It was with a heavy heart that the fashion community learnt on the final day of London Fashion Week that the creative director of Chanel and Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld had died at 85-years-old after reportedly a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Known as ‘Kaiser Karl’, he was instantly recognizable by his trademark black tailoring, dark sunglasses, high starched collars and neat white ponytail. The designer worked right up until the end, only missing his last Chanel couture show in January and directing instructions for his final Fendi runway collection in September last year.
German-born Karl Lagerfeld enjoyed a long career in fashion, some 64 years, He took the reins at Chanel in 1985 after Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel’s passing a few years earlier, but also designed for Chloe, Fendi, his own eponymous label and as a one-off for H&M. He famously made muses and fans out of Claudia Schiffer, Madonna and Princess Diana.
The legacy of Karl Lagerfeld lives on in Chanel, a company that his handiwork helped flourish on an international level. His imagination ran wild far beyond the catwalk as he travelled the globe to present cruise collections in Seoul, Scotland, Havana and Texas (among countless other locations) and transformed the Grand Palais into awe-inspiring fantasy spaces (like a barn dance, walled garden and spaceship). He was notoriously outspoken - once talking to Grazia about Pippa Middleton ‘I don’t like [her] face…she should only show her back,' later adding, ‘I didn’t mean that! I only meant I don’t think her make-up is right’.
For all the bravado, his designs spoke volumes. In his hands, Chanel’s house codes of tweed, skirt suits, little black dresses and handbags transformed season after season into more and more covetable objects.
His private life meanwhile was notoriously (ahem) private, but his love for his famous cat, Choupette was very public. He was reportedly given the white cat as a gift from the French model Baptiste Giabiconi in December 2011.
Celebrities and admirers have been reacting to the news with Victoria Beckham saying, ‘So incredibly sad to hear this. Karl was a genius and always so kind and generous to me both personally and professionally. RIP.’
Gigi Hadid who walked in several of the designer’s shows wrote, ‘I’m so heartbroken I almost don’t have words. There will never be a Karl Lagerfeld. Every second with you was an honour, joy, and inspiration. I wish I could give you one last hug. I love you Karl, thank you for everything. Rest in Peace.’
Muse Lily Allen who famously played live at one of Chanel’s Parisian shows, posted: ‘You made me feel like a princess. I never quite understood what you saw in me but I am forever grateful for the support that you and Chanel have given me over the last 15 years. Rest In Peace Karl, you were a true genius and will be missed, so much.’
Karl’s passing leaves open one of the most coveted jobs in Pairs. Rumours are swirling that perhaps Haider Ackerman, Phoebe Philo or Pierpaolo Piccioli might be in line for the role. But, so far Chanel has said that his longtime collaborator, Director of Chanel’s Fashion Creation Studio, Virginie Viard, will be stepping up.
SEE: Karl Lagerfeld's Most Iconic Chanel Moments.
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Chanel, Paris-Bombay Métiers D'Art, 2011/12Lagerfeld transformed the Grand Palais in Paris into the most opulent feast for this show, which was inspired by Coco Chanel's vision of 1950s and '60s India. Stella Tennant was, of course, leading the model line-up, having just been crowned Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards
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Chanel, SS94 runway. Naomi Campbell walking the Chanel runway in 1994 in tweed and a chain belt showed Karl Lagerfeld flexing his sartorial muscles as he pushed the house codes to their extreme edge.
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Chanel, SS94 runway. In 1993, Karl Lagerfeld was already keenly aware of mixing creating commercially viable pieces, like swimsuits. The high-low appeal was amplified by the use of muses like supermodel Naomi Campbell.
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Chanel, Haute Couture 1995 runway.And the bride (Claudia Schiffer) wore white. As soon as Karl Lagerfeld took the reigns of Chanel he began modernising the sartorial language Coco Chanel created for her eponymous label, including the use of tweed and cardigan jackets.
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Kiera Knightly at the Golden Globes 2015.The British actress Kiera Knightly has enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with Chanel, which included Karl Lagerfeld designing her wedding dress - a short white mini with a cross-body Chanel bag.
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Khloe Kardashian carrying Chanel's world traveller backpack.As Khloe Kardashian entered LAX airport in 2014 she swung Chanel's scribbled-over backpack onto her arm. This item was a token from the brand's collection that captured 'Gap Yah' culture.
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Chanel, SS16 runway. Karl Lagerfeld explored ideas around sustainability within fashion in Chanel's SS16 runway.
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Chanel, AW18 runway. Chanel's sets are notoriously lavish, including the AW18 catwalk that saw a branded spaceship lift off.
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Prince William with Princess Diana in a Chanel suit, 1997.Princess Diana wore Chanel time and again until reportedly she felt no longer comfortable sporting the double 'C' logo as it resembled the initials of Charles and Camila too closely.
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Chanel, SS13 runway.Who can forget the hula hoop bag from 2012? This enormous bag, which was later purchased by Kris Jenner, is a prime example of Kaiser Karl's ability to create a 'fashion moment' in other words grab the front page of newspapers with a fun reimagining of a classic Chanel item.
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Rihanna at the AW14 runway. Rihanna at the AW14 Chanel fashion show wearing trainers and a belt bag is just a small insight into how far ahead of the trends Karl Lagerfeld was.
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Chanel, AW14 runway.For Karl Lagerfeld the world was his muse. He was able to turn the mundane, like supermarket shopping and consumption culture, into esoteric, humourful accessories that became instantly collectable. For instance, in March 2014, he transformed the Grand Palais into a Stepford Wives supermarket where models, like Cara Delevigne, shopped for 'Chanel' branded groceries and wore bags wrapped in cellophane.
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Chanel, SS96 runway.Eva Herzigova's Chanel swimsuit was just as iconic in the 90s as when Kim Kardashian wore it in 2018.
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Chanel, SS96 runway.Kate Moss at the height of her 'waif' appeal in the mid-90s wearing a blue tweed suit typifies how Karl Largerfeld was able to constantly transform and update this iconic house fabric.
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Chanel, SS94 runway.Karl Lagerfeld was quick to spot the power of the supers and was a firm supporter of Claudia Schiffer's career from the get-go.
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Chanel, SS17 runway.With his finger on the pulse, Karl Largerfeld took inspiration from AI, high-tech robots by showcasing the Chanel show in a makebelieve data centre within the Grand Palais.
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Chanel, Haute Couture 2017.Alongside anointing trends, Karl Lagerfeld was a maker or models, including Lily-Rose Depp.
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Chanel, Haute Couture 2018 runway. The Chanel bride has a very hallowed place in history, something that Sundanese model Adut Akech Bior came to realise in July 2018 when she was the second WoC model to hold this position.
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Chanel, Cruise 2018 runway. As creative director of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld oversaw the enermous output of spring-summer, autumn-winter, cruse, resort and two couture collections a year. Each show's set was almost as important at setting the mood of the collection as the clothes and handpicked models.
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Chanel, SS19 runway. For Chanel's last runway collection with Karl Largerfeld present the brand transformed the Grand Palais into a beach, on which Kaia Gerber walked barefoot.
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Chanel, SS15 runway.As the conversation around feminism heated up around the world, Karl Largefeld turned the Chanel SS15 runway into a pro-women and equality protest.