PARIS – Karl Lagerfeld passed away on the morning of Tuesday, February 19, 2019. He was 85. The extraordinary life of the designer, photographer and creative director is widely known. Here are a few highlights in this compilation of photos, moments, and quotations in memoriam of the late great design icon.
Born in Hamburg, Germany, Lagerfeld would move to Paris with his family when he was a teenager, finishing his secondary school education at the Lycée Montaigne, where he majored in drawing and history. 1954, at the age of 21, he was awarded the prestigious Woolmark Prize: “It was a worldwide contest organized by the international Woolmark company. They had huge posters in cities saying to send sketches if you aren’t a professional. I sent a few sketches, forgot about it. Later, I got a telegram. I was told I won the first for the prize…It was a lot of money…I went immediately in a place in the passage des Champs-Elysées and spent everything on clothes. It was a happy day. There were a few more.” (Buro)
Yves Saint Laurent, just 18 at the time, won best dress design. Theirs would be a rivalry and friendship to last a lifetime. Soon after winning the contest, Lagerfeld was hired by Pierre Balmain. He would work as Balmain’s junior assistant and later apprentice, for three years. After Balmain, there was Jean Patou, Tiziani in Rome in 1964, taking on freelance design work for Charles Jourdan, Krizia, Valentino, and Chloé. He would become the creative director at Chloé twice, in 1974 and again in 1992. The designer had worked with the house from 1964 and for the next decade would go on “to cement its bohemian romance through bold prints on flowing dresses that were confident, fun and liberating. Under his creative eye, the brand reached international success, which put Lagerfeld out there as a serious fashion name.” (Vogue)
It was in Rome in 1965 that Lagerfeld joined Fendi as head of ready-to-wear, beginning relationship (his longest) that would last a stunning 54 years. In 1983, after his contract with Chloé ended, the designer joined Chanel, a dying brand at the time, and changed the course of fashion history by building fashion’s greatest luxury empire in his 36 years as creative director.
The iconic designer ran three design houses simultaneously for over 35 years each: Chanel (which had an astonishing 7 shows per year), Fendi, and his own label, which was launched in 1984. Lagerfeld also crossed over into film and photography, shooting editorials and campaigns for a broad range of clients and publications. Known for his work ethic, it was reported that he worked until the very end, fitting for someone who once said, “Youthfulness is about how you live not when you were born.”
“I am a fashion person, and fashion is not only about clothes‒it’s about all kinds of change” –Karl Lagerfeld
“When I did H&M everyone said don’t do it and it worked. When I took over Chanel everyone said to me don’t do it, it’s dead, it doesn’t work, it worked. So I better not listen to people and follow my instincts.” –Karl Lagerfeld
“Fashion does not have to prove that it is serious. It is the proof that intelligent frivolity can be something creative and positive” –Karl Lagerfeld
“WHAT I LIKE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHS IS THAT THEY CAPTURE A MOMENT THAT’S GONE FOREVER, IMPOSSIBLE TO REPRODUCE.” ―KARL LAGERFELD
Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, was given to him by the model Baptiste Giabiconi in 2011; he initially had Lagerfeld cat-sit Choupette while he was on holiday, but the designer fell in love with the cat.
“There can’t be many cats that boast a personal maid, travel by private jet, have their own book, an Instagram account, a Wikipedia page and a product line of their likeness. But Choupette is a special kind of feline.” (The Guardian)
“Evolution is the secret for the next step.” –Karl Lagerfeld
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