Björn Sighsten Herrgård was a Finnish-born Swedish fashion designer and major trendsetter in Stockholm. In 1987, Herrgård was the first Swedish celebrity with
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
to disclose their status in public.
Sighsten Herrgård received his fashion education at
Beckmans School of Design in Stockholm and at the
pattern development academies in Stockholm and
Copenhagen. His career took off in 1966 when he won the
Courtauld International Design Competition Courtauld is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Adam Courtauld Butler or Adam Butler (British politician), DL (1931–2008), British Conservative Party politician and MP
*Augustine Courtauld (1904–1959), often called August Cou ...
with a collection of
unisex clothing. In the 1970s Herrgård established internationally in Paris and North America; he also started a company in Stockholm and worked with television, magazines and shows.
On 29 July 1987, Herrgård held a press conference, stating that "I'm going to die. I have AIDS. I may only have months left, but I want to
die with dignity
Dignified death, death with dignity, dying with dignity or dignity in dying is an ethical concept that refers to the end-of-life process avoiding suffering and maintaining control and autonomy. In general, it is usually treated as an extension of t ...
". His partner Roar Klingenberg (22 November 1941 – 21 September 1984), the first AIDS patient diagnosed in Sweden, had died 3 years earlier.
References
100 år med Aftonbladet – 1980-talet: Sighsten Herrgård gav seklets nya farsot ett ansikte
1943 births
1989 deaths
AIDS-related deaths in Sweden
Swedish gay artists
LGBT fashion designers
Businesspeople from Helsinki
Swedish fashion designers
20th-century Swedish LGBT people
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