Education

Macdonald attended Cyfarthfa High School in his place of birth, the working class town of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Julien was taught knitting by his mother and soon became interested in design.

Macdonald was also interested in a career as a dancer, but, instead, studied textiles at the Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Brighton, England. He then became a student at the Royal College of Art, where he gained a master's degree.

Career

Soon after graduation, Macdonald was recruited by Karl Lagerfeld to work for Chanel, a role that was accompanied by freelance work creating knitwear for Alexander McQueen.

In 2000, Macdonald was appointed to the position of chief designer at the Paris Haute Couture house of Givenchy (as successor to Alexander McQueen); and, in 2001, he was named British Fashion Designer of the Year.

He was selected by British Airways in 2001 to redesign their flight attendants' uniforms.

Controversy

Macdonald has attracted much criticism for his extensive use of fur, including one incident in which he and Paris Hilton were flour-bombed. He stated that fur provides the majority of his revenue and that his label would collapse were he not to use it. In February 2007, Macdonald was again criticised for the prominent use of fur in his autumn collection, causing further outrage when he claimed that "People who don't like fur can piss off. I love fur. It's a beautiful natural product from animals."

Celebrity clients

Macdonald's dresses have been worn by several actresses.

Media appearances

Macdonald appeared as a judge on the British version of Project Runway, known as Project Catwalk, that was broadcast on Sky One.

In February 2010, Macdonald was appointed as a new judge on Britain's Next Top Model, alongside new host and former supermodel, Elle Macpherson.

In September 2013, MacDonald was revealed as one of the contestants on the dancing competition television show Strictly Come Dancing. Janette Manrara is his professional partner and the designer explained in a 17 September interview: "she’s the one that literally keeps me on my toes ... after only two weeks of training, parts of me hurt that I didn't even know existed." The couple were eliminated in the fourth week of the competition after losing to Countdown presenter Rachel Riley.

Awards

In June 2006, MacDonald was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to fashion.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]