Jørgen Bender (9 May 1938 – 10 September 1999) was a Danish fashion designer best known for his work for the Danish, Swedish and Norwegian royal families.

Life

Bender, born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

on 9 May 1938, had wanted to be a designer since the age of 14. He apprenticed with the Danish famed designer Holger Blom, and after Blom's death in 1965, took over his atelier. In the 1960s, after Blom's death, Queen Ingrid became a client. He designed wedding gowns for two of her daughters; Princess Margrethe (later Queen Margrethe II) for her 1967

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

to Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, and Princess Benedikte for her 1968 wedding to Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. While still working under Blom, he assisted with Princess Anne-Marie's gown for her 1964

to King Constantine II of Greece. He would later design wedding gowns for Ingrid's future granddaughter-in-law, Alexandra Manley, for her 1995 wedding to Prince Joachim, and granddaughter, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, for her 1998 wedding to Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth. Queen Margrethe II, herself a costume designer, often worked closely with Bender on designs. Notable creations he made for her include: a purple tulle off-the-shoulder gown for her silver wedding anniversary celebrations in 1992; a gown and fur-trimmed evening coat for Prince Joachim's wedding in 1995 (for which interior design firm Rubelli made the fabric); the fur-trimmed blue ensemble she wears each year to the New Years' Court Reception; and her iconic floral raincoat he fashioned out of a wax tablecloth she purchased at Peter Jones in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Bender also designed the costumes for the 1967 film ' (English: Father makes the sauce). In the 1980s, Queen Ingrid introduced Bender to her niece-by-marriage,

Queen Silvia of Sweden Silvia (born Silvia Renate Sommerlath; 23 December 1943) is Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf. She has held this title since her marriage to Carl XVI Gustaf in 1976. The king and queen have three children: Crown Princess Vict ...

, who often wore his creations to the annual Nobel Banquet. He also designed for

Queen Sonja of Norway Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen; 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway as the wife of King Harald V. Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relationship a secret due to the ...

. In 1998 he designed an evening gown for the Queen of Denmark which she wore for the sitting of her formal portrait by Niels Strøbek. In 1997, Bender was made a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog. He died on 10 September 1999 at the age of 61.

Gallery

File:Henrik-Prince-Consort-of-Denmark-and-Margrethe-II-of-Denmark-coming-out-of-church-after-their-wedding-391768320856.jpg, Then- Princess Margrethe in her wedding gown, a Bender creation, 1967 File:Princess-Benedikte-of-Denmark-and-Prince-Richard-of-Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-391749502057.jpg, Princess Benedikte in her wedding gown, a Bender creation, 1968 File:President George H. W. Bush introduces Nolan Ryan to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark at a State Dinner.jpg, Queen Margrethe II wearing a gown by Bender on a state visit to the United States, 1991

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, Jørgen 1938 births 1999 deaths Danish fashion designers Designers from Copenhagen People from Copenhagen 20th-century Danish people Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog