In his own right, Lance LePere can be referred to as a successful fashion designer who has risen to now serve as the creative director of women’s design at the fashion brand Micheal Kors. However, due to his affiliation and marriage to the chief creative officer of the brand, he is better known to the wider public as Michael Kors’ partner. The two both made headlines after they became one of the first gay couples in New York to solemnize their relationship that had lasted for over two decades. Read on to find out more about his life and other endeavors.
Lance Lepere – Bio (Age)
At an undisclosed date in 1970, Lance LePere was born to Harold and Dixie LePere in Belleville, Illinois. While it is not clear what his mother did for a living, his father, who was popularly referred to as Hap, was an architect who famously helped design Memorial Hospital in Belleville. Lance was raised alongside three other children; a brother named Scott and two sisters named Nicole Sinn and Michelle Hewer.
All the details about Lance LePere’s early life and childhood are not available, however, it is known that he attended and graduated from Belleville East High School before leaving home and moving to New York. He arrived at the Big Apple at the age of 17 to begin building his career in the fashion industry. After a few years, in 1990 to be exact, he found work as an intern in Michael Kors’ company and soon began making strides in the fashion world.
Everything About Michael Kors’ Partner
1. Relationship with Michael Kors
As mentioned above, Lance LePere’s first encounter with Michael Kors was when he found work as an intern in the designer’s company. The two were said to have bonded over their shared interests in different things, inside and outside of the fashion world, and soon began developing intimacy. While LePere was working in Kors’ Paris outlet, the two notably had meals together at Joe Allen restaurant and soon began officially dating despite the 12 -year age gap between them.
On August 3, 2011, after what has been termed in the media as a 21-year-long courtship period between the pair, Lance LePere and Michael Kors acquired a marriage license at the City Clerk’s Office in Manhattan to become legally married. The pair were said to have not planned to have an elaborate ceremony, however, a few weeks later on the 16th of August, 2011, on Dune Beach in Southampton, Long Island in New York, they had a barefoot wedding ceremony that was officiated by Southampton Mayor Mark Epley.
Together, Kors and LePere share homes in New York and elsewhere. They have an apartment at Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, New York City, a hamlet on Fire Island in Suffolk County, New York, and a house on Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands.
2. His Mother Had a Long Battle With Cancer
Just a few years after he was born, Lance LePere’s mother began her long battle with breast cancer as she was diagnosed with the disease when he was only two years of age. As the story goes, his mother used to refer to her cancer medication as her “beauty pills”. She also made sure never to speak negatively to her son about the illness or the treatment she was receiving, even after he was old enough to handle the situation. Dixie LePere’s battle with cancer lasted for 33 years, until 2003 when she passed away.
3. LePere Has Given a Good Portion of his Wealth to Charity
Lance LePere’s mother’s long battle with cancer was said to have lasted as long as it did due to the treatment she received from Memorial Hospital in Belleville, of which both his parents served on the board of. In memory of both his parents and specifically in appreciation of what the hospital did for his mother, LePere and his husband Michael Kors donated $750,000 to the hospital.
In honor of the kind gesture, the hospital’s foundation decided to rename the breast health center at the Memorial Hospital after his parents, as the Harold and Dixie LePere Breast Health Center.
4. He is a Lifelong Theatre Enthusiast
Along with his famous fashion designer husband, Lance LaPere is a lifelong theatre enthusiast. The pair are huge fans of the Roundabout Theatre, where they always go to watch plays. A testament of their love for the art form is their donation of $1.5 million to Roundabout Theatre Company, which helped in the development and production of musicals.
