Katherine von Drachenberg[2][3] (born March 8, 1982), known professionally as Kat Von D, is a Mexican-American tattoo artist, television personality, entrepreneur and recording artist. She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist on the TLCreality television show LA Ink, which premiered in the United States on August 7, 2007, and ran for four seasons. She is also known for being the former head of Kat Von D Beauty (renamed KVD Vegan Beauty). In May 2021, Kat Von D released her first single "Exorcism" from her album Love Made Me Do It.
Katherine von Drachenberg was born in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Mexico.[2][4] Her parents, René and Sylvia (née Galeano),[5] both of whom were missionaries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church,[6] were born in Argentina, and are respectively of German, Italian, Spanish, and Indigenous descent.[4][7][8] Von D has a sister, Karoline and a brother, Michael.[9] She moved with her family to the Inland Empire at age four and grew up in Colton, California. Von D was classically trained in piano beginning at age six.[10]
Von D credits her paternal grandmother, Clara von Drachenberg, as an inspiration for her in music and art,[11] and the culture of San Bernardino County as a major influence on her tattoo art and style.[12] She began listening to the Ramones, Misfits, and other punk rock bands at the age of 12. She got her first tattoo at 14 and quit school at 16 to become a tattoo artist.[13][14]
When she was 15, Von D was sent to Provo Canyon School for six months, a notorious facility of the troubled teen industry, where she says she suffered abuse.[15][16] Provo Canyon School is the same boarding school that Paris Hilton attended; Hilton has also alleged that she was abused while attending this school.[15]
Career
Von D at the 2007 Calgary Tattoo & Arts Festival
Von D appeared in two seasons of Miami Ink, the reality TV show taped at 305 Ink in Miami[17] for the cable network TLC. She was offered the place on the show after fellow artist Darren Brass broke his elbow,[18] preventing him from tattooing. While on the show, she had a falling out with Ami James, which led to her decision to leave the shop and the show.[19]
She subsequently acquired her own TLC series, LA Ink, which chronicled her work at her tattoo shop, High Voltage Tattoo, in Hollywood, California. On the show, she broke the Guinness World Record of most tattoos given by a single person in 24 hours, with a total of 400.[20] Accomplished in December 2007, it involved a Von D-designed logo for the city of Los Angeles, with proceeds going to the children's-blindness charity Vitamin Angels.[21]LA Ink ran four seasons, ending September 15, 2011; TLC announced the cancellation on August 18, 2011.[22] Von D has publicly said that the cancellation was because she chose not to continue doing the show.[23]
Her first book, High Voltage Tattoo, compiling her artworks and tattoos, with a foreword by Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx, was released in January 2009 and reached #6 on The New York Times Best Seller list.[24] Von D described the book as "not an autobiography, you know, 'cause I'm too young to do that. But this is just kind of like a picture-driven outline of my career as an artist. So, you see everything from my drawings when I was six to tattoos that have never before been seen."[25] Her second book, The Tattoo Chronicles, an illustrated diary following a year in her life, was released October 26, 2010, and reached #3 on The New York Times "Hardcover Advice & Misc." Best Seller list.[26]
In 2008, Von D created and launched a make-up line for Sephora.[27] She has released new collections every year and has expanded her line to include fragrances.[28] In 2012, through Sephora, her New American Beauty Art Tour benefitted the Art of Elysium charitable organization.[29] In June 2016, she announced that all products in the line would be reformulated to be vegan.[30] In August 2016, the line released a limited-edition lipstick named Project Chimps, with 20% of sales being donated to Project Chimps, an organization dedicated to providing care for retired research chimpanzees.[31]
Her makeup line received controversy after the release of a lipstick called "Selektion," because the word is considered controversial and inappropriate in the word's native Germany, where it was a term used for Nazis who decided which individuals would be chosen to either be put to work or death upon arrival to concentration camps during World War II. The fallout led to the lipstick being renamed "Beloved". The choice of "Selektion" drew attention to other perceived insensitive acts; The Forward called her "anti-Jew."[32] Von D fell under criticism again when she named a lipstick "Celebutard", Sephora quickly pulled the lipstick from their stores and issued an apology.[33]
Von D is the creator of the MusInk Tattoo Convention and Music Festival,[34][35] which began in 2008.[36] Musink is an all ages tattoo, music, and art festival located in Southern California.
