Raised on the mean streets of Brooklyn's Brownsville district, Gene Krell is a self-proclaimed tough guy who cites as one of his heroes a little-known but highly colorful "Dadaist professional boxer" called Arthur Cravan.
Odd, then, that he should have found his life's work in the effete world of fashion, where -- besides his role as international fashion director of Vogue and GQ Japan -- he is creative director at Vogue, Vogue Girl and W in South Korea as well as a creative consultant to the Korean editions of GQ and Allure magazines.
The pugnacious fashionista began his ascent to stardom working at legendary '60s London boutique Granny Takes a Trip. His performance there attending to the likes of John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger and Marc Bolan quickly led to a position as the right-hand man of designer Vivienne Westwood at the height of her '70s punk powers.