Karl Lagerfeld: A Fashion Legacy

By LYNN YUAN ‘21

On February 19th, 2019, Karl Lagerfeld, a German fashion designer, artist, and photographer, passed away at the age of 85, causing a stir in the fashion industry and its surrounding art media. Lagerfeld was one of the most widely popular designers of the 20th and 21st centuries and served as creative director for both Chanel and Fendi. At the time of his death, he worked on three brands—these being the aforementioned Chanel and Fendi, as well as fashion brand under his own name—and accumulating an astonishing net worth estimated at over 200 million dollars. Lagerfeld was widely regarded as one of the most iconic people in the fashion industry, and in his death, leaves behind an enormous legacy.

Born on September 10, 1933, to a wealthy German businessman, Lagerfeld originally pursued a career involving drawing and history. Later, having immigrated to France, Lagerfeld pursued a freelance career for French fashion and worked under brand names such as Chloé and Curiel. In 1982, Lagerfeld was asked by the chairman of Chanel, Alan Wertheimer, to design for the label. Despite Chanel being a dying brand at the time, Lagerfeld took on the challenge and is credited by many for Chanel’s revival and glory. As reported by The New York Times, Lagerfeld said, on the subject of taking the job, “Everybody said, ‘Don’t touch it, it’s dead, it will never come back.’ But by then I thought it was a challenge.” Lagerfeld saved Coco Chanel’s iconic fashion house from economic collapse by reimagining its mainstream release line, and he kept Chanel relevant by amplifying original design concepts while observing and tweaking the designs to reflect current styles and trends. Lagerfeld was also known to be a major influence for Fendi since 1965, introducing the unconventional uses of different materials in high end fashion. Despite his reputation for working in high-end fashion, Lagerfeld was not one to deny work with brands that were thought to be below him. In 2004, Lagerfeld collaborated with H&M, setting the stage for further collaboration between high-end and fast fashion; additionally, in 2011, Lagerfeld designed a collection for Macy’s. All in all, Lagerfeld’s fashion career was fruitful, to say the least. Lagerfeld also dabbled in photography and fine arts, with his photography mainly being for his brands and his artistic ventures also semi-related to his fashion career.

Following his passing, Lagerfeld was commemorated by Fendi, who honored him in their most recent 2019 fall show, Vogue describes, by styling their runway models with slick designs in both hair and makeup—an “elegant nod” to Lagerfeld’s iconic style. In a bold and rather amusing move, a portion of his 200 million inheritance has reportedly been given to his only remaining family member: his cat named Choupette.

Other than his brilliant career and the praise he received in the fashion industry, Lagerfeld was also well known for his sharp tongue and unconventional (and often unacceptable) sayings. Lagerfeld has often been recorded making misogynistic and body shaming comments and was also seen criticizing the “MeToo” movement. We must keep these facts in mind as we celebrate his legacy. While we can appreciate people like Lagerfeld’s impacts in their respective fields, we must also recognize these drawbacks.