The iconic fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld has died on February 19 at the age of 85 and we will go down in the history books as one of the most talented creators in both the fashion and design industries. Today, Paris Design Agenda will pay homage to some of the most famous highlights and achievements of Lagerfeld’s incredible career.
Karl Otto Lagerfeld first started his fashion path as an assistant to Pierre Balmain back in 1955 and was famous for his very unique approach to his fashion and art projects. He was not only a creative director for big fashion houses, such as Chanel but also an overall respected artist, a photographer, a designer and a caricaturist.
Over the decades we were able to see his genius mind materialise through the masterworks that he created for the fashion houses Chanel and Fendi, as well as his eponymous fashion label. His aspirational, relevant and cutting-edge attitude towards style gained him fame, but it was his enigmatic persona and an original perspective on fashion, that always made us come back for more.
During his career, he acted as the art director for fashion designer Jean Patou, as well as one of the first freelancer designers in contemporary fashion, having worked between France, Italy, England, and Germany.
He was also the first fashion designer – without his own label – to introduce a perfume, ‘CHLOE’. This happened during his time working for the French house Chloe – a collaboration that started in 1964 and ended in 1975. He often worked with some of the world’s most famous personalities, including the likes of Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Rihanna, Keira Knightley and Cara Delevigne.
In 2017, he partnered with Swarovski in a combined effort to bring to life a Karl Lagerfeld jewellery line. This project included three different sub-lines – Ikonic, Klassic Karl and Essentials – which together were the perfect representation of the brand’s core identity.
As another proof that he was much more than just a fashion designer – but an artist – in the most complete sense of the word, Karl Lagerfeld, also exhibited his first sculptural works at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris last year. This project included marble objects called ‘Architectures’ which were developed in collaboration with architect Aline Asmar d’Amman.
After a seven-decade career filled with several landmarks – including spending a record-breaking of 36 years at the Chanel House – it is time to say goodbye to one of the most acclaimed faces of the fashion industry. Lagerfeld used to say that for him designing was like breathing. We believe him, and honour him for all the great, unforgettable achievements, that he granted to the fashion world.
Source: CovetED