 

BoF Professional on Your Phone 

Get ahead of the competition with breaking news notifications, offline reading and one-click save for
later.

UPGRADE NOW
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Introducing ‘Polymaths & Multitaskers,’ Our 2nd

Annual #BoF500 Print Edition
BY IMRAN AMED
SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 08:58

Our second annual BoF 500 print edition examines some of the
overachieving Polymaths & Multitaskers making outsized
contributions to the global fashion industry. It’s not out until
September 22, but is available for pre-order now.
LONDON, United Kingdom — Today, we are thrilled to release the cover of our next special
print edition, featuring a hyperreal image of Karl Lagerfeld, specially created for BoF by
Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari of Toiletpaper. Now in the sixth decade of a prolific
career, Lagerfeld is fashion’s consummate polymathic multitasker and thus a perfect cover
star for our Polymaths & Multitaskers issue, which profiles an exciting cast of multi-talented
individuals who are making outsized contributions to our global industry.

The issue will be available on September 22 to coincide with the launch of the BoF 500
2014, recognising the people shaping the global fashion industry.

So what do these Polymaths & Multitaskers have in common? For one, they are global
citizens who have left to work and study outside their home countries, often at a very young
age. Amongst them are Karl Lagerfeld, a multitasking octogenarian who left Germany, aged
14, to go to school in France; Mukesh Bansal, who spent time in Silicon Valley before
pioneering fashion e-commerce in his native India; and Tim Blanks, a New Zealand-born
fashion editor who has lived and worked on three continents.

Naturally, they are also smart and well-educated. A precocious Tim Blanks attended
university at the age of fifteen. At school, Mario Testino was always first or second in his class,
studying economics in university prior to pursuing his love for photography. And both
Caroline Issa and Pierre-Yves Roussel studied business at the prestigious Wharton School at
the University of Pennsylvania, becoming management consultants before entering fashion.

But most of all, their success seems to stem from their unique positions at the intersection of
different skills and perspectives, which enables them to do multiple things and bring fresh
ideas and thinking to their work.

Mark Parker, a product designer who joined Nike in 1979, has risen to become the chief
executive of the global sportswear giant, which earned a staggering $27.8 billion in revenue in
fiscal 2014. Knowing how to balance the ‘left-brain/right-brain’ elements of his work has
been central to Parker’s — and Nike’s — success. There are also top-performing executives
who have done it the other way around, starting on the business side but learning about
design and creativity. Mr Roussel came to fashion with a limited understanding of fashion
design. But over the past decade, he has developed an appreciation for the creative process,
developed trusting relationships with some of the industry’s most talented designers and
revitalised a portfolio of stagnant brands at LVMH.

ADVERTISING
Then there’s the creative duo Toiletpaper. After retiring from a hugely successful career in
the contemporary art world, where his works can sell for millions of dollars, Maurizio
Cattelan took one look at imagery and advertising in fashion and saw an opportunity to do
something completely different. Together with photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari under the
moniker of their provocative magazine Toiletpaper, the duo have injected unexpected
humour and energy into fashion imagery, producing work that stands out from the
homogenous, uniform images seen everywhere else.

We hope you enjoy our latest special print issue, which is available for pre-order now. And
stay tuned for the launch of the full BoF 500 on September 22.

Imran Amed
Founder and Editor-in-Chief

The Polymaths & Multitaskers issue, out on September 22, will be sold exclusively at
shop.businessoffashion.com and select retailers around the world.

ADVERTISING