior’s mother. Soon after Dior began working as a designer for Robert Piguet, one of the biggest names in French fashion at the time. Here, Dior worked alongside Pierre Balmain. He then went on to serve the military and started working for Lucien Lelong after returning. He worked again with Balmain at this fashion house. After being designer for Lucien Lelong for four years, a wealthy and famous entrepreneur named Marcel Boussac took an interest in Dior. Soon after, Dior, with encouragement and help from Boussac, started the fashion label which would go on to become one of the topmost houses in fashion history.
