1. LEGENDS
In an utter manipulation of the senses, celebrating high profile. Larger-than-life perso-
nae and a fascination with the surreal, we hark back to a generation of iconic history-
makers and influencers known as celebrities. They coloured popular culture with their
myriad scandals and epic narratives which subliminally have remained in our collective
conscience, incessantly influencing our own values and personal styles along the way.
Whether it is the inimical Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols and his anarchic angst; the
alluring Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor draped in extravagant diamonds, a witty and
cheeky Jack Nicholson as the Joker or the enigmatic Alfred Hitchcock toying with our
emotions and senses, they are each in their own right revolutionary game-changers and
perennial icons of industry.
by Kyle Johnson
Illustrations by Natalia Jhete
An iconic actor, screenwriter and producer, Jack Nicholson got his first break in the 1969 American cult classic ‘Easy Rider’ and later dazzled us in the Oscar
award-winning ‘One Flew Over A Cuckoo’s Nest’ 1975); scared the daylights out of us in ‘The Shining’ (1980) and kept us riveted in ‘Batman’ (1989) as
the infamously cryptic Joker, encapsulating a kaleidoscopic range of neurotic yet alluring characters. Having worked with Stanley Kubrick, Roman Polanski
and a plethora of Hollywood’s most respected directors and actors, Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award every decade and accomplished
in his career what only a few could aspire to. Ergo, by playing introverted, manipulative and twisted characters often engaged in cryptic plot lines, he leaves
for us a mark in cinematic history that extols rebelliousness and the importance of personal freedom.
CELEBRITY ICONS
“In this industry, there are only two ways up the ladder. Rung by rung or claw your way to the top. It’s sure been tough on my nails”
JACK NICHOLSON
April 22, 1937 - Present

2. An archetypal figure seeped in rebellion, self-destruction and antithe-
tical ideologies, Sid Vicious was the seditious bassist in the Sex Pis-
tols, one of the most notorious Punk rock bands created by Malcom
McLaren. With his cantankerous personality, violent outbursts and
unkempt appearance styled like something out Vivienne Westwood’s
1970s boutique SEX, he perfectly fit into the edgy and anarchic role of
an idolized Punk rock cult figure. Indisputably a revolutionary in his
music, style and bad attitude, his life read much like a Shakespearian
tragedy, when after the murder of his then girlfriend Nancy Spungen,
Sid died of an intentional heroin overdose while awaiting a trial for her
murder. Already notorious for their bad behavior, they became a myth
of a couple, a Punk rock Romeo and Juliet.
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“Undermine their pompous authority, reject their moral standards, make
anarchy and disorder your trademarks. Cause as much chaos and disrup-
tion as possible but don’t let them take you ALIVE”
SID VICIOUS
May 10, 1957 - February 2, 1979
A larger-than-life yet mysterious figure inspired by the art of mani-
pulation and suspense, cinematic createur Alfred Hitchcock, who
spawned more than 50 years worth of psychological thrillers like ‘Dial
M for Murder’ (1954), ‘Psycho’ (1960) and ‘The Birds’ (1963) was
an iconic driving force in Cinema history. With his sexually-charged
plots (famously spearheaded by high-strung blondes) mired in secrecy
and hidden agendas, he pioneered a genre of cinematic thrillers that
have become synonymous with him, “Hitchcockian”. Consequently,
although he started out as an advertising and title card designer, as a
film director and producer, he delivered to us daunting brainteasers of
gut-wrenching intrigue, violence and murder. Indubitably a master of
emotional drama, Hitchcock inevitably left his audiences bewildered,
yet always wanting more.
“If I won’t be myself, who will?”
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
August 13, 1899 - April 29, 1980
From her early years as a child star with MGM, American-British screen actress Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE became one of the great screen
actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age, renowned for her alluring timeless beauty, especially her atypical violet eyes. A survivor of scandal, myriad health issues
and multiple marriages, Taylor remained a enduring force in Hollywood, later spending much of her energy as a pioneering AIDS activist. As a child star she
dallied with animals (‘Courage of Lassie’. 1946) and as a stunning starlet, she often portrayed women with unbridled animalistic sexual energy, mastering
the roles of femme fatale, helpless victim and aging harridan in films like “There’s One Born Every Minute’ (1942), ‘Giant’ (1956)’, Butterfield 8’ (1960),
“Father of the Bride (1950)” and ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ (1966). In 1963’s ‘Cleopatra’ she became the first actress to earn $1,000,000 for a movie
role for her portrayal of the Egyptian queen. Provocative, outspoken, eccentric and larger-than-life, Taylor and her life manifested a thirst in the public’s
psyche and was epitomized by her beauty, serial marriages, love of diamond jewelry, charity work and even her chummy friendship with Michael Jackson.
“You find out who your real friends are when you’re involved in a scandal”
ELIZABETH TAYLOR
February 27, 1932 - March 23, 2011