The emissary of epoch-defining design metier and the metaphor for ageless style and tireless reinvention — Karl Lagerfeld, who’s credited with catalysing Chanel into a billion-dollar industry leader, died at the age of 85 in Paris on Tuesday. The king of multi-tasking juggled the house of Chanel, LVMH’s Fendi and his eponymous label with effortless ease season after season. Toying with Gabrielle Chanel’s key insignia — the tweed lunch-suit, LBDs, the two-toned shoes, camellias, quilted chain handbags and the No 5 perfume — Lagerfeld, who took over the house in 1983, made every outing of the moment unquestionably relevant.
His larger-than-life runway presentation formats entrenched the French brand as the ultimate symbol of luxury.
Be it the 37 meter-high white rocket ship or building a cruise ship — ‘La Pausa’ (named after Chanel’s country house in the South of France) inside Grand Palais in Paris or reigniting the splendour of the Indian Maharajas in Chanel’s 2011 Paris-Bombay featuring a decadent buffet. Chanel has named Virginie Viard, a low-key company insider based in Paris, to take Mr Lagerfeld’s legacy ahead. Viard has been the director of the Chanel fashion creation studio and Lagerfeld’s right-hand for more than 30 years.
“Today, not only have I lost a friend, but we have all lost an extraordinary creative mind,” Alain Wertheimer, Chanel’s chief executive, said in a statement. “Thanks to his creative genius and exceptional intuition, Karl Lagerfeld was ahead of his time, which widely contributed to the house of Chanel’s success,” he adds.
Karl’s succession was always the hot topic of discussion. Names like Marc Jacobs, Alber Elbaz and Lagerfeld’s friend Hedi Slimane were speculated to be the likely successors and of late, Phoebe Philo, who left Celine.
The legendary designer joined Fendi in 1965 lending it off-kilter couture techniques and conceived the idea of ‘fun fur’. “Fendi intends to take its time to pay him the homage he deserves and will communicate on his succession later,” the brand maintained.
The fashion world is currently mourning this incredible loss. Singer and former French first lady Carla Bruni posted on Instagram saying, “Dear Karl, thank you for all the sparkles .... thank you for bringing beauty and lightness in our world, so much colour in the darkness, so much wit in our dull days. I think you wouldn’t have wished for too many tears or too many flowers but you will be missed. The whole world and I will miss you. RIP. (sic)”
Designer Alexa Chung shared on Instagram. “Rest in peace, Karl. I remember being so scared to interview you and yet you were in fact incredibly witty and generous. Thank you for inviting me to some of the most glamorous experiences of my life, it was an honour to know you. Oh yeah and thanks for the dry shampoo tip, will always think of you as I powder my wig.”
Most Memorable Quotes Of Karl
- “I’m a kind of fashion nymphomaniac who never gets an orgasm.”
- “Marketing is a word I never use, because I don’t even know what that means. Let’s forget about it. I don’t have to do that.”
- On Yves Saint Laurent: “He is very middle-of-the-road French — very pied-noir, very provincial.”
- “I’m not crazy to discuss fashion with men. I couldn’t care less about their opinion.”
- “I am a sort of vampire, taking the blood of other people.”
- “I design like I breathe. You don’t ask to breathe. It just happens.”
- “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants.”
- “Vanity is the healthiest thing in life.”
- “I bleach my past. Thank god there isn’t anyone left to remember that anymore! And I’ve forgotten it all myself.”
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Karl Lagerfeld with Lily Rose-Depp")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}