Fabien Baron facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fabien Baron
Baron in 2014
Born	July 5, 1959 Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Nationality	French, American
Education	École des Arts Appliqués
Occupation	Director
Years active	1982-present

Fabien Baron (born July 5, 1959) is a famous French director, art director, and magazine editor. He is well-known for creating amazing ad campaigns and for his work as the editorial director of Andy Warhol's Interview magazine.

Fabien Baron's Early Life and Career

Fabien Baron was born on July 5, 1959, in Antony, France. His father was a newspaper designer in Paris, which likely sparked Fabien's interest in design. Fabien studied design, sculpture, and painting at the École des Arts Appliqués.

Moving to New York and Early Work

In 1982, Baron moved to New York City. He started his career there as an art director for Barneys, a well-known department store.

Six years later, Baron helped to redesign Italian Vogue magazine, working with its editor, Franca Sozzani.

Working with Top Fashion Magazines

In 1992, Baron became the creative director for Harper's Bazaar magazine. He worked closely with editor-in-chief Liz Tilberis to give the magazine a fresh, new look. His work was very successful, and Harper's Bazaar quickly became known as "the world's most beautiful fashion magazine."

That same year, Baron also began a long partnership with Calvin Klein. For the next 20 years, he served as the creative director for the famous fashion brand.

Directing Music Videos and Commercials

Also in 1992, Baron designed a book for Madonna, which was photographed by Steven Meisel. Baron also directed a documentary featuring Madonna. This documentary was released around the same time as her album. Baron also directed the music video for one of the songs from that album, which was not allowed on MTV.

Baron continued to direct commercials for many luxury brands. These included Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Fendi, and Guerlain. In 2003, he joined Carine Roitfeld at French Vogue as creative director. He helped redesign this magazine, making it one of the most influential fashion publications worldwide.

Leading Interview Magazine

In 2008, Fabien Baron was asked to become the editorial director of Interview magazine. He was tasked with giving the magazine a new vision.

His first cover for Interview featured a unique image of Kate Moss, which got a lot of attention. In December 2013, Interview made headlines around the world for its cover photo of Claire Danes, taken by Baron. The article inside was written by Dustin Hoffman. In February 2014, Kanye West's cover story, photographed by Steven Klein, also sparked discussion due to its artistic style. This story was written by Steve McQueen.

Baron also photographed other notable stories for Interview, such as "Honor" (November 2012) and "The Goddesses" (September 2013), which featured eight different covers.

In an interview, Baron shared that he enjoys working with amazing actors and directing them for magazine shoots. He likes helping them try new things they might not usually do.

Baron & Baron, Inc.

Fabien Baron is the founder and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Baron & Baron, Inc. This is a special advertising agency that focuses on luxury brands in fashion, fragrance, and cosmetics. He has helped shape the look and feel of global brands like Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Fendi, and Michael Kors. He does this by creating a mix of TV, digital, and print ads, as well as designing products and their packaging.

Working with Calvin Klein

Baron started working with Calvin Klein in the early 1990s. He was the creative director for the brand's first campaign for CKOne, a famous fragrance. This campaign featured Kate Moss and was photographed by Steven Meisel. Baron also designed the iconic bottle for CKOne, which was the first "unisex" fragrance, meaning it was for everyone.

In 2008, Baron directed a commercial for Calvin Klein's Secret Obsession fragrance. This commercial featured Eva Mendes and had some content restrictions, so it could only air on TV after 9 p.m.

In 2013, Calvin Klein aired its first Super Bowl ad. Baron directed this commercial, which featured underwear model Matthew Terry. Terry became very popular overnight. Later that year, Baron worked with director David Fincher on the Calvin Klein 'Downtown' Campaign, starring Rooney Mara.

In August 2019, Fabien Baron and Karl Templer became the new creative directors for Ports 1961, another fashion brand.

Fabien Baron's Influences

Fabien Baron often talks about the "old fashioned" education he received from his father. He remembers going to art exhibits and looking at many books and pictures together. His father taught him a lot about art history, giving him a classic education in visual arts.

Baron's father worked on the journalistic side of art direction for newspapers. Fabien was fascinated by how everything worked, especially the fast pace. He recalls that there were no computers then, only huge machines that used metal plates. He felt an exciting rush about it all.

Career Highlights

• 1982: Art Director for Barneys New York.
• 1987: Art Director for New York Woman Magazine.
• 1988-1990: Art Director for Italian Vogue, working with editor Franca Sozzani.
• 1990-1991: Art Director for Interview Magazine.
• 1990: Founded his own company, Baron & Baron, Inc.
• 1992: Creative Director for Harper's Bazaar under editor-in-chief Liz Tilberis.
• 1992: Directed a music video for Madonna.
• 1992: Directed a documentary featuring Madonna.
• 2000–2002: Editor-in-chief and Design Director for Arena Homme Plus.
• 2001: Created a residential furniture line with Cappellini.
• 2002: Designed a contract furniture line with Bernhardt Design.
• 2003-2008: Creative Director for French Vogue, working with editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld.
• 2008: Became Co-Editorial Director for Interview Magazine.
• 2009: Became Editorial Director for Interview Magazine.
• 1990–Present: Continues as Founder of Baron & Baron.

Awards and Recognition

Fabien Baron has received many awards for his work in design and advertising:

• He has won 25 FiFi awards for design and advertising from the Fragrance Foundation.
• He has received 2 ASME awards for excellence in design and photography from the American Society of Magazine Editors.
• Two of his magazine covers were named among TIME magazine's top ten covers of the year.
• He has earned 25 gold and silver awards for art direction from the Society of Publication Designers (SPD).
• He received a special award for his influence in art direction from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
• In 2006, he won "Le Grand Prix" at the APPM 22nd annual Advertising Awards for fragrance advertising.