Patitz, one of the original “supermodels” alongside Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, made a major impact on the modeling industry in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which included being a part of some of the most iconic magazine covers and music videos of the time before stepping back to lead a quieter life dedicated to animals and raising her son Jonah Johnson.
Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
The iconic German supermodel rose to fame in the late 1980s after working with well-known photographer Peter Lindbergh. It was the iconic black-and-whiteBritish Voguecover for January 1990, though, that truly put her on the map.
Fabienne Terwinghe, Tatjana Patitz, Naomi Campbell, Heather White and Emma Sjoberg shoot a French PETA ad.Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty
Tatjana Patitz walks the Christian Dior runway in 1991.ARNAL/PAT/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
“I was in my own zone,” Patitz toldThe New York Timesin 2016 of filming the video. “I had to kind of slide up and down the wall for part of the day. The feel of the set was so run-down, this big, loft kind of vibe. There was another setup with me laying on a chaise lounge with a black smoking jacket. I think I may have had a bustier on. And I was smoking, even. People still smoked in videos then and even in films.”
In the years that followed, Patitz modeled in a number of glossy magazines, including landing the cover ofVoguesix times, and walked countless runways. She worked with the likes of Chanel, Donna Karan, Vivienne Westwood and many more over the years. The supermodel walked her final runway show at Milan Fashion Week in 2019 with Etro for the fashion house’s Autumn/Winter 2019/20 presentation.
Tatjana Patitz walks the Etro runway in 2019.Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
Patitz is remembered for her unique beauty, something Anna Wintour, chief content officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director ofVogue, noted in her tribute to the model. “Tatjana was always the European symbol of chic, like Romy Schneider-meets-Monica Vitti,” Wintour said after the news of Patitz’s death. “She was far less visible than her peers—more mysterious, more grown-up, more unattainable—and that had its own appeal.”
Tributes from the fashion world and beyond have been pouring infollowing the news of Patitz’s death, including aheartfelt note from Crawford, who has worked with Patitz since the beginning of her career.
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Tatjana Patitz and her son Jonah Patitz at an event in Berlin in Oct. 2022.Gerald Matzka/Getty
Patitz was born on March 25, 1966, in Hamburg, Germany, and was raised in Sweden. She welcomed her son, Jonah, in November 2004. Patitz had a deep love of all animals, especially horses, according toVogue, and was an ambassador for the American Wild Horse Sanctuary.
Patitz spent many years in California, living a private life and raising her son out of the spotlight.
To celebrate Patitz’s life and legacy, donations can be made in her honor toReturn to Freedom, a national wild horse conservation organization.
source: people.com
