Karl-Ludwig Rehse

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Karl-Ludwig Rehse , MVO (born October 12, 1937 in Essen ; † May 12, 2019 in London ) was a German fashion designer and one of three tailors for the British Queen Elizabeth II , who supplied her with cloakrooms as purveyors to the court . She has been wearing his fashion since 1988.

Life

Elisabeth II in a coat by Rehse, here in 2013, a piece that she - business as usual - also wore on September 9, 2015, when she set the world record for the oldest reigning monarch

Rehse, son of a graduate engineer and grandson of a bank director, grew up in Essen's Moltkeviertel on Wallotstrasse. His interest in clothing fashion was aroused by his grandmother, with whom he attended a craft fair where elegant fashion was shown. After the Chamber of Crafts had given him the advice that men could not become ladies' tailors, he decided to become a men's tailor and undergo a corresponding apprenticeship. Nevertheless, he dreamed of designing women's clothes. Rehse completed his apprenticeship as a men's tailor in Essen- Bredeney . After the journeyman's examination, Rehse worked in a Düsseldorf boutique for custom-made products. Then he went to Munich to the studio of Horst Klöß , who had advised that further training with him should be preferred to attending the German Master School for Fashion , and passed the master's examination in women's tailoring. There he was already tailoring fashion for aristocrats and movie stars. After a vacation trip to London in the 1960s , he dropped plans to move to Paris and decided to work in the British capital. There he found employment with John Cavanagh and Bellville Sassoon, which were among the most renowned clothing stores in London at the time. At the same time he learned the English language.

After a short break in Spain and a job as a banker he made in March 1988 at his friend and partner John Anderson , who had already tailored for the British royal family, self-employed and opened with him under the name of the friend in the London district Marylebone one own shop. In the same year they created a summer collection that Elizabeth II heard about, which she invited to a presentation of the collection at Windsor Castle . This led to a longstanding business relationship between the queen and the couturiers. Soon she appointed John Anderson purveyor to the court . The company John Anderson was thus entitled to use the royal purveyor title and the corresponding coat of arms. When Rehse's friend and partner Anderson died on Boxing Day 1996 after a serious illness, Rehse fell into a deep crisis in which he considered giving up the business. After a personal conversation with the queen, he felt encouraged to move on. In 1997 she awarded him the title of purveyor to the court. Until 2007 he also ran the “ Royal Warrant ” of Queen Mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon . In 2009 he downsized his business, which in 2000 had changed the previous name from John Anderson to Karl Ludwig Couture . Since the downsizing, only one long-time Spanish employee has been working for him. He also moved his studio into a small garden studio, which he calls his "Wendy House" after a character from Peter Pan . In addition to a few women, the queen is one of his few customers. She chooses the proposed designs and fabric samples herself - often months before appearances and occasions - and occasionally expresses requests for changes when trying on his unique items , which Rehse willingly makes for her, who only calls him by his first name "Karl".

On July 16, 2010, the City of London awarded him the Freedom of the City award . On June 13, 2015, Elizabeth II made him an honorary member of the Victoria Order .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Evening dresses by Horst Klöß, images from Münchener Illustrierte No. 4 of January 26, 1957 in the portal timelineimages.sueddeutsche.de , accessed on September 16, 2015; see also Sigrid Epp: Clothes make Munich people. The history of fashion in Munich from 1945 to 2000 . Buchendorfer Verlag, Munich 2001, ISBN 978-3-93403-625-3 , pp. 47, 82, 90
  2. ^ The Queen and fashion . Website in the royal.gov.uk portal , accessed on September 10, 2015
  3. ↑ Ralf Nehmzow: In close contact with the Queen . Article from November 29, 2008 in the Abendblatt.de portal , accessed on September 11, 2015
  4. ↑ Hilary Alexander: Royal designers off the leash ( Memento of the original from December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Article dated April 3, 2006 on fashion.telegraph.co.uk , accessed on September 11, 2015 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / fashion.telegraph.co.uk
  5. ↑ Thomas Kielinger : This man is allowed to sit on the Queen's waist . Article from June 1, 2012 in the welt.de portal , accessed on September 16, 2015
  6. ↑ "You never know beforehand what the Queen is wearing" . Interview from November 4, 2004 in the faz.net portal , accessed on September 10, 2015
  7. ↑ Tailor in the service of the Queen . Article from May 31, 2012 in the portal handelsblatt.com , accessed on September 11, 2015
  8. ^ The German designer behind the Queen's dress . Article from September 9, 2015 in the portal thelocal.de , accessed on September 10, 2015
  9. ↑ The queen's new clothes . Article from May 31, 2012 in the portal focus.de , accessed on September 10, 2015
  10. ↑ https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2347561 The Royal Victorian Order: Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood: Appointment of Karl-Ludwig Rehse as an honorary member, note dated June 13, 2015 on thegazette.co portal . uk , accessed September 11, 2015
  11. ↑ Elli Schulz: The court tailor of Queen Elizabeth II comes from Essen . Article from August 16, 2015 in the derwesten.de portal , accessed on September 10, 2015
personal data
SURNAME Rehse, Karl-Ludwig
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German fashion designer
DATE OF BIRTH October 12, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH eat
DATE OF DEATH May 12, 2019
Place of death London