Models pay tribute to a fashion genius
only you could dream up. Thank you for believing in me and for the beautiful, incredible opportunities you brought to my career, but mostly, thank you for giving me the honor of knowing the magic behind the myth.”
Saudi Arabia-born
DJs and influencers, of Palestinian descent, Sama and Haya Khadra took to the social media platform with their own message.
“Those of you who have been following us since we were 15 know what a significant part of our lives and careers Karl has been. What an honor to have spent so many years as part of the Chanel family. One of our favorite memories is the day we almost missed our midterms to stay in Paris and shoot for the Little Black Jacket,” an exhibition held in London’s Saatchi Gallery in
2012 that featured more than 100 black-and-white photographs of Lagerfeld’s favorite muses wearing the label’s iconic jacket
“The privilege we had to watch you work for hours will forever give us creative fuel. Thank you for your boundless imagination and for being the vanguard of what it means to ceaselessly reinvent yourself without ever straying away from your ethos,” the sisters added.
Legendary US-Somali supermodel Iman shared her thoughts, saying: “Iconic, extraordinary talent, gentle, kind, genius, lethal wit and (a) wicked sense of humor! You will be missed. RIP Karl Lagerfeld.”
Meanwhile, Algerian-French actress and model paid tribute in French.
“Another fashion legend has gone away,” she said.
Middle Eastern inspiration
While models from the region pay tribute, it should be remembered that Lagerfeld also turned to the Middle East when seeking inspiration.
In December 2018, Chanel released an Egypt-inspired collection and sent models down the runway in a rich array of ancient Egypt-themed outfits at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Gold shimmered all over the runway, as models strolled past the floodlit temple in everything from gold thigh-high boots to gold brimmed hats to glistening dresses with golden feather adornments, to shoulder-length gold earrings.
The designer also made a muchreported-on appearance in Dubai in 2014 when Chanel staged its Cruise collection show in the city and, in a win for the Middle Eastern fashion scene, he photographed Bella Hadid for Vogue Arabia’s first September issue in 2017.