Katherine Von Drachenberg, better known as Kat Von D, is an American tattoo artist, TV personality and model. She's best known for her appearances on reality TV show, LA Ink and for being the former CEO of make-up brand, Kat Von D Beauty (now rebranded as KVD Beauty).
Kat was born in Mexico in 1982 and moved to California by the age of four years old. As a teenager, she began listening to rock and punk music, particularly The Misfits and The Ramones. She got her first tattoo when she was 14 years old and decided to leave school when she was 16 to become a tattoo artist herself.
Kat first entered the public eye when she appeared on the reality TV show, Miami Ink. She appeared for two seasons before she left after a falling out with another tattoo artist on the show, Ami James. She then acquired her own show, LA Ink, which followed her work and life at her tattoo studio, High Voltage Tattoo in Hollywood. During her time on the show, she earned a Guinness World Record for the highest number of tattoos given by a single person in 24 hours. Kat decided to stop the show in 2011 after its run of 4 seasons.
In 2008, Kat launched her make-up brand, Kat Von D Beauty with Sephora and released new collections each year, with fragrances eventually joining the line up. In 2016, Kat announced the brand was fully vegan and a limited edition lipstick launched that year with 20% of sales being donated to projects dedicated to care for retired research chimpanzees.
The make-up brand came under controversy for one of the lipsticks in the collection named 'Selektion'. The word is considered offensive to Germans as it was a term used by Nazis to indicate who would be chosen to be sent to death in concentration camps. The lipstick was renamed 'Beloved'. Yet another lipstick was inconsiderately named with Sephora pulling the shade from shelves and issuing an apology soon after.
In the same year of her make-up brand launch, Kat created the MusInk Tattoo Convention and Music Festival which is held in California.
In 2009, Kat released her first book, High Voltage Tattoo which reached #6 on the New York Times Bestsellers List and included the foreword written by Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx. She released her second book, The Tattoo Chronicles in 2010 which followed a year in her life.
In 2010, the Wonderland Gallery was opened in the empty space next door to Kat's tattoo studio. She also launched her clothing line, KVD Los Angeles.
Kat made moves into the music industry in 2012 and 2016, providing vocals on an album for the Finnish rock band The 69 Eyes.
In 2018, Kat appeared on the animal rights documentary, Dominion alongside Sia, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara and Stranger Things actor, Sadie Sink.
In 2020, Kat sold her beauty brand to its parent company, Kendo Brands with them rebranding it to KVD Vegan Beauty.
Kat's personal life has been subject to a lot of interest as well as controversy. She decided to become sober in 2007 and her (former) beauty brand followed her vegan and cruelty free principles.
Amongst her many tattoos, Kat has emblems of the bands, Guns N' Roses, HIM and Slayer amidst others. She's also appeared in music videos for Alkaline Trio, HIM and GUNSHIP.
She's been involved in publicised relationships with Mötley Crüe's Nikki Six as well as reality TV star, Jesse James, music producer deadmau5 and her current husband, Rafael Reyes. In 2018, she gave birth to her son whom she has controversially stated she will not vaccinate. However she has since gone back on her statement, saying she was misinformed and has since had her son safely vaccinated.
Kat has an infamously close friendship with fellow make-up artist, Jeffree Star. However this ended after Kat released a YouTube video stating Star had not paid an artist for their work on his make-up line's logo as well as feeling he used her knowledge and friendship to gain traction for his brand. Star refuted the claims and released a response video, stating their friendship was indeed over.
Filmography
- Pimp My Ride (2004)
- Miami Ink (2005-2006)
- LA Ink (2007-2011)
- MADtv (2008)
- Bam Margera Presents: Where The #$&% Is Santa (2008)
- The Bleeding (2009) as Vanya
- Tony Hawk Ride (2009)
- Lemmy (2010)
- I Love Jenni (2013)
- Life in Pieces (2016)
- Dominion (2018)
