Wolfgang Joop
- Actor
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
He grew up on his grandparents' farm near Sanssouci Park until the family moved to Braunschweig in 1954, where his father worked as editor-in-chief of the cultural magazine "Westermann's Monathefte". Joop graduated from high school there in 1964. He then began studying advertising psychology at the Braunschweig University of Technology. However, he soon broke off his studies to keep himself afloat with restoration work and other artistic activities. He also did not complete his studies in art education, which he had begun in 1968. His first daughter Jette was born in the same year. Participation in a fashion competition run by the women's magazine "Constanze", in which he and his girlfriend Karin Benatzky won, showed him the way to the fashion industry. The awards he won also brought Joop a job as a fashion editor at the women's magazine "Neue Mode" (Hamburg).
In 1970 he married Karin Benatzky and in 1972 their second daughter Florentine was born. In 1971 he left this more journalistic activity to focus more on fashion design. For some time Joop worked as an anonymous designer for women's and men's fashion. He also temporarily tried his luck as a film actor. In 1978, a fur collection finally gave him his international breakthrough. From then on he was considered the creator of a typically German, "Prussian" fashion style that found international recognition. Under the trademark "JOOP!" The designer presented his first women's collection in 1982. Through the partnership with the women's fashion manufacturer Artur E. Erlhoff in Ellerau, the future production of his fashion was secured. In 1983 Joop was awarded the "Fashion Oscar", the "Fil d'or".
In 1984 he was awarded the "Golden Spinning Wheel" by the European Silk Commission. After presenting the first men's collection in 1985, the Joops range for men quickly expanded to include all imaginable clothing and fashion items. In 1985 Joop taught as a guest lecturer in the design department at the Berlin University of the Arts. Two years later he was promoted to honorary professor there, whereupon he began teaching regularly. In 1987, Joop expanded his range of products to include his own perfume collection, which was marketed by Lancaster. After reunification, Joop was the first Western designer to begin working with the Meissner porcelain manufacturer.
In 1990, Joop unfairly became the center of media attention because of drug suspicion. The following year, the suspicion that the fashion designer had worked as a spy with the former GDR foreign exchange collector Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski also turned out to be incorrect. In 1995 Joop received the Textile Industry Forum Prize. Joop is involved in the "Dunkelziffer" association, which is committed to caring for sexually abused children, and in the "Hamburg Leuchtfeuer" initiative, which takes care of people infected with AIDS. From 1997, the lifestyle brand's products were sold by "Joop GmbH". In 1998, Wunsch AG Hamburg took over 95% of the shares in JOOP GmbH. In 2000 he organized the exhibition "Is Black Beautiful". In the same year he played a leading role in the social satire "Suck My Dick" by Oskar Roehler.
In 2001, Joop sold his remaining company shares to Wunsch AG, whereupon he also left the company as chief designer. In 2003 he founded the Potsdam-based fashion label "Wunderkind" together with Edwin Lemberg. Joop showed the first international child prodigy fashion show in September 2004 at New York Fashion Week. In mid-March 2005, Joop was awarded the BILD media prize. In 2013 he published his autobiography entitled "Undressed. From a life with me" together with the journalist and writer Rebecca Casati. His publications as an author also include the gift booklet "The Little Heart" (2001), the cookbook "Hectic Cuisine" (2002), the autobiography "Stillstand des Ffugigens" (2002) and the novel "Im Wolfspelz" (2003). In 2012 he received the Design Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany in the "Lifetime Achievement" category. In 2014 he appeared alongside Heidi Klum as a juror in the 9th season of Germany's Next Top Model.
In 1970 he married Karin Benatzky and in 1972 their second daughter Florentine was born. In 1971 he left this more journalistic activity to focus more on fashion design. For some time Joop worked as an anonymous designer for women's and men's fashion. He also temporarily tried his luck as a film actor. In 1978, a fur collection finally gave him his international breakthrough. From then on he was considered the creator of a typically German, "Prussian" fashion style that found international recognition. Under the trademark "JOOP!" The designer presented his first women's collection in 1982. Through the partnership with the women's fashion manufacturer Artur E. Erlhoff in Ellerau, the future production of his fashion was secured. In 1983 Joop was awarded the "Fashion Oscar", the "Fil d'or".
In 1984 he was awarded the "Golden Spinning Wheel" by the European Silk Commission. After presenting the first men's collection in 1985, the Joops range for men quickly expanded to include all imaginable clothing and fashion items. In 1985 Joop taught as a guest lecturer in the design department at the Berlin University of the Arts. Two years later he was promoted to honorary professor there, whereupon he began teaching regularly. In 1987, Joop expanded his range of products to include his own perfume collection, which was marketed by Lancaster. After reunification, Joop was the first Western designer to begin working with the Meissner porcelain manufacturer.
In 1990, Joop unfairly became the center of media attention because of drug suspicion. The following year, the suspicion that the fashion designer had worked as a spy with the former GDR foreign exchange collector Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski also turned out to be incorrect. In 1995 Joop received the Textile Industry Forum Prize. Joop is involved in the "Dunkelziffer" association, which is committed to caring for sexually abused children, and in the "Hamburg Leuchtfeuer" initiative, which takes care of people infected with AIDS. From 1997, the lifestyle brand's products were sold by "Joop GmbH". In 1998, Wunsch AG Hamburg took over 95% of the shares in JOOP GmbH. In 2000 he organized the exhibition "Is Black Beautiful". In the same year he played a leading role in the social satire "Suck My Dick" by Oskar Roehler.
In 2001, Joop sold his remaining company shares to Wunsch AG, whereupon he also left the company as chief designer. In 2003 he founded the Potsdam-based fashion label "Wunderkind" together with Edwin Lemberg. Joop showed the first international child prodigy fashion show in September 2004 at New York Fashion Week. In mid-March 2005, Joop was awarded the BILD media prize. In 2013 he published his autobiography entitled "Undressed. From a life with me" together with the journalist and writer Rebecca Casati. His publications as an author also include the gift booklet "The Little Heart" (2001), the cookbook "Hectic Cuisine" (2002), the autobiography "Stillstand des Ffugigens" (2002) and the novel "Im Wolfspelz" (2003). In 2012 he received the Design Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany in the "Lifetime Achievement" category. In 2014 he appeared alongside Heidi Klum as a juror in the 9th season of Germany's Next Top Model.
