Industry dons black for Lagerfeld death
Designer behind Chanel label dies at 85
FASHION: Karl Lagerfeld was the godfather of modern fashion, a one-man catwalk who dressed the rich and famous and who in turn influenced everyone else.
The death yesterday at 85 of the high-collared, white ponytailed designer behind the Chanel label and several others over the years, saw the whole industry dressed in black.
KARL LAGERFELD was the godfather of modern fashion, a oneman catwalk who dressed the rich and famous and who in turn influenced everyone else.
The death yesterday at 85 of the high-collared, white ponytailed designer behind the Chanel label and several others over the years, saw the whole industry dressed in black.
The world had lost not only one of the greatest designers in the history of fashion, but also one of the best teachers, said Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue.
The designers Stella McCartney, Donatella Versace and Victoria Beckham were among those joining the chorus of sorrow for a man they called a friend as well as an inspiration.
Lagerfeld himself, who was handed control of Chanel in the early 1980s with a brief to reinvent it for the consumer generation, saw it differently.
“What I do Coco would have hated,” he said of the brand’s founder, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, who had died a decade before he took over.
He embraced celebrities such as the American Kardashian family, famous only for being famous, and often did not attempt to filter his thoughts.
The singer Adele was “a little too fat”, he said during an interview, Russian men were “ugly” and the British royal family “unnecessary”.
But individuality came with the territory.
“He was one of the most influential and celebrated designers of the 21st century and an iconic, universal symbol of style,” said the official Instagram account of his eponymous fashion label,
which he opened in 1984. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy as one of the greatest designers of our time, and there are no words to express how much he will be missed.”
Alain Wertheimer, chief executive of Chanel, called Lagerfeld a “prolific, creative mind with endless imagination”, who had reinvented the brand in its founder’s spirit.
He was also the creative director of the Italian fur and leather fashion house Fendi, owned by the luxury goods conglomerate Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, and had worked with H&M before such “celebrity designer” collaborations became a staple of every bargain basement.
He died after a period of illhealth, according to reports in France, and after having missed the Chanel haute couture show in Paris last month.
The event was his playground, where he became known for putting on a huge spectacle each year – on one occasion importing an entire iceberg and, last season, a beach, complete with waves and lifeguards.
Born in Hamburg, he had left for the French capital at 17, and was hired as Pierre Balmain’s assistant in 1955 after winning the coats category in a design competition sponsored, improbably, by the International Wool Secretariat in Yorkshire.
Ms McCartney, the daughter of Sir Paul, said it had been “an honour” to have known Lagerfeld, calling him “this gentle man that changed how we all looked at the world”.
She added: “He held his place high above all and his sharp wit and mind blew us all away.”
Ms Versace said his “genius touched the lives of so many” and Ms Beckham, the pop star turned model and fashionista, added: “Karl was a genius and always so kind and generous to me both personally and professionally.”
The German model Claudia Schiffer described Lagerfeld as her “magic dust” and said he “transformed me from a shy German girl into a supermodel”.
Actress Marion Cotillard added: “What you have left is alive, luminous and bright. The word genius suits you perfectly.”
The Australian singer Kylie Minogue called him “unique, masterful, funny and generous”, while Kim Kardashian West said: “We lost a true legend.”
His sharp wit and mind blew us all away. Designer Stella McCartney on Karl Lagerfeld.