Before they were fashion designers

CAIRO – 15 October 2017: Success is often connected to hard work, and sometimes to unattractive jobs. Some people just land upon the job of their dreams, while others have to climb a long ladder to reach it; so here are the stories of some designers who made it to the top:

● Coco Chanel: Before she became a designer, she was a singer in clubs. Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born on August 19, 1883, and passed away on January 10, 1971. She started out her inspirational career by selling hats in 1910. Chanel launched her first perfume in the 1920s, which was the first perfume to feature a designer's name.



Coco Chanel- Flickr


● Azzedine Alaïa: He was raised with his grandparents in Tunisia. He enrolled at the local ecole des beaux art at the age of 15. To raise money for his studies, he used to work as a dressmaker. At the age of 18, he got a job at Dior and moved to Paris. He was dismissed after only five days; which prompted him to become a housekeeper and tailor at Comtesse de Blegiers. He had his share of long hard days until he became the designer he is today.



Azzedine Alaïa - screenshot


● Giuseppe Zanotti: Before becoming the shoe mogul of our days, Zanotti was a DJ at a radio station in Italy; pursuing the passion for music that sprouted in him at the age of 14. At the age of 17, he started working for a local independent radio station as a DJ. He loved his job as a DJ, but it didn’t pay the bills. At the age of 24, he discovered he was also passionate for fashion, and made it big time in the industry.



Jlo and Giuseppe Zanotti working on her winter collection shoes