- Kat Von D is a tattoo artist, author, musician, and footwear designer.
- She is best known for her role in her former makeup brand “LA Ink” and her controversies.
- But you might not know his real name and the fact that he previously held a world record.
When you hear the name Kat Von D, you probably think of tattoos or makeup.
The 41-year-old has made a career out of both art forms, but some people also know her as a musician, author, former world-record holder and mother.
Here are nine things you might not know about Von D, from her classical music training to her real name.
Kat Von D’s real name is Katherine von Drachenberg.
As Von D previously wrote in an essay for PopSugar, she was born on March 8, 1982, in Montemorelos, a city in Nuevo León, Mexico.
His family moved to the United States in 1988 and lived near Loma Linda, California, home to a large Seventh-day Adventist community. Von D said in her essay for PopSugar that her family was involved in church when she was a child.
As a child, he was trained as a classical musician.
Speaking with Forbes in 2021, Von D said she began playing piano at the age of 5, taking classical lessons from her grandmother “every day”.
She also told the outlet that she “grew up on a healthy diet of Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin.”
Music remains a big part of Von D’s life today. She released her debut album – a mix of electronic pop and indie tracks titled “Love Made Me Do It” – in August 2021, and released a disco-esque single titled “Vampire Love” in October.
He once held a world record for tattooing the largest number of people in a single day.
Of course, Von D wasn’t doing any extensive tattoo work that day in 2007. Instead, he imprinted the Guinness-approved LA logo on 400 people for $20 a person, with the proceeds going to the Vitamin Angels nonprofit organization.
According to World Records AcademyLines formed about 48 hours before Von D was to begin getting her tattoo, and police later had to disperse a crowd of about 1,000 people.
At one point in her career, Von D was the preferred tattoo artist for celebrities.
Von D’s list of celebrity clients includes Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Harry Styles, Demi Lovato and Dave Grohl, among others.
He has released four books throughout his career, including one children’s book.
Von D first became a writer in 2009 with the release “High Voltage Tattoo,” Which contains details of his life story, early career and tattoos.
then she was released “The Tattoo Chronicles” – an illustrated diary of tattoos he gave in 2010 and an essay collection called “Go big or go home: taking risks in life, love, and tattoos” in 2013.
Recently, Von D published “Leifer and the Magical Treasure Chest”, a children’s story inspired by her son in 2022. This book came with a page of temporary tattoos for children to use after reading.
She previously lived in a historic mansion that was featured in “Cheaper by the Dozen”.
For years, Von D lived in a Victorian mansion located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally created in 1896 by businessman Isaac Newton Van Nuys, and was later featured in the 2003 film “Chipper by the Dozen”.
Von D buys a house again For $6.5 million in 2016 and renovated it during six years, When she lived there, it had a Gothic library, a dining room fit for royalty, and a blood-red swimming pool.
But after deciding to move to Indiana, Von D listed the mansion for $15 million in January 2022 and sold the property for $7.75 million in March 2023.
Von D also owns a vegan footwear brand, which she founded in 2019.
In a video on her brand’s website, Von D said that as a vegan and “one of the biggest shoe aficionados on the planet”, she wanted to create “a luxury line of artistically minded shoes that appeal to all Be cruelty-free in all aspects.”
The brand currently sells sneakers, platform heels, flats, and other shoes that are all made from 100% vegan materials.
Although KVD Beauty still exists, Von D no longer has a role in the brand.
While starring in the second season of her TLC series “LA Ink”, Von D launched a limited-edition makeup line at Sephora. According to the Los Angeles Times, It included four lipsticks, two eye-shadow palettes, six liquid eyeliners and a brush set.
But eventually, this collection turned into an extremely popular brand. As Allure previously reported, the Kat Von D Beauty lipstick in a shade called Lolita was Sephora’s best-selling lipstick of 2015.
While appearing on Hillary Kerr “Second Life” Podcast In 2020, Von D said that when she started working with the beauty retailer she had “no idea” what she was doing, but she was “a little nonchalant” in making sure that she and her brand were on board with it. Don’t “fit”. Others at that time.
“I was trying to make something that wasn’t made and we did that,” she said. “I remember telling him, ‘Hey, I don’t go to Sephora because it’s too boring. At that time, you’d walk down the aisle and everything was just like that.’
In a January 2020 Instagram post, Von D revealed that she had sold shares of her eponymous beauty brand to Kendo.
She later said during a podcast appearance that the beauty industry has become “a cultural thing” full of influential people, Which she did not want to be a part of.
Von D has covered most of her famous tattoos with blackout designs.
Von D started replacing her original tattoo In late 2020, started with her arms and later worked on her legs and back.
in October 1st Instagram In the post, Von D shared a video of her progress and explained her decision to cover her body in solid black ink.
“After 17 sessions, and about 40 cumulative hours, we have completed about 80% of our body darkening,” Von D wrote. “I’ve been flying to Philly constantly to get tattooed by the amazing @hoode215 at her lovely tattoo shop @blackwlturegallery.”
Von D further stated that the old tattoos no longer match who she is today.
She wrote, “Some people don’t mind having these kinds of marks of time on themselves – I personally am tired of waking up and seeing those constant reminders every time I look in the mirror.”
He also said that he “started out lasering the tattoo” but later decided to cover the design with blackout ink because he liked the aesthetics.