THANK YOU KARL
A Tribute to Karl Lagerfeld
By Laura Sheehan
The 19th of February in 2019 will be a date thefashion world remembers forever as a fond farewell to one of the most memorabledesigners in history, Karl Lagerfeld. After missing two Chanel fashion showsearlier this year, speculation mounted around the visionary’s health and sadly,French media reports announced his death in February.
Paris Fashion Week came to an end in style with KarlLagerfeld’s last ever Chanel collection showcased in the GrandPalais-turned-ski resort venue. Just weeks after his death shook the fashion world,supermodels, including Cara Delevinge and Kaia Gerber, took to the catwalk topay homage to the iconic designer who led the fashion house as CreativeDirector for over three decades.
Born in 1938 in Hamburg, Germany as Karl Lagerfeldt(he later lost the ’t’ to make himself more commercial). Lagerfeld got hisfirst taste of fashion when he attended a Dior show with his mother, who issaid to have been a lingerie saleswoman. With the support of his parents, hemoved to Paris at the age of 14 to pursue a career in fashion. When he was just17-years-old, he won an award in the 1954 International Wool Secretariatcompetition for his coat design which was then produced by Pierre Balmain. Thiswas the start of what would be a long, successful run in one of the world’smost competitive industries for Karl Lagerfeld.
A mere nine years later he took on the role ofCreative Head at Chloé, a title that would place him in high regard in thestyle stakes. Over his two stints, he spent 25 years creating a signature Bohemianlook for the fashion house. In 1997, he left the house when he was replaced byStella McCartney.
Despite his success at Chloé it was his culminatingroles at the head of two of the world’s most iconic brands - Chanel and Italianhouse, Fendi - that Karl Lagerfeld will be most remembered for. He created hisfirst couture collection for Chanel in 1983 - over 10 years after the death ofCoco Chanel.
“What I did Coco would have hated. The label has animage and it’s up to me to update it. I do what she never did. I had to find mymark. I had to go from what Chanel was to what it should be, could be, what ithad been something else”, Karl once said of Coco Chanel.
It took himjust one collection before he brought his own influence to the Chanel house.And he must have been doing something right because he was only four yearsshort of 40 years of leading Chanel to global success. He later came out withhis namesake brand, Karl by Karl Lagerfeld, which made his designs moreaccessible to buyers as they don’t carry the same price tag as Chanel, Fendi orChloé.
His time at Fendi saw him design their icon double-Flogo that has become accustomed to the brand as it appears across theirhandbags, shoes and clothing today.
When he wasn’t designing collections, Karl was theone behind the camera. In fact, he photographed many of his own Chanelcollections. His creativity didn’t stop there though, he even published adieting book, explaining to readers, and fans alike, how he managed to lose 92pounds in just 13 months. He cut out Coca Cola, cheese and chocolate cake so he“wear suits by Hedi Slimane”.
At the time of his death, Karl held the leadinginfluential role of not one but three fashion power names - Chanel, Fendi andKarl by Karl Lagerfeld. Could you imagine anyone else being that successful? Hetook a failing Chanel and transformed it into one of the world’s greatestluxury brands and became one of the most recognizable faces in the industryalong the way, with his all black look, high collar, fingerless gloves,snow-white ponytail and dark sunglasses - no one wouldn’t recognize the sirKarl Lagerfeld.
If there’s one of his pearls of wisdom that weshould take with us, let it be this: “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lostcontrol of your life so you bought some sweatpants.” Sleep tight, KarlLagerfeld. Fashion, as we know it, will never be the same.