A DAY IN THE LIFE
to Cifonelli requesting “the same suit Alexander
Kraft wears", which is now officially called the
“Alexander K. suit”. The Cifonelli cousins, Lorenzo
and Massimo, quickly saw the potential for a much
broader cooperation and asked me to become their
official ambassador, which I am happy to be as I
will only wear and promote models that have been
made for myself and perfectly reflect my style.
But seriously, I really like, and also collect, classic
and contemporary nude photography, ranging all
the way from Horst P. Horst to Herb Ritts. A particular favorite of mine is Bruce Weber – a great dream
of mine would be to be photographed by him! So
this was a great influence – creating something
sensual, without ever being vulgar. And as a classic
movie buff, I could not resist telling a mini-story.
Of all your endeavors, which one gives
you the most personal satisfaction?
Alongside your success, you are equally known
for your unassuming and humble nature. How do
you manage to keep your feet on the ground?
Frankly, it’s really the combination that’s so interesting: By nature, I always need to do something,
create something - I am not someone who likes
a set routine. At the same time, I have many,
quite different interests, and I am in the very
lucky position to be able to cram them all into
one (hectic) life! So while I might sometimes
get a bit tired and will invariably need my “time
off”, I would not want to miss any of these endeavors, be it real estate, art, fashion or music.
Your first single, “The Reason,” was recently released to much acclaim. Where did you find the
time for yet another project of this magnitude?
As always, this started out as a strictly private
project. Since my childhood I have always made,
and also composed, music. However, my rather pronounced taste for the good life, and the corresponding obligation to earn a living, relegated that penniless activity to week-ends and late evenings. When I
produced last year a corporate video for my company, I saw a welcome opportunity to dust off my
music skills and write the soundtrack for this video
instead of just buying some nondescript shelf music.
I then had my tracks mixed at a Paris recording
studio where the producers were rather impressed
with what they heard and asked me whether I had
written other pieces. I showed them some of my
work and they strongly encouraged me to release
them officially. And so another project started…
The sound and look of the video is very sensual. What was your inspiration?
Believe or not, behind my Prussian business façade,
there also lurks a sensual side underneath…[laughs].
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Fall 2014 1961 Magazine
Oh well… if you asked my family, they would
describe me as anything but humble [laughs]! In my
own mind, I see myself probably still as a slightly
inebriated law student with a tatty old MG convertible, old jeans and a well-worn navy blazer and
lots of crazy dreams, so that for most of the time, I
do not even realize that 20 years have passed and
many of these dreams have become a reality… And
frankly, hailing from a rather disciplined Prussian
family, I was not raised to become cocky and pat
myself on the back; on the contrary, I noted that
whenever I even had the slightest inclination to
become self-congratulatory, good old fate would
quickly give me a kick in the metaphoric pants.
Simply to make the rest of us feel better; has
there been anything in life that has not worked
out the way you would have preferred?
Although I hate to disillusion you, but just like
anybody else, I have had my fair share of battles:
For example, in 2006, not even 2 years after I had
acquired my company, my wife was diagnosed with
cancer and I almost died sitting at my desk from a
burst appendix. Battling through this period while
rebuilding a big company from scratch was no picnic. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has his challenges, but those who succeed are the ones who keep
marching on in the face of adversity: As my hero
Churchill said: “Never give up, never surrender!”