Kat Von D (born Katherine von Drachenberg)
Mexican-American
Tattoo Artist + Entrepreneur
Website: katvondbeauty.com
Instagram: @thekatvond
Born in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Kat Von D is Mexican by birth, and the daughter of Argentinian-born parents of German, Italian and Spanish descent. The family moved to Loma Linda, California (in San Bernardino County) when Kat was 6 years old.
By 14, Kat got her first tattoo and fell so much in love with the art form, that she dropped out of school to become a professional tattoo artist – using her friends as canvas for her artistry. Practice paid off when she landed her first job at a tattoo parlour at the age of 16. Although the legal age to be an artist was 18, Kat’s interviewer was intrigued by her portfolio and sketchbook, and gave her a shot at the all-male company.
Fast forward to 23, Kat would get her first taste of reality tv, when she was asked to star in TLC’s Miami Ink in Florida. And between 2007 and 2011, her skills and devoted fans gave Kat the opportunity of a lifetime – her own reality show called LA Ink, back in Los Angeles. The all-female team gave a jolt to an industry dominated by men, and took viewers on an inside look into Kat’s life at her tattoo shop, High Voltage Tattoo. By 26 (in 2008), Kat created and launched her own make-up line for Sephora, and has released a new collection every year since then. In July 2016, she announced that all of her products would be fully free of animal products.
Crediting Los Angeles’ Latino culture as a major influence on her tattoo art and style, Kat Von D's journey continues to be filled with success. We wish her all the best and look forward to her upcoming beauty launch at Sephora Champs-Elysées in France (January 2017).
Interesting fact: Kat is the creator of Musink Tattoo Convention and Music Festival – an annual tattoo, music and art festival in Southern California, which started in 2008.
Sources: Pop Sugar, The Guardian and Yahoo