Never revealing his real date of birth, Karl Otto Lagerfeldt was reported to have been born September 10, 1933, in Hamburg, Germany. To make his name sound more “commercial” he took off the “t” from his last name. The creative director, fashion designer, artist, photographer, and caricaturist was loved by and inspired many. Lagerfeld drew his designs by hand and played a huge creative role in brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Chanel and Fendi.
Lagerfeld grew up in a wealthy home and at the age of 14 he moved to Paris to pursue his passion for fashion. After 2 years in Paris, Lagerfeld would eventually meet Yves Saint Laurent who would become a close friend, and along with himself was a winner of a design competition at the time.
In the 1980’s Karl Lagerfeld was a booming sensation in the fashion industry. He acquired a reputation for jumping from one label to the other, and developed credentials that few designers can match. In 1984, Lagerfeld had launched his own label around the idea of “intellectual sexiness, and eventually sold it to Tommy Hilfiger in 2005.
As Karl reached his mid-80’s he slowed down, and people began to notice that he had not been appearing at the end of his Chanel fashion shows earlier in the year, which the house had come to say was due to him being “tired”. On February 19, 2019, it was released that Karl Lagerfeld had passed away. Many celebrities were devastated at this. Actors Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet showed up to the 2019 Oscars in pieces from one of his last collections.
Karl Lagerfeld leaves behind a legacy of extraordinary work, and a portion of his 300 million dollar fortune to his cat Choupette.
