Renown Fashion ICON Karl Lagerfeld has died in Paris, aged 85, from pancreatic cancer, sources from Chanel have confirmed.
The artistic director for renown French fashion house Chanel had looked increasingly frail in recent seasons, and had reportedly suffered ill health in recent weeks.
For the first time in decades Lagerfeld did not come out to take a bow at the Chanel’s couture show in Paris in January, something the company attributed to him being tired.
He first found real success in the mid-1960s with Chloe, the fashion label now owned by Switzerland’s Richemont and to which he was connected off and on until 1997.
But it was Chanel that propelled him to rock-star status, as he sexed up the brand and lifted its profile with grandiose runway shows.
As well as his decades of unforgettable designs, Lagerfeld was also famous for his acid tongue.
Dubbed ‘Kaiser Karl’ and ‘Fashion Meister’ – he was worshiped like a god in fashion circles around the world up until his death.
The Hamburg-born son of a German mother and Swedish father, left his home country for France and the capital of fashion – Paris – in his early 20s and is best known for his association with Chanel, dating back to 1983.
But Lagerfeld, who simultaneously churned out collections for LVMH’s Fendi and his eponymous label – an unheard of feat in fashion – was also brand in his own right.
Sporting dark suits, white, pony-tailed hair and tinted sunglasses in his later years that made him instantly recognisable, even outside the court of haute couture.
The designer mingled with the young and trendy until the last, pairing up with 17-year-old catwalk darling Kaia Gerber, daughter of Cindy Crawford, for a collaboration released by his Karl Lagerfeld brand in 2018.
Lagerfeld was known for his mode muses, but in particular his favourite feline inspiration: his cat Choupette.
His demise has left a huge vacuum in the Fashion world that cannot be filled. His contribution to Fashion will never be forgotten and he will be sorely missed.
