Sighsten Herrgård
Encyclopedia
Sighsten Herrgård was a Swedish
fashion designer. He was the first Swedish celebrity with AIDS
to go public about it, "giving AIDS a face".
Sighsten Herrgård received his fashion
education at Beckmans School of Design in Stockholm
and at the pattern development academies in Stockholm
and Copenhagen
. His career took off in 1966 when he won the Courtauld International Design Competition with a collection of unisex
clothing. In the 1970s Herrgård established internationally in Paris
and North America
; he also started a company in Stockholm
and worked with television
, magazines and show
s.
On 29 July 1987 Herrgård held a dramatic press conference, stating "I'm going to die. I have AIDS. I may only have months left, but I want to die with dignity".
At this time in Sweden the disease and its risks were still little understood. Herrgård much discussed this with his doctors and decided that "AIDS needed to get a face". Although doctors only gave him months to live, a year at most, he survived another two years.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
fashion designer. He was the first Swedish celebrity with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
to go public about it, "giving AIDS a face".
Sighsten Herrgård received his fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
education at Beckmans School of Design in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and at the pattern development academies in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. His career took off in 1966 when he won the Courtauld International Design Competition with a collection of unisex
Unisex
Unisex stands for the meaning that either gender or sex will be able to, but can also be another term for gender-blindness.The term was coined in the 1962 and was used fairly informally...
clothing. In the 1970s Herrgård established internationally in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
; he also started a company in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and worked with television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, magazines and show
Show
Show may refer to:* Show , 1993* Show , 2003* Show , 1994* Show , an Australian fair* Show , a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy** Conformation dog show...
s.
On 29 July 1987 Herrgård held a dramatic press conference, stating "I'm going to die. I have AIDS. I may only have months left, but I want to die with dignity".
At this time in Sweden the disease and its risks were still little understood. Herrgård much discussed this with his doctors and decided that "AIDS needed to get a face". Although doctors only gave him months to live, a year at most, he survived another two years.