Karl Lagerfeld goes solo

Fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld is to relaunch his brand after a year-long break, unveiling two new lines and a direct sales website. Lagerfeld, head designer at Chanel for nearly 30 years, will launch two lines of menswear, womenswear and accessories.

Named after the designer, the brand will launch on January 25, 2012, featuring about 100 items priced between Euro 60 and Euro 300 to buy through the Internet. Meanwhile, Karl Lagerfeld Paris, a label featuring items costing between Euro 300 and Euro 1,500, will launch in the autumn of 2012. The letter ‘K’ will feature prominently, as well as an immediately recognisable silhouette of the designer in his trademark black glasses. “We are working on a lot of amazing ideas which are all about making luxury affordable and accessible. I’m very excited about bringing this vision to life with this brand,” says Lagerfeld. The brand’s new president, German Pier Paolo Righi, started in August and said the Lagerfeld name would add immediate cachet to the line. “It’s a great opportunity,” he says, adding, “It’s a great global name, of global reach that talks to every age group.”