Tatjana Patitz, one of the original supermodels of the 90s, has died at the age of 56.
Patitz rose to fame in January 1990, when she appeared alongside Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington in Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo bodysuits and Levi jeans on the cover of British Vogue.
Photographed in black and white by Peter Lindbergh, it was a historic moment for the minimal fashion of the 90s. But for the women themselves, the image became a coronation for the “supermodels”, defining them as ultimate icons of the popular culture of that decade. And it was this cover that caught the eye of George Michael, who asked them to lip sync to his memorable Freedom! Music video ’90.
The strong-boned beauty’s arched elegance and the German-born model’s athletic physique made her a favorite of Chanel and Versace, for whom she starred in catwalks and campaigns. But she kept a low profile, making herself at home in California, away from the fashionable party circuit.
“She was much less visible than her peers, more mysterious, older, more unattainable, and that had its own appeal,” recalled Anna Wintour, chief operating officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue.
Patitz was still modeling in 2019, when she walked the runway for Etro at Milan Fashion Week and was photographed for Vogue with her son Jonah Johnson.
Born in Hamburg to an Estonian mother and a German father, Patitz moved with her family to Skanör, a coastal town in southern Sweden. Already a competitive rider, in 1983 she took part in an elite model competition in Stockholm and came third. The prize was a trip to Paris and a short-term contract.
Success did not happen overnight. According to a Vogue profile in 1988: “A star was not born quickly. Tatjana couldn’t find a job for a year.”
Meeting Lindbergh would change his career. Known for his preference for a “natural” look and resistance to retouching images, the German photographer photographed Patitz in his “White Shirts: Six Supermodels, Malibu” for Vogue in 1988 before filming her for the famous 1990 cover. Patitz would go on to have long-term working relationships with Lindbergh, as well as Herb Ritts and Patrick Demarchelier.
Emma Wiklund, Tatjana Patitz, Heather Stewart-Whyte, Fabienne Terwinghe and Naomi Campbell in a campaign for Peta in 1994. Photograph: REX/Shutterstock
Despite coming of age with some of the world’s most famous models, it was also in 1990 that Linda Evangelista claimed her cohorts wouldn’t wake up for less than $10,000 (£8,200) a day, Patitz was not interested in living in New. York or Paris, instead of buying a ranch on the West Coast. He tried acting briefly and appeared in the Sean Connery film Rising Sun. She also took an interest in environmental and wildlife issues, and was one of the models who appeared in Peta’s famous “We’d rather be naked than in fur” campaign.
In 2009, speaking openly about the dangers the industry posed to the next generation, she told the Guardian: “It would be good if models were a healthier weight, for models and for young women looking up . to them. We were athletic and healthy, and we looked like women.”
In his book 10 Women, Peter Lindbergh wrote about his long-time muse: “I admire Tatjana because she always stays herself. She is very soft, but at the same time very strong and knows how to stand up for what she thinks, and it is always very enriching to be with her. It’s impossible not to admire her and over the years not to be a little in love with her.”
Patitz is survived by his 19-year-old son, Jonah.