Biography
Since launching his eponymous collection in September 2002, designer Haider Ackerman has become one of the most commended designers within the fashion industry. The recipient of a Swiss Textile Award and Fashion Group International Award for Design, Ackermann’s signature draped forms and intricate designs have won a legion of dedicated followers, including critic Suzy Menkes , who described the Ackermann as a "rare hope for the future." In September 2016 he joined Berluti as creative director, but exited the label three seasons later.
Throughout his career the Paris-based designer has been approached to head up several prominent design houses including Dior and Martin Margiela. In 2011, he was also selected as a guest designer at the influential Pitti Immagine showcase in Florence. It was here that Ackermann unveiled his first menswear collection to critical acclaim, with the second collection presenting at Paris Fashion Week Men’s in July 2013.
A Columbian native, Ackermann enrolled in the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Art in Antwerp in 1994, pursuing a degree in fashion design. A noted perfectionist, Ackermann was expelled in 1997 for having failed to complete any of his assignments, a fault he attributes to his desire to produce collections that lived up to his exacting standards.
In 1998, Ackermann began a five-month internship at John Galliano , building his portfolio over the next few years with designers such as Bernhard Willhelm, Patrick Van Ommeslaeghe and Mayerline. Following the launch of his label in 2002, Ackermann guest-designed a collection for premium leather specialist Ruffo Research and in 2005 relocated to Paris, where he set up his studio.
In 2005, Ackermann also signed up with Belgian group BVBA 32, gaining financial backing for his label. The group split Ackermann’s business into a separate entity in 2013 in recognition of the label’s growing prominence. In May 2018, Ackermann announced that he would turn to co-ed shows starting with his Spring/Summer 2019 collection.
Karl Lagerfeld had gone on record saying that he believed Ackermann a worthy successor to his mantle at Chanel, a fitting compliment for one of fashion’s most talented designers.