Before she took the world by storm, then-unknown Lady Gaga (née Stefani Germanotta), was just another aspiring performer, albeit a wildly talented one, to get stage time at Lollapalooza. WWD was there, and put her on the front page of the August 13, 2007, issue. Now the world’s biggest pop star, Gaga rocks Armani Privé and Prada when she’s not sporting glitter-encrusted masks, bustiers, hair bows of real hair and evening gowns of meat. Part of Gaga’s appeal is her sheer audacity; in an interview with WWD to discuss the MAC AIDS Fund’s Viva Glam campaign, she cracked that she’d like to see the lipstick shade she created “on condoms all over the world.” And people are listening: At press time, Gaga had nearly six million followers on Twitter, making her the world’s most followed tweeter. The fashion and beauty worlds have also developed a Gaga obsession: Giorgio Armani told WWD in May that the performer is a “modern phenomenon who has proved to be fascinating, and whose every appearance is a piece of theater.” At the Met Gala that same month, a smitten Oprah Winfrey gushed: “She is more than a pop artist, she is a spiritual force. Her being all she is makes us want to be more of who we are.” However, Stephen Colbert couldn’t resist a playful swipe on Gaga’s over-the-top ensembles at the 2010 Grammy Awards: “I can’t wait for the next outfit. They’re just gonna spread glue on her and run her through a Build-a-Bear Workshop.”