The king of couture has passed away.
Albert Eickhoff († 86) is dead, died of old age. He no longer dresses the super celebrities, but the angels in heaven.
As BILD learns from family circles, the “fashion pope” fell asleep peacefully in his private home in Meerbusch (Düsseldorf) on the night from Wednesday to Thursday. At his deathbed: his wife, his children and grandchildren, that is, his immediate family. Most recently, the department store mogul is said to have weighed only 50 kilograms.
Close friends and other confidants have already said goodbye to Eickhoff in the past few days. The funeral is now scheduled for Friday next week.
Albert Eickhoff 2006 with Patricia Rieckel and Udo Walz
Eickhoff expanded his small textile business in Lippstadt into one of the most famous fashion dynasties (100 collections, 70 employees, 25 million euros turnover).
Eickhoff got the trade in goods in the cradle. He was born in 1935 to a general store owner. After school, Eickhoff completed an apprenticeship as a textile merchant and founded the Eickhoff fashion salon in Lippstadt in 1961 with his wife Brigitte.
Albert Eickhoff with actress Iris Berben
The starting capital back then: 4,000 German marks. Eickhoff relied on luxury goods from Berlin designers such as Uli Richter, Staebe-Seger, Detlev Albers and Rolf Horn.
Eickhoff also helped himself abroad, bought from Italians and brought THEM onto the German market: Roberto Cavalli, Giorgio Armani, Prada, Gucci! He was already selling the French luxury clothes from Chloé when Karl Lagerfeld († 85) was still creative director there.
Close friends: Gianni Versace (left) and Albert Eickhoff
At the end of the 1970s, Albert Eickhoff was the very first to believe in the later star designer Gianni Versace (1946-1997): he convinced him not to stage his first big fashion show in Milan or Paris, but in the German provinces.
So in 1978 the department store boss held a fashion show in Lippstadt – Versace’s first major fashion show ever. Top models like Jerry Hall (66) or Pat Cleveland (72) ran.
The rest is history: Versace became the sun god of fashion in the 1980s and 1990s and had a global career.
Eickhoff (here with his wife Brigitte) blossomed into the great fashion patriarch of the Kö
In 1981 Eickhoff moved its headquarters to Düsseldorf. He later moved into the striking sales pavilion at the Kö-Center – which gave him the nickname “King of Kö”.
From 2006 daughter and son-in-law took over the business. But Eickhoff continued to work until the very end. Noisy “ FAZ“, Eickhoff generated an annual turnover of 25 million euros on a sales area of 1050 square meters. The department store closed in 2013.
He also supported many German fashion designers from the start. Wolfgang Joop (77) on BILD: “Albert was a great supporter of fashion and, last but not least, a good friend. It was his pioneering act to bring great fashion from Italy and France to the German provinces.”
And: “He encouraged us as creative people and showed us as fashion designers how we can sell ourselves. Today’s understanding of luxury began with him. I am very sad. The benches are slowly getting empty.”
In the big BILD interview in 2011, Albert Eickhoff also gave a glimpse into his soul.
He told us about how many suits he has in his closet: “A maximum of seven, five dark blue, the so-called Milanese blue, two anthracite. The eighth is black just in case. Gladly from Kiton.” The Neapolitan tailor is one of the best addresses in the world, his suits cost from 2,550 to 10,000 euros.
At the time, Eickhoff talked about deadly fashion sins: “High-waisted jackets with colorful ties in the style of Rudolf Moshammer.” Eickhoff shuddered during the interview. Does Albert Eickhoff sometimes come in a baggy look? “Sure, of course. Beige trousers combined with shirts or sweaters in navy from Lacoste.”
Eickhoff with hit star Andrea Berg and his son-in-law Stefan Asbrand-Eickhoff
And when asked what he can laugh about, the fashion king of the Kö said: “About uncomplicated stories while eating and happy experiences with friends. And about Hape Kerkeling and his skillful wit, which he worked hard to achieve despite all his talent.”
At the time, Eickhoff also spoke to BILD about the subject of dying: “It befits a clever couple of our age to have arranged the successor. And we have. I’m not afraid of dying. I just want to fall asleep at home with my family, just not in a clinic. I would get help beforehand.”
His last wish was granted.