The German fashion designer, designer, photographer and costume designer was one of the most recognized and popular fashion designers in the world. In particular, through his clear creations, he developed into a leading figure in the international fashion and designer scene. From 1983 creative director at the French fashion house Chanel, he was credited with the revival and the subsequent rise of Chanel to a billion-dollar company without having changed Coco Chanel’s handwriting. He began his career in the mid-1950s in Paris, where he worked for Balmain, Patou and Chloé, among others; since 1965 he was under contract with Fendi in Rome. Since 1974 he has been designing, with interruptions, women’s and men’s fashion, also under his own name. His eccentric clothing had a special effect in public; His white powdered braid and dark sunglasses were hallmarks. In addition to fashion, in 1987 he discovered photography as a new hobby. In 2010 he was appointed commander of the French Legion of Honour, in 2017 he was honored with the Médaille Grand Vermeil of the City of Paris…
Karl Lagerfeld was born on September 10, 1938, the son of a Hamburg merchant.
Lagerfeld grew up as the son of the Hamburg canned milk manufacturer (Glücksklee-Milch-GmbH) Otto Lagerfeld and his wife Elisabeth in wealthy circumstances. He dropped out of school in 1953 to travel to Paris with his mother at the age of 14 and settle there. First he attended a private school there and the Lycee Montaigne. He began his professional career in 1954 when he was awarded first prize for a coat design by the International Wool Secretariat. Lagerfeld’s designs were created in the studio of the French designer Pierre Balmain, where he received his first job. He also completed an apprenticeship as a tailor here from 1954 to 1957. In 1958, Lagerfeld left this job to work as a freelance designer in the French capital. At the same time he was artistic director at Jean Patou from 1958 to 1963.
Karl Lagerfeld then joined Chloé in 1963 as artistic director. He also designed numerous fur models for Fendi and created creations for the Coco Chanel label. Commissions for the renowned fashion house Chanel brought him his first international attention. In the early 1970s he met the bon vivant Jacques de Bascher in Paris, with whom he shared his life for the next 20 years. Jacques de Bascher contracted AIDS in 1983. Karl Lagerfeld accompanied him for six years through the illness, which he had to admit defeat in 1989. In 1974 the designer founded his first independent company in West Germany under the name “Karl Lagerfeld Impression”. From 1978 to 1982, Lagerfeld worked as a freelance designer for various houses. From 1980 to 1984 he worked as a guest professor in the fashion class at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, his successor being Jil Sander.
In 1983 followed the first prêt-à-porter collections for Chanel and the opening of Lagerfeld’s first fashion house on the Parisian Champs-Elysées. In the same year he also became chief designer of the traditional house Chanel. From 1987, Lagerfeld also worked for other textile manufacturers, with whom he produced collections under the “KL” label. In addition, there were costume designs for films and operas as well as first shots as a fashion and advertising photographer. From 1990, Kar Lagerfeld promoted the German model Claudia Schiffer, in whom he saw the second Brigitte Bardot, and from then on employed her internationally as a house mannequin at Chanel. Under the support of Karl Lagerfeld, Schiffer developed into the most expensive photo model in the world and represented a new generation of her profession, which combined working as a model with the international fame of a world star. From 1988 to 1996 he worked together with the fashion house “Steilmann”. From 1996 onwards, Lagerfeld’s collections for the German mail order company “Quelle” followed.
The German designer has meanwhile received numerous awards, not only for his fashion creations but also for his photographic art. In 2000, his radical diet according to the specifications of the doctor Jean-Claude Houdret, during which Lagerfeld lost more than 40 kilos of his body weight, attracted a lot of attention in the media. In 2002, together with his doctor, he published the book “Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Claude Houdret: The 3D Diet” about the diet. In October 2003, Lagerfeld received the “World Fashion Award” from Mikhail Gorbachev at the World Awards. For the Swedish fashion house H&M, Lagerfeld created an exclusive and affordable fashion line for men and women for the 2004 fall collection. At the prêt-à-porter shows in October 2005 in Paris, Lagerfeld presented three collections for the first time. On the one hand for Chanel and Cloé as well as the first collection of the rejuvenated edition of his own line “Lagerfeld Gallery”.
On December 1, 2005, Lagerfeld was awarded the “Bambi” in the “Creativity” category. From November 11, 2006 to February 18, 2007, 350 photographs and multimedia installations by Lagerfeld were exhibited at the Berlin gallery C/O Berlin. Under the title “One Man Show” they all showed the American photo model Brad Kroenig, whom the designer discovered and promoted. Little was known about Lagerfeld’s private life. In 2010 he became Commander of the French Legion of Honor and in 2017 he was honored with the Médaille Grand Vermeil of the City of Paris.
Karl Lagerfeld stabbed in Neuilly-sur-Seine on February 19, 2019.
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Is Karl Lagerfeld a luxury brand?
Karl Lagerfeld’s lines are considered affordable luxury, with recent pieces including 275-euro cashmere sweatpants and three boxer shorts for 39 euros. With this purchase, G-III is expanding its portfolio of brands which also includes DKNY, Donna Karan and Sonia Rykiel.
What is Karl Lagerfeld most famous for?
Karl Lagerfeld, original name Karl Otto Lagerfeld, (born September 10, 1933, Hamburg, Germany—died February 19, 2019, Paris, France), German fashion designer and photographer best known as the creative power behind the modern revival of Chanel, the legendary French fashion house founded by Coco Chanel in the early …
How did karl lagerfeld die?
Lagerfeld died of pancreatic cancer a few weeks later. Mr. Steidl released “Choupette” in November, and within weeks, it sold out.