On September 2, 2010, Von D opened the art gallery and boutique Wonderland Gallery in the space next door to High Voltage Tattoo.[37] She launched the clothing lines KVD Los Angeles and Kat Von D Los Angeles in the US and Canada in fall 2011, with the latter expanding internationally the following year.[38]
Von D provided the female vocals to the song "Rosary Blue" on X, a 2012 studio album by the Finnish gothic rock band The 69 Eyes.[39] In August 2013, she tweeted that Dave Grohl and producer Danny Lohner had finished two tracks of an album she had talked about recording as early as 2011.[40]
In 2016 she recorded vocals for the electronic music duo, Prayers, on the song "Black Leather", and appeared in the band's video for the song.[41][42]
In 2018, she collaborated with Rooney Mara, Sia, Sadie Sink and Joaquin Phoenix to narrate Chris Delforce's animal rights documentary Dominion.[43] For her contribution to the documentary, she was granted the 2018 Award of Excellence for Narration by Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards.[44] Von D makes guest appearance on three songs on the 2018 album Alive in New Light by IAMX.[45] She also appeared on synthwave band Gunship album Dark All Day in the song "Black Blood, Red Kiss".
On January 16, 2020, Von D announced she had sold her namesake beauty brand to its parent company, Kendo Brands (a subsidiary of LVMH). The brand will be rebranded as "KVD Vegan Beauty". According to the company the letters KVD now stand for "Kindness, Vegan Beauty, and Discovery (and Doing Good)".[46] This was followed by another rebrand on Tuesday 2 March 2021 to "KVD Beauty" where KVD stands for "Kara", "Veritas", "Decora". This translates to "Value", "Truth" and "Beauty" respectively.[47]
In October 2021, she announced that she would be closing High Voltage on December 1 and moving with her family to Indiana.[48]
Personal life
In July 2007, Von D decided to stop drinking after her usage of alcohol started to threaten her work.[49] Von D recalled that "getting sober was not easy for me...I still clearly remember the physical pain from withdrawals, the profound desire to die, and the overwhelming sense of loneliness I felt that day that I decided to quit."[50]
Von D is a vegan, and her former makeup line is vegan and cruelty-free.[54] In 2016, she received Farm Sanctuary's "Compassion in Action Award" for her work on behalf of animal rights.[55]
Von D sparked controversy in June 2018, when she indicated in an Instagram post that she would refuse to vaccinate her future child and would raise her child on a vegan diet.[56][57] In March 2020, renounced her anti-vaxxer position, saying she had been "completely uninformed" about vaccinations and that she is "not an anti-vaxxer at all".[58]
Religious beliefs
During an interview with Allie Beth Stuckey, Von D shared that she had become a Christian a year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.[59] In 2023, she was baptized at the Switzerland Baptist Church in Vevay, Indiana.[60][61]
Relationships
Von D married fellow tattoo artist Oliver Peck in 2003.[62] They separated in August 2007,[63] and finalized their divorce later that year.[64]
Von D then dated Alex "Orbi" Orbison from 2007 to early 2008, as was documented on the first season of LA Ink. Von D and Orbison move in together in the episode "Kat Cleans Up", and in the last episode of the season, titled "Orbi's Secret", Orbison asks Von D's father for permission to marry her. By the first episode of Season 2, their relationship was over.
She subsequently began dating motorcycle customizer, West Coast Choppers CEO, and reality TV personality Jesse James.[63] On August 19, 2010, Von D confirmed media reports that she and James were dating, tweeting, "I think it's pretty obvious that we're dating."[67] Von D and James became engaged in January 2011.[68] Von D announced that they had split in July 2011.[69][70] However, in August 2011, Von D and James announced that their engagement was back on.[71] In September 2011, Von D announced that she and James had broken up again.[72]
In September 2012, Von D began dating Canadian music producer Joel Zimmerman, known professionally as Deadmau5,[73] and gave him a star tattoo below his eye to match her own.[74] They broke up in November 2012.[74] However, on December 15, 2012, Zimmerman proposed to Von D over Twitter, and she accepted, becoming engaged to him.[75] In June 2013, Von D announced that she and Zimmerman had ended their engagement. Von D cited Zimmerman's alleged infidelity as the reason, which Zimmerman has denied.[76]
On February 21, 2018, Von D married artist Rafael Reyes.[77] In November 2018, she gave birth to their son.[78]
Media
Von D is referenced in the Eagles of Death Metal song "High Voltage", which was named after her shop and is featured on the band's third album, Heart On. In an interview, Eagles of Death Metal's Jesse Hughes said, "I wrote that for Kat Von D, because that girl's bad ass."[79]
Selected filmography
In addition to cameo and talk-show appearances, Von D's television, film, and video game appearances include:
Inked is a tattoo lifestyle digital media company that bills itself as the outsiders' insider media. Covering music, fashion, art, sports and the rest of the lifestyle of the tattooed, Inked, like Vice, has made the transition from the newsstand to digital media company. Tattooed women like Kat Von D, Avril Lavigne, Diablo Cody, Eve and Malin Akerman have appeared on Inked's cover. Among the celebrities who have sat down with Inked are Ozzy Osbourne, Lil Pump, Tracy Morgan, Slash, Kid Cudi and Billie Joe Armstrong. Inked also covers tattoo artists; they immortalize the best in their Icon feature through which the likes of Don Ed Hardy, Horiyoshi III and Ami James have been honored.
Sephora is a French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products with nearly 340 brands, along with its own private label, Sephora Collection, and includes beauty products such as cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, nail color, beauty tools, body lotions, and haircare.
Miami Ink is an American reality television series that aired on TLC from 2005 to 2008 and follows the events that took place at a tattoo shop in Miami Beach, Florida. The show led to several spin-offs, including the shows LA Ink, London Ink, NY Ink, and Madrid Ink, most of which were also broadcast on TLC.
Laneige is a South Korean cosmetics brand launched by Amore Pacific in 1994. Its name comes from the French "la neige", which translates to "the snow". The brand's flagship products include its Water Bank skin care line, Water Sleeping Mask, BB Cushion foundation and two-tone lipsticks.
Jeffree Star is an American internet personality, makeup artist, and former singer-songwriter. He is the founder and owner of Jeffree Star Cosmetics.
LA Ink is an American reality television show on TLC that follows the events of the High Voltage Tattoo tattoo studios in Los Angeles, California. The spin-off of TLC's Miami Ink, premiered on August 7, 2007.
Joel Thomas Zimmerman, known professionally as deadmau5, is a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ. He mainly produces progressive house and electro house music, though he also produces and DJs other genres of electronic music, including techno under the alias Testpilot. Zimmerman has received six Grammy Award nominations for his work.
Patricia Rooney Mara is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham is an American actress, singer, dancer, and activist. She played Bonnie Bennett on The CW supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017). Her film credits include The Parent Trap (1998), 17 Again (2009), The Roommate (2011), Honey 2 (2011), Addicted (2014), and All Eyez on Me (2017). In music, Graham has released two extended plays and four studio albums.
Lionel Deluy is a French fashion photographer, celebrity photographer and music photographer.
Florence Sender was an American entrepreneur. She founded or served as a director of a number of companies. Sender taught at the MIT Sloan School of Management and co-founded its MIT Entrepreneurship Center.
Amy Nicoletto is an American tattoo artist and television personality. She is most known for her appearances on the TLC reality television show LA Ink. Her name is sometimes misspelled as Nicoletti or Nicoletta.
BITE Beauty is a Canadian cosmetics company specializing in lip products. The brand was founded by Susanne Langmuir in 2011, launched in 2012, and acquired by Kendo in 2014. The brand is carried exclusively at Sephora.
Fenty Beauty is a cosmetics brand by Rihanna, that was launched on September 8, 2017. Popular for its broad inclusivity across various skin tones, its Pro Filt'R foundation became high-demand upon first release. The original foundation launch included 40 shades, and has since expanded to 50. The inclusion of Fenty Beauty concealer includes 50 shades, offering a wide variety for all skin types.
Dillon Forte is an American tattoo artist and entrepreneur, based in Oakland and Venice, Los Angeles. Known for his use of sacred geometry-inspired patterns, Forte has been featured in Paramount Network's The Art of Ink (2018) and the Amazon Studios comedy Jean-Claude Van Johnson (2017).
