Paul William Compitus (born 9 April 1966 in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, England) is a fashion designer and educator noted for his sexy, avant-garde, surreal and often futuristic style.

Life and career

Compitus is a British fashion designer who worked for many of the most famous design houses. Although he primarily designed menswear, he ran his own womenswear line, Paul Compitus Fashions, until 1999. As a university lecturer he mentored and taught young designers in both the UK and in the United States. Although his work was photographed for many magazines and seen on several celebrities, he is best known for the pants worn in one of

David LaChapelle David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963) is an American photographer, music video director, and film director. He is best known for his work in fashion and photography, which often references art history and sometimes conveys social messages. His ...

's "surgery story" photographs as well as for designing costumes for the Stephen Petronio Dance Company.
''New York Times description of Paul Compitus costumes for Stephen Petronio'', 1997. Compitus attended

Kingston University Kingston University London is a Public university, public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South London, South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded ...

in England, where he received his bachelor's degree in Fashion Design in 1988. He was the first non-Japanese designer to work for the Japanese fashion house

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in 1988–1989. He moved to the United States in 1989. Compitus has designed for major brands such as

Eckō Unltd. Yakira, L.L.C., trade name Ecko Unltd., is an American Urban culture, urban fashion company founded by Marc Ecko in 1993. The company makes apparel and accessories under the brands Ecko Unltd. line for men and the Ecko Red line for girls and ...

, Rugby by

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren (brand), Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He stepped do ...

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as well as Whispering Smith. He was a lecturer at

, where he mentored several winners of the

Levi's Levi Strauss & Co. ( ) is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's ( ) brand of denim jeans. It was founded in May 1853 when German-Jewish immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California, ...

Young Designers Competition. He also taught at the

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...

in New York City.

Magazine references

"Russell's Letter" – One World (1997), Fashion Spectrum, Trend People (Italian, 1997), Neo (2005, Spanish), Detour (1997), Harper's Bazar En Espanol, The Face Magazine (June 1997), Interview (April 1997), Surface (1997), Soma, Sweater, Sportswear International, Blackbook (Autumn 1997), Raygun (November 1997), Urb, Details (1998), Paper (1997), Creme & Sugar (No.3)

External links

Newsweek interview with Paul Compitus {{DEFAULTSORT:Compitus, Paul 1966 births Living people Academics of Kingston University Alumni of Kingston University English fashion designers People from Surrey