Michael Michalsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Michalsky
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Michalsky in 2005
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| Born | 23 February 1967 |
| Occupation | Fashion designer, product and interior designer |
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Label(s)
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| Awards | Red Dot Design Team of the Year 2005 GQ German National Designer of the Year Award 2003 |
Michael Michalsky (born on February 23, 1967) is a famous German fashion designer. He started his own fashion brand called Michalsky. He is also the main creative person for the fancy handbag company MCM since 2005.
Besides his fashion work, Michalsky also runs a company called Michalsky DesignLab. This company helps design many different products and even interiors. Today, Michael Michalsky is known as one of Germany's most important designers. His special fashion event, the StyleNite at Berlin Fashion Week, is watched by people all over the world.
Contents
Early Life and Inspirations
Michael Michalsky was born in Göttingen, Germany. He grew up in a town called Rümpel. He finished high school in 1987. After that, he studied at the London College of Fashion until 1992.
After college, Michalsky worked at a special care home called Lighthouse. This experience taught him that being famous or trendy isn't as important as having real feelings and connections with people.
Music and Photography Influences
Music is a big source of ideas for Michalsky. He loved the youth culture in London during the 1980s. This was when music videos and MTV became popular, linking music and fashion closely. He still looks up to the 1980s pop star Madonna. He says she has inspired him with her style and music for most of his life.
Michalsky also loves photography. He collects photos from famous photographers like Yva and F.C. Gundlach. He is also very interested in architecture, which is the art of designing buildings.
Michalsky's Career Journey
After finishing university, Michalsky began his career at Levi Strauss & Co. in Germany. From 1995 to 2006, he worked at adidas AG. For six years, he was the Global Creative Director there.
Working with Big Brands
At adidas, Michalsky started projects with famous fashion designers like Yohji Yamamoto and Stella McCartney. He also worked with the rap artist Missy Elliott. He helped bring back older adidas products with a cool "Retro-look."
In 2005, a Korean luxury company asked Michalsky to help make the fashion brand MCM popular again. He has been the creative director for MCM ever since.
In 2006, Michalsky started his own fashion company, Michalsky Holding GmbH, in Berlin. In January 2007, he showed his first fashion collection at the city hall Rotes Rathaus.
TV Appearances and Collaborations
In 2014, Michalsky was on the TV show America's Next Top Model. He directed a photoshoot for MCM bags in Seoul City Hall for the models.
He shows his latest Michalsky collections twice a year during Mercedes Benz Berlin Fashion Week. Since 2009, Michalsky has also designed sportswear for Kappa China. This company is part of a large Chinese sports group called Dongxiang.
In 2021, the TV channel RTL announced that Michalsky would be a judge on the show Das Supertalent. He joined Lukas Podolski and Chantal Janzen on the judging panel.
Awards and Recognitions
Michael Michalsky has received several awards for his work:
- 2003: "National Designer of the Year" from GQ Germany.
- 2004: "Sportstyle Designer of the Year" from ISPO VISION.
- 2005: Red Dot Design Team of the Year with his adidas-design team.
- 2006: Featured in the exhibition "100 Heads of Tomorrow." This exhibition was part of a government project called "Germany – Land of Ideas."
Michalsky's Fashion Style
Michalsky designs many different types of fashion. This includes fancy clothes, sportswear, bags, and accessories. His own Michalsky collection is high fashion. It mixes classic styles with everyday streetwear.
Michalsky sees himself as a lifestyle designer, not just an artist. He wants his designs to appeal to many people. He encourages everyone to enjoy fashion. His motto is "Real Clothes for Real People."
Current Design Projects
Here is a look at some of his current design work:
| Label | Period | Collections | Description |
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| MCM | since 2005 | Bags and accessories (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter) |
Luxury accessories for women |
| Michalsky | since 2007 | Women, men, accessories (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter) |
High fashion |
| Kappa China | since 2009 | Various sportswear collections (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter) |
Sportswear and streetwear |
| Protect | since 2010 | Collection in cooperation with the WWF Germany (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter) |
T-shirts and basics |
| Lascana | since 2012 | Women's beachwear (One collection per year) |
Beachwear and swimwear |
Michalsky DesignLab Projects
In 2009, Michalsky started Michalsky Designlab. This agency offers design help for products and interior spaces.
Examples of DesignLab Work
- 2009: Summer Mobile Collection 2009 for Sony.
- 2009: A leather collection for the new BMW Vision EfficientDynamics car. This was shown at the IAA car show.
- 2010: 500 costumes for the show YMA at Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin.
- 2010: Designed the packaging for Ariel laundry detergent.
- 2011: Designed the Catwalk-Bar in Berlin's Marriott Hotel. This was Germany's first fashion bar.
- 2012: Designed an elegant bottle for Spreequell water, called Q Spreequell Premium.
Michalsky's Licensed Products
Michalsky also creates products under special agreements, called licenses.
Perfumes
In September 2010, Michalsky launched his first two perfumes. They were called Michalsky for Men and Michalsky for Women. He worked with the company Mäurer & Wirtz to create them. A bold advertising campaign was used to launch the perfumes.
In September 2011, a second perfume series was released. It was called Michalsky Urban Nomads for men and women. The idea behind these perfumes matched his Fall/Winter 2011 fashion collection.
Eyewear
Since 2008, the Michalsky eyewear collection has been made by the company Nigura Metzler. This collection includes sunglasses, glasses for vision correction, and special limited editions. New eyewear designs are shown twice a year at the Michalsky fashion show.
Home Living Collection
In October 2012, Michalsky introduced his first METROPOLIS by MICHALSKY LIVING Sofa Collection. It was made by the company Polipol. He has since added more items to his successful LIVING Collection. These include wallpapers by A.S. Création and carpets by Reinkemeier Rietberg. These items became available in stores in the fall of 2013.
Michalsky StyleNite Event
The Michalsky fashion shows have grown into a big cultural event called the Stylenite. The designer organizes this event twice a year during Berlin Fashion Week.
Besides showing new fashion for women and men, the StyleNite also features performances. These include music, film, and art. Many famous artists have performed at past StyleNites. Some of them are Lady Gaga, Spandau Ballet, Hurts, Mirrors, OMD, Nadja Michael, Alphaville, Icona Pop, and MS MR.
Images for kids
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A catwalk design for the Michalsky StyleNite at Berlin Fashion Week
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Michael Michalsky and German fashion model Eva Padberg at a show in 2014