Haus Labs by Lady Gaga is an American vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics brand founded by Lady Gaga. First launched on September 17, 2019, it was the first major beauty line to launch exclusively on Amazon as a retailer partner, and released in nine countries including France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Haus Labs relaunched on June 9, 2022 with new retail partner Sephora. The company advertises its products as "supercharged clean artistry makeup powered by innovation."
Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber. She gained prominence through her work with BuzzFeed, creating the series LadyLike. She is now known for her solo YouTube channel, containing content such as her Bad Makeup Science series.
Katherine "Kat" Flores, known professionally as Tatu Baby, is an American tattoo artist and reality television personality. She was a contestant on Ink Master season 2 in 2012, where she placed fourth, and season 3 of the same show in 2013, where she placed third. She starred as a main cast member in Cartel Crew (2019–2021), another reality television show based on people who have connections to drug cartels. Tatu Baby remains active as a tattoo artist in Miami, Florida.
Oliver Peck is an American tattoo artist, restaurateur, and reality television personality. Along with guitarist Dave Navarro and tattoo artist Chris Nunez, he was a judge on the competition reality television show Ink Master for seasons 1 through 13. Known for his American traditional style tattoos, he is co-owner of Elm Street Tattoo in Dallas, Texas and owner of True Tattoo in Hollywood, California. His restaurant Tiki Loco is in Deep Ellum, Dallas.
Katrina Jackson, known professionally as Kat Tat, is an American tattoo artist, television personality, and businesswoman. She is best known for starring in the VH1 television series Black Ink Crew: Chicago.
1 2 Rojas, Theresa N. (2013). Aldama, Frederick Luis (ed.). Latinos and Narrative Media: Participation and Portrayal. New York, NY, United States: Palgrave Macmillan. p.119. ISBN9781137361783. Retrieved September 9, 2014. Katherine Von Drachenberg, who was born in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Mexico, and grew up in Colton, California, began tattooing friends at age 14
↑ Von D, Kat (2009). High Voltage Tattoo – The Autobiography of Kat Von D. HarperCollins. p.55. ISBN978-0-06-168438-8. Portrait of my father: Black-and-gray portrait of my father, Rene Von Drachenberg, in a high-school photo taken in Argentina in the 1960s.Note:Kat Von D's official biography gives father's name as simply "René Drachenberg": "Her father René Drachenberg and her mother Silvia Galeano were both born in Argentina, though René's family origins were German and Silvia's Spanish-Italian."
1 2 Von D, Kat (2009). "One Highway to Hell: The autobiography of Kat Von D". High Voltage Tattoo. United States: HarperCollins. p.15. ISBN9780061684388. Retrieved September 9, 2014. The first person who ever held me was my grandfather, Carlos Von Drachenberg. He was the doctor who delivered me in March 1982, in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Mexico. I come from a long line of doctors. When I was born, my grandpa was teaching medicine in Mexico as a missionary for the Seventh-day Adventist Church Church while my father finished his schooling in the medical field. My family came from Argentina, but until I was four, we lived in Mexico.
↑ Von D, Kat (October 5, 2020). "What it's like to be kidnapped and locked up in an institution". Kat Von D verified Instagram account. Retrieved October 6, 2020. Thank you, @parishilton for giving me the courage to share about being locked up for half a year, without ever seeing the sun, at Provo..."
↑ Hanks, Douglas "For TV's 'Miami Ink," Same is a Love-Hate Affair" (November 17, 2007) The Miami Herald p. A-1
↑ Orofino, Emily. "Good News, Animal-Lovers: Kat Von D Beauty Plans to Go Vegan". Popsugar.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016. In an interview with Laika, a vegan lifestyle magazine, the tattoo artist and cover star revealed that she plans to reformulate every product to be completely vegan. ...This news comes after the recent release of the Egyptian-themed Serpentina palette, which is 100 percent vegan. It wasn't until last year that I was like, "What the f$%^ I waiting for?",' she told the magazine of her decision to update her line. ... [which] already is firmly against animal testing and is on PETA's list of cruelty-free beauty brands. Source references print-only interview noted at "Kat Von D Is Radiant on the Cover of Laika and Speaks Candidly About Being Vegan in the Revealing Interview". Laika. June 23, 2016. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016. The force behind Kat Von D Beauty opens up about veganism, how she's turning her makeup line vegan...
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