From @bongenre: Detmar, were you surprised by how beloved Isabella was? You wrote that she would’ve been surprised and delighted by how appreciated she was by high flying industry figures and fans alike, but did you see it before her passing?

Detmar Blow:I was very proud how Issie inspired and encouraged so many people. I feel Issie was let down by the fashion industry–that was in all three addresses at her memorial service. I am comforted though that when Issie was dying she told the nurses “Google me–I am important.” Issie died proud–she knew she had made a mark. Coming through customs she told me proudly that the immigration officers had seen her and said “We know who you are. No need to show your passport.” She was proud.

I am sorry the dark depression got such a grip on Isabella. It was as she suspected partly genetic. Her feckless grandfather had committed suicide–and suffered from depression, as did his half brother. Issie was dealt a tough hand in life but she fought hard. She could not see herself as an elderly childless woman.