Rudolph Moshammer
Encyclopedia
Rudolph Moshammer was a German fashion designer. He was murdered at the age of 64 in the Grünwald
neighborhood of Munich
, Germany
.
, Germany
, Moshammer had an education in retail industry trading. He began to design fashion in the 1960s.
His base of existence was his boutique
"Carnaval de Venise" in Munich's high society
street, Maximilianstraße. There he created fashion for wealthy men from fur
s, cashmere
, and silk
. With this strategy he attracted the high society of Munich and Germany
. His international clients included:
He had inherited the boutique from his mother, Else Moshammer. He had a strong relationship with her and frequently appeared in public with her. She died in 1993.
Moshammer was an eccentric
and iridescent personality. He was well-known for carrying his Yorkshire Terrier
dog Daisy
in public wherever he went, and even wrote a book about her.
Moshammer had a strong commitment to helping homeless people. For this he was awarded the "Martin's Coat 2000" of the radio station, "Sankt Michaelsbund".
Moshammer played in some made-for-TV movies like in the German crime series Tatort
.
He had a musical band, "Münchner Zwietracht" ("Munich Dissension"), with whom he was a contestant in the German Eurovision Song Contest
preliminary round show in 2001. The song was entitled "Share Fun and Joy".
In 2002, Moshammer sold a shirt thought to have been worn by Napoleon I
at the Battle of Waterloo
at auction for more than 62,000 euros ($81,200), donating the proceeds to a Munich homeless charity.
, a suburb
south of Munich. According to first reports of the public prosecutors, Moshammer had been strangled with a black telephone cable. The cable was found near the dead body. Daisy was found unharmed in the living room of his mansion.
The Munich police
gave a press conference at noon on Sunday, January 16, reporting that a 25 year-old Iraq
i asylum seeker, who had been tracked down through a DNA
database, had admitted murdering Moshammer. It has been alleged that Moshammer had refused to pay 2000 euro
s to the man, who was in financial difficulties, in return for sexual favors.
, Jil Sander
and Wolfgang Joop
. Furthermore, he committed his wealth to helping homeless people
. He had recently begun to build a house for the homeless in Munich.
Grünwald, Bavaria
Grünwald is a municipality in the district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Isar, 12 km southwest of Munich...
neighborhood of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Life
Born in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Moshammer had an education in retail industry trading. He began to design fashion in the 1960s.
His base of existence was his boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
"Carnaval de Venise" in Munich's high society
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
street, Maximilianstraße. There he created fashion for wealthy men from fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
s, cashmere
Cashmere wool
Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fiber obtained from Cashmere and other types of goats. The word cashmere derives from an old spelling of Kashmir. Cashmere is fine in texture, and strong, light, and soft. Garments made from it provide excellent...
, and silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
. With this strategy he attracted the high society of Munich and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. His international clients included:
- Governor Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
- Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
- Actor Richard ChamberlainRichard ChamberlainGeorge Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
- King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
- Star tenor José CarrerasJosé CarrerasJosep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras , is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini...
- Magicians Siegfried and Roy
- German media personality Thomas GottschalkThomas GottschalkThomas Johannes Gottschalk is a German TV host. He is best-known for hosting the popular show Wetten, dass..?, which he has led to a huge success in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol.-Early life:...
.
He had inherited the boutique from his mother, Else Moshammer. He had a strong relationship with her and frequently appeared in public with her. She died in 1993.
Moshammer was an eccentric
Eccentricity (behavior)
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...
and iridescent personality. He was well-known for carrying his Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier
The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed of terrier type, developed in the 19th century in the county of Yorkshire, England to catch rats in clothing mills. The defining features of the breed are its size, to , and its silky blue and tan coat...
dog Daisy
Daisy (dog)
Daisy was the dog of the murdered German fashion designer, Rudolph Moshammer...
in public wherever he went, and even wrote a book about her.
Moshammer had a strong commitment to helping homeless people. For this he was awarded the "Martin's Coat 2000" of the radio station, "Sankt Michaelsbund".
Moshammer played in some made-for-TV movies like in the German crime series Tatort
Tatort
Tatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss , crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF 2 in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland...
.
He had a musical band, "Münchner Zwietracht" ("Munich Dissension"), with whom he was a contestant in the German Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
preliminary round show in 2001. The song was entitled "Share Fun and Joy".
In 2002, Moshammer sold a shirt thought to have been worn by Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
at auction for more than 62,000 euros ($81,200), donating the proceeds to a Munich homeless charity.
Death
On the morning of January 14, 2005, at 9 AM, his personal driver found him dead in his mansion in GrünwaldGrunwald
Grunwald may refer to:* Battle of Grunwald, a decisive battle fought in 1410 in what is now northern Poland* Grunwald, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, a village near the site of the battle* Gmina Grunwald, a municipality containing the village of Grunwald...
, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
south of Munich. According to first reports of the public prosecutors, Moshammer had been strangled with a black telephone cable. The cable was found near the dead body. Daisy was found unharmed in the living room of his mansion.
The Munich police
Municipal police (Germany)
Stadtpolizei is the name given to the municipal police forces of some German cities.After 1945, there were many local and city police forces, such as the Munich Police Force, throughout Germany...
gave a press conference at noon on Sunday, January 16, reporting that a 25 year-old Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i asylum seeker, who had been tracked down through a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
database, had admitted murdering Moshammer. It has been alleged that Moshammer had refused to pay 2000 euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s to the man, who was in financial difficulties, in return for sexual favors.
His legacy
Moshammer was one of Germany's most successful fashion designers after Karl LagerfeldKarl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...
, Jil Sander
Jil Sander
Heidemarie Jiline 'Jil' Sander is a minimalist German fashion designer and the founder of the Jil Sander fashion house....
and Wolfgang Joop
Wolfgang Joop
Wolfgang Joop is a German fashion designer. He is the founder of the fashion and cosmetics company JOOP!, and father of fashion designer Jette Joop.-Early life:...
. Furthermore, he committed his wealth to helping homeless people
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
. He had recently begun to build a house for the homeless in Munich.
Books (in German)
- Moshammer, Rudolph: Nicht nur Kleider machen Leute (It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds) (1993), ISBN 3-7962-0096-6
- Moshammer, Rudolph: Mama und ich (Mum and I) (1995), ISBN 3-8004-1324-8
- Moshammer, Rudolph: Elegant kochen ohne Schnickschnack. Zurück zum Wesentlichen (1997), ISBN 3-87287-440-3
- Moshammer, Rudolph: Ich, Daisy. Bekenntnisse einer Hundedame (I, Daisy. Confessions of a Lady Dog)(1998), ISBN 3-8004-1379-5
- Moshammer, Rudolph: Mein Christkindlbuch (2000), ISBN 3-7766-2194-X
- Moshammer, Rudolph: Mein geliebtes München (My Beloved Munich) (2002), ISBN 3-7766-2272-5